On the few occasions Queensland gave their outside men early ball in the first half, they troubled the Bluesโ left-side defence.
Better passing, catching
The Bluesโ passing game was a little off on Wednesday night, with half a dozen balls either hitting the deck or going behind players and forcing them to stop and go to ground.
Hudson Young and Nathan Cleary had passes go to ground in the second half after they had done all the hard work. Had they kept possession, and been able to build more pressure, the scoreboard would have kept ticking over.
Toโo and Dylan Edwards also spilled a few high kicks, which put the Blues under pressure. Toโoโs dropped ball right on half-time gifted the Maroons one last attacking set before he was binned for grabbing Xavier Coates in the air.
The Penrith pair can expect to receive more high ball in Perth after the Queenslanders complete their review.
More attacking kicks for Lomax
Cleary tried a few times, but struggled to hit the mark for attacking weapon Zac Lomax on the right wing. Lomaxโs aerial ability was there for all to see when he dragged in a Cleary kick with one hand for Edwardsโ last try.
Had Cleary been able to put a few more revolutions on his kicks, Lomax would have had more time to get in position and leap. One kick in the first half saw Lomax run past the ball, while on another occasion in the second half, the ball travelled too low and too deep.
A Mitchell Moses kick early in the second half gave Queensland a seven-tackle set, and they had all the momentum for the next 20 minutes.
Adjusting to officiating
At the post-match press conference, Daley pointed out how well Queensland had done to slow down the ruck.
He later said he had no issues with referee Ashley Klein, but that the Blues knew they would have to react better if the Maroons were allowed to continue holding down players and placing their hands on the ball in game two.
Referees Gerard Sutton and Peter Gough were brought into camp for game one, and their presence is always a reminder to the elite players how long thy can pin a rival on the ground before giving away a penalty.
Fitter Four
Payne Haas and Crichton came into the game with concerns over their quads, while Lomax and Toโo had played just one club game each after returning from foot and hamstring injuries respectively.
That quartet will only improve with another three weeks of training, games and recovery under their belts. To be fair to Queensland, Grant will also be much fitter in Perth.
Haas, who is fast becoming the best prop in the game, often received the ball a little wider and was able to get at Cherry-Evans and Cam Munster with ease.
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