By BEN HARRIS
Patrick Grehan said it best: “It’s great to be a Queenslander, great to be a Queenslander I’ll give you the tip.”
The Queensland Men’s coach was a happy man after his side produced a David-versus-Goliath effort in the first match of the State of Origin (SOO) Men’s Open series in Port Macquarie.
Vice-captain Daniel Withers latched on to a Kristian Congoo pass and dived over the touchdown zone to record a famous 7-6 drop-off win over New South Wales.
Grehan, who now has a State of Origin record of 9-0, could not contain his excitement when the winning touchdown was scored.
“She’s [my heart] racing, she’s racing. Not much different it was all game but a little bit more joyous now it is racing,” Grehan said.
In true Queenslander spirit, the Maroons fought back from a 5-3 half-time deficit to overcome the more fancied NSW side.
The match had everything – spectacular touchdowns, desperate defence, the odd push and shove, and controversy.
There was plenty of passion shown between the sides especially in the second half.
Blues’ Anthony Ziade and Queensland’s David Zanette were given some time to cool their jets after the pair almost came to blows midway through the second stanza.
Such high was the intensity; the slightest lapse in concentration could have been the difference between the two sides.
Grehan said no one thought his team would get the win.
“There were a thousand people in the stand and there were a handful that believed that we could win it besides us,” Grehan said.
“I don’t think they expected that. Once we got in an arm-wrestle with them you know I knew they [New South Wales] hadn’t been under that much pressure for years.
“And I knew if we got in an arm-wrestle with them and stuck with them that; we have got nothing to lose in this series and we are going to keep coming at them.”
There were many standouts in the match; Steve Roberts and Jamie Stowe were solid for New South Wales.
For the Maroons, Grehan said all his players put in a tip-top effort.
“I couldn’t single anyone out. Justin Mitchell in the middle there, made some touchdown saves. He saved our bacon.
“All the boys just ripped it. I couldn’t be any prouder as a coach and it is one of my best coaching moments ever.”
But the mentor knows the Blues will come back stronger than ever in the remaining two games tomorrow.
“I tell you what, they are going to come back harder tomorrow because they’ve got to. It is always the way in a game of three series when you are one-nil down.
“We have a lot to improve on, we made a lot of mistakes coming off our line, so we need to fix that up and there are plenty of things we need to do.
“We are going to come back harder, so don’t worry about that,” he said.
Make sure you stay up to date with these websites for all the State of Origin action:
State of Origin – www.soo.mytouchfooty.com
Touch Football Australia – www.austouch.com.au
Touch Football Australia’s YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/touchfootballaus
Twitter: www.twitter.com/touchfootyaus
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