Despite being beaten so comprehensively in State of Origin II in Perth, Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans is licking his lips at the prospect of a decider in Sydney.
The Maroons are tipped to stick with the majority of the squad which was thumped 38-6 by NSW at Optus Stadium with Gold Coast’s Jarrod Wallace looming as the only casualty.
Wallace is expected to make way for forward Joe Ofahengaue after the Brisbane front-rower returned from a gashed knee, which ruled him out of Origin II, in the NRL clash with Newcastle on Saturday.
Fullback Kalyn Ponga missed the Knights’ big win over the Broncos due to a calf complaint but is expected to be named by coach Kevin Walters unless scans on Sunday reveal the injury is more serious than thought.
Dylan Napa, who struggled with a broken wrist in game two, is expected to retain his spot with Tim Glasby or Melbourne’s Christian Welch to be named on the bench.
Cherry-Evans said he made sure he quickly moved on from the disappointment of defeat in Perth and couldn’t wait to lead his state into the July 10 decider at ANZ Stadium.
“I’m certainly super excited about what lies ahead for Queensland. We’re playing in the decider, it’s bloody exciting,” Cherry-Evans said.
“I can’t wait for it.”
History shows Cherry-Evans is right to be excited about the Maroons chances.
There have been six Origin game three deciders played in Sydney with Queensland winning three and NSW two.
An 18-all draw in 2002 was as good as a victory for the Maroons, who walked away with the Origin shield by virtue of being the defending champions.
Cherry-Evans said he had learned over his career to quickly overcome disappointments and had made sure to turn his attentions to helping Manly in Saturday’s 30-12 NRL win over Gold Coast.
“Years gone by, early on in the piece, I used to stress for weeks over a loss. Easily,” he said.
“I just couldn’t let bad performances go.
“That’s something that I’ve certainly been able to adapt to on an individual level.
“Definitely was really disappointed but I knew I had to move on to help get a result with Manly … now that that’s done, like I said, I’m really excited for us, as a Queensland side next week.”
LIKELY QUEENSLAND TEAM
Kalyn Ponga, Corey Oates, Michael Morgan, Will Chambers, Dane Gagai, Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans (capt), Dylan Napa, Ben Hunt, Josh Papalii, Felise Kaufusi, Matt Gillett, Josh McGuire. Bench: Moses Mbye, Joe Ofahengaue, David Fifita, Tim Glasby.