Queensland coach Darren Lockyer has hinted that there will be changes for the Maroons ‘starting 17 before the second game after being questioned about Wally Lewis’ Ben Hunt-Harry Grant combination.
Speaking at Wide World of Sports QLDER, Lockyer and Queensland’s “The King” were discussing some of the trickiest selections ahead of Sunday’s game in Perth, which could see the Maroons close out the series.
Lewis acknowledged that the shared professional and personal relationship between Lockyer and coach Billy Slater would mean they would have had lengthy discussions. He went on to ask if the couple had specifically discussed who would wear the number 9.
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Lockyer seemed to be caught off guard by the question.
“Well, yeah, maybe there will be some late changes,” he said.
Realizing that it could have accidentally caused the slip, Lewis laughed and admitted that “I better shut up.”
Darren Lockyer has suggested that late changes could be made to Queensland’s initial lineup for State of Origin Game II in Perth. (Getty)
Although Hunt has been selected with the No. 9 jersey for the second game in a row, the roles assigned to the star players could still be reversed.
However, Lockyer made it clear that the confidence of the Maroons’ brains was more than satisfied with how the game plan had unfolded at the opening of the series.
“The concept is that Ben (Hunt) takes the needle out of the game and allows Harry to come and do his, and he was very good in the first game,” Lockyer said.
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The panel also spoke about the headache that Lockyer and the rest of the coaches had when choosing the midfielders to start the second game after the outstanding debutant Reuben Cotter was ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Lindsay Collins was eventually named, leaving Patrick Carrigan, who was one of Queensland’s best in the first game, to come off the bench again.
Lockyer said that when he considered the formation of the Maroons the impact of the bench was one of the key factors.
Harry Grant is tackled during the first game in the State of Origin 2022 series. Photo: Mark Kolbe (Getty)
“Sometimes when I get to these big games, I look at the bench first before I look at 1-13, because the bench plays an important role in the … match result,” he said.
“Our bench was very, very good, the first game, and I think Billy is thinking that Carrigan was so good (because) he came off the bench, (and) he wants the same effort or the same impact.”
The second match will start on Sunday at 17:50 AWST / 19:50 AEST.
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