Cameron Smith’s revealing remark as Maroons are encouraged to take decisive action on DCE: ‘They simply couldn’t seal the deal’

Phil Gould is convinced that Queensland might be in for a rough ride as the pressure mounts on captain Daly Cherry-Evans following their lacklustre performance in game one.

After failing to score a single try in last year’s decider, the Maroons managed only one on Wednesday evening, which was set up by a mistake from Latrell Mitchell.

Their uninspired attack must be addressed ahead of the crucial game two showdown in Perth, scheduled for three weeks from now, with Cherry-Evans’ position potentially under threat.

When questioned during Nine’s post-match analysis about the possibility of dropping Cherry-Evans or other key players, Cameron Smith remarked that it would be a “temptation”.

Tom Dearden made an impact off the bench for Queensland, stepping up as hooker and providing the spark the team seemed to lack during his absence.

In his post-match comments, Andrew Johns suggested it might be time for coach Billy Slater and the selectors to “pull the trigger” and leave the 36-year-old captain out.

“Billy [Slater] has some big decisions ahead,” Johns noted.

“No one outlasts Father Time, and with DCE at 36, they might be better off bringing in Dearden … but I’m unsure where the improvement will come from with this group.”

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Slater remained non-committal about potential changes, with his long-time teammate and Maroons legend Smith agreeing that the spine “failed to deliver” and leaving the possibility of Cherry-Evans being replaced open.

“There’s always that temptation, and Billy will have that discussion,” he stated.

“There’s no doubt the key players in Queensland’s spine struggled for cohesion. In the critical moments of the match, they simply didn’t deliver.

“The critical takeaway for Queensland tonight is that they only scored one try, following last year’s game three where they failed to score altogether.” 

Cherry-Evans was not the only one to disappoint; Harry Grant arguably had his worst outing at State of Origin level, while fullback Kalyn Ponga was notably inactive with the ball.

Addressing his future in the team, the veteran halfback highlighted the influence of early penalties and mistakes on their erratic attack.

“With a loss comes the inevitable questions,” Cherry-Evans acknowledged.

“We’ve left ourselves open to scrutiny, but I’m keen for the chance to come back and set things right.

“If we can improve our discipline, it will certainly relieve some pressure heading into the next game.”

Cameron Munster was perhaps the strongest of the spine players, yet even the dynamic five-eighth couldn’t help the Maroons find the scoreboard in their 18-6 defeat at Suncorp Stadium.

With potential changes looming for the Maroons before game two, former Blues coach Gould expressed doubts about the effectiveness of any alterations.

“What they’ve [NSW] accomplished is breaking Queensland,” he stated after the match.

“I fear Queensland might have a tough time dealing with that game. I simply don’t see the solutions for them, nor the answers emerging from the selection committee.

“The individual players and the team as a whole must perform better. They were outplayed in all crucial phases of the match tonight.”

“I’m uncertain whether they can bounce back from this.”