State of Origin 2018: Live Stream, Prediction for Maroons vs. Blues Game 2
New South Wales Blues have the chance to win the State of Origin series for just the second time in 13 attempts on Sunday, when they meet Queensland Maroons in the second match of the 2018 edition.
The Blues will be on home soil for this encounter at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, as they seek to follow up their victory from the clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 6, when New South Wales came from behind to win 22-12.
While the Maroons started this series without a number of crucial players to call upon, there's a reason why they have been so prolific in Origin matches down the years and should not be written off. Coach Kevin Walters will want to see a big response from some of his most experienced performers.
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It is potentially a historic day for New South Wales fans and not an occasion to miss. Here is all the information you need on where to catch what is always a fascinating sporting occasion.
Date: Sunday, June 24
Time: 7:40 p.m. (Local), 10:40 a.m. (BST), 5:40 a.m. (ET)
TV Info: Channel 9 (AUS), Sky Sports Action (UK)
Blues Seeking to Make History
Given the Maroons were going into this series without legendary Origin figures such as Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith, there was more expectation on the Blues than there has been for a long time.
When they fell behind early on, New South Wales supporters must have been fearing the worst once again in an Origin contest. But the team rallied superbly, with James Tedesco inspiring them to an important win.
As we can courtesy of the NRL Twitter account, the full-back was in sensational form from the start:
It wasn't just the try that made it such a good display from the New South Wales star, though, as he led the team with an exceptional all-round performance, running for an impressive 224 metres.
As the team Twitter account relayed, he also broke an unprecedented amount of tackles in an Origin game:
After the win, the Sydney Roosters man praised the attention to detail of coach Brad "Freddie" Fittler and how it helped with the victory.
"I've got to thank Freddie for the tight jerseys, they couldn't tackle me," he told Channel 9 (h/t SportingNews). "…He got us all fitted to get them a bit tighter and I think it helped, they couldn't grab the jerseys and I think all the boys got benefits from it."
The Maroons will need to get a better grip on their opponents on Sunday if they are going to continue their prestigious run in this series. And with a hostile environment on the cards in Sydney, some huge characters will be required.
They have one returning to action this weekend in Billy Slater, who missed the first game due to injury. He told 7 News Sydney he feels fully fit ahead of the game:
You would expect a more seasoned Maroons side to make this one tougher for the younger Blues team, who were exceptional in the opener. The weight of history may be heavy on inexperienced shoulders, especially if the game is tight heading into the latter stages.
It appears set up perfectly for New South Wales, though. They are a team that appear to be at the start of a new era, and with another home game, they have an ideal opportunity to end a spell of suffering in the event. It will be edgy, but they will just about do it.
Prediction: Blues 24-20 Maroons
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