Queensland enter Game Two with a smooth preparation far unlike some of the challenges they endured last year with COVID and injuries forcing a number of disruptions. Captain Daly Cherry-Evans wasn't buying the "seamless" tag as a worry for the side, however, and dismissed suggestions it would play a part in the result.
“That’s just one perception of it, we are certainly not viewing it as a seamless camp, it’s Origin,” Cherry-Evans said when prompted for a comment on if their preparations had been “too seamless” for their liking.
“If you are looking at it as a seamless transitioning from one game to the next, you are kidding yourself because you are going to sell yourself very short to what’s going to happen out there on Wednesday night.
“We have been training at a level of intensity that we feel is going to give us a good chance of winning on Wednesday night.
“We have had to make a few changes through injury, so it’s not as if we are just rolling out the same side again. We have got the new boys up to speed and we’ve just tried to apply ourselves at training.”
“It's been a good week, but the most important part of our week comes at 8.05pm tomorrow night. That's where everything is channelled towards and as good as preparations can be, that's the most important part of the week,” Slater added.
“We're in this position 36 hours before Game Two and everything's happened well so far, but it means nothing if we don't turn up tomorrow night and play our best football.
"I honestly could not care less who is favourites and who's not favourites, who's got players in and out and all that sort of stuff. “You've just got to do the best with the team that you've got. “We're very happy with the team that we have and you've got to adapt to their strengths and that's what we've been looking to do this week.” Source: NRL.ComI know there's a bit of a myth around that Queensland are underdogs; I could not care less.
Maroons coach Billy Slater
