New South Wales collectively let go a sigh of relief at the end of the 2018 State of Origin series. The Queensland dynasty was over and it was time to embark on one of their own. 

With no signs of Cameron Smith, Jonathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk or Billy Slater on the Maroon team list, the Blues went into Game 1 of the 2019 series confident of continuing down the same path.

That path took a surprising turn. Seven players went a different way to leave the group looking nothing like it did for the series-opener.

Now, they're desperate.

The Blues are all of a sudden staring down the barrel of a 2-0 series defeat. The Maroons have rebuilt in a year and look like a side capable of getting the state back to the level of dominance it has been accustomed to over the last decade.

Anything can happen in this arena. The slightest bit of complacency can turn a match, and in turn a series, on its head in an instant. Kevin Walters will know plenty about this and doing all he can to ensure the Maroons aren't forced into a series-deciding Game 3 in Sydney.

He will have looked at what went right in the opener, make his changes, and circle areas of the Blues worth targeting in the build up.

We've done the same here.

What Went Right In Game 1

The numbers after 80 minutes don't paint the picture of Queensland's dominance through the middle. Per Champion Data, the two teams finished relatively even with the Maroons finishing with 1,718 metres to the Blues' 1,632 running metres. However, it's the discrepancy in the second half that shows how Queensland managed to fight back from 8-0 down to end up on top relatively comfortably.

David Klemmer leaving the field in the 52nd minute and not returning has been a much-talked-about topic in the wake of Game 1. He was the driving force behind the half-time lead and when he left the field is when things changed. Queensland went on to run for 948 metres in the second half. New South Wales managed just 636 metres.

Creating pressure by pinning New South Wales in their own end, it was only a matter of time before the points would come. Josh Papalii was one of the best on the ground for his 128 metres while Jai Arrow is one the Maroons will miss due to injury. He led all forward in the second half with 89 running metres on 11 runs.

With the dominance through the middle, Queensland's new-look spine was able to dominate.

Ben Hunt's service improved behind a strong pack for Daly Cherry-Evans and Cameron Munster to create on the edges. With defences centred in on those two, Kalyn Ponga came into the fold and took the game away from New South Wales.

This try here will be one Brad Fittler sends to Latrell Mitchell to explain his dropping. Getting out behind the ball when Cherry-Evans shifts it to Ponga, Mitchell not only rushed out of the line to force Addo-Carr onto Chambers but puts himself in a position where he himself is forced to backpedal. As soon as Mitchell is sat in his seat like that, Ponga completes the pass for Gagai to score.

We've all seen Ponga's quick feet bamboozle defenders, but it's his passing game that really makes him dangerous.

He's the finishing piece to Queensland's attacking puzzle and the combination already forming with Cherry-Evans and Munster is incredible.

The trio were outstanding in Game 1 and will only be better for the experience of playing alongside each other.

Changes For Game 2

Having seen Queensland's dominance through the middle translate into a relatively comfortable victory in the end, it's no doubt going to be at the forefront of their gameplan for Game 2.

The difference is in the personnel.

Jai Arrow and Joe Ofahengaue are out of Game 2 due to injury. Dylan Napa moves into the starting line up with Jarrod Wallace and Tim Glasby joining the bench.

A pack made up of Papalii, Arrow, Ofahangaue and Napa looks excellent on paper and produced the goods in Game 1. A rotation of Papalii, Napa, Wallace and Glasby doesn't instil quite the same confidence. Wallace played out perhaps the most maligned series of all Queensland players last year while Glasby hardly sets the world on fire at any level.

Wallace can pile up running metres on his day. If it's not Arrow leading the way for the Titans it's him. However, Glasby has never been one to record large numbers through the middle. He's reliable and won't seek anything beyond what is asked of him, but you can only ask so much in the running metres department.

Having referenced the destructive nature of the Queensland props ahead of the series opener, that idea no longer rings true.

That dominance through the middle won't come quite so easily in Game 2.

Exposing Potential Weaknesses

By putting a fullback and a five-eighth in the centres, the Blues have opened themselves up on the edges.

Having recently looked at where NRL clubs need to improve their defence, a common factor popped up fairly regularly: the cohesion of edge defenders and players out of position. Teams that have a regular turnover on the edges and fill-in centres conceded the most points out wide.

Jack Wighton and Tom Trbojevic have just 25 games between them in the centres. While Wighton does boast 21 himself, he's not played that far out since 2014.

It's here where Queensland can find points if their questionable forward pack can get them up the field enough.

As the most difficult position to defend in, Wighton and Trbojevic will need help from their inside men. A consistent face may not greet them there either.

James Maloney is in the side for Game 2 and with a short buildup, has a lot of work to do to form a partnership with Wighton on the left side. Maloney is a famously ineffective tackler and leads the NRL in missed tackles with 5.7 misses per game. In fact, he averaged the most missed tackles in 2018 and 2017 too. He's more of a speed bump than anything, but that means the players around him need to be ready to take the man that he has slowed down by putting his body in front.

Boyd Cordner should play the full 80 minutes this time around so does offer some stability and consistency to the left edge. However, the Blues are playing two left-edge backrowers on the bench. How they fit into all of this could open up options for Queensland even further.

The Maroons will look to play out the back to Ponga as much as possible. As we saw in Game 1, his footwork, passing and decision making under pressure is well and truly up to an Origin level. That doesn't make Queensland a one-trick pony, though.

Munster and Cherry-Evans both recorded 53 receipts each in Game 1. Munster is the one that may see a few extra touches as Queensland test the New South Wales right edge defence.

Felise Kaufusi is an elite hole-runner and his performance a fortnight ago might be the most underrated of the night. He's stronger than he gets credit for and only needs a small gap to use that strength to break through.

With a fullback in the centres largely unaccustomed to defending in the line, playing Ponga out the back will force Trbojevic into making defensive decisions. If he makes the wrong one, it will be Kaufusi to expose them.

Ironically, we can swap Billy Slater out for Ponga in this video and it's exactly the sort of play the Maroons will be trying to put on.

Kaufusi runs one of his classic hard and direct lines and Slater's involvement out the back keeps Tom Opacic just wide enough for the big backrower to bust through.

The Munster to Kaufusi short-ball is an option few are considering with what Ponga produced out the back in Game 1. Look for it to be a go-to play on Sunday as Queensland ask questions of Trbojevic and the under-fire Nathan Cleary in an attempt to expose one of New South Wales' largest potential weakness.

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