How self-destructing New South Wales hurried along the end of an era in Origin III loss

At some point, it all becomes too much.

Too many missed passes. Too many injuries. Too many stars watching at home. Too many bad interchange decisions. Too much Queensland and especially too much Reece Walsh and Patrick Carrigan. Too many refereeing calls. Too many wounds, self-inflicted and otherwise.

New South Wales have lost the 2023 State of Origin series and Brad Fittler’s tenure as coach looks as good as over.

In all likelihood, several of the players who took the field in Wednesday’s 32-6 loss to Queensland at Lang Park face the end of their New South Wales rep careers, or at the very least they won’t make it to Sydney for the dead rubber.

It’s tempting to say the mission was doomed from the start.

For New South Wales to win this series they needed at least a few of the things they couldn’t control to go their way.

None of them did.

Tom Trbojevic joined the state’s long list of injured stars inside the opening two minutes.

The fact the first two Queensland tries were allowed was dubious at best and farcical at worst.

Even if everything else went right, that would have been a lot for New South Wales to overcome.

But as they have made an unfortunate habit of doing, the Blues were their own worst enemies even on a night when the twists of fate went against them.

Fittler has never been afraid of the unorthodox. From his first match in charge five years ago, when he blooded a record 11 debutants, it has been the defining feature of his time as coach for better and for worse. And on this night, it was for worse.

The decision to play Damien Cook, a hooker, at centre in relief of Trbojevic is the kind of desperate thing that should only happen when a team is so plagued by injuries they’re flat out getting 13 blokes on the field. 

To call it a shot at the stumps is a disservice to shots at the stumps.

When Cameron Murray, who has covered centre at club level before, is on the bench it becomes the kind of bad bet that would bring the loan sharks around.

Cook is a fast, dangerous, scything player and it’s those qualities that made Fittler think he could cover for Trbojevic.

The Rabbitohs man showed it when he raced in for his state’s only try as he scooped up a ball in broken play and went for the pedal.