The talk in Australia is all about what Queensland will do after their 18-6 loss to New South Wales in the first State of Origin game.
One of the biggest talking points is the future of Queensland captain and halfback, Daly Cherry-Evans.
A legend of the game who has played many times for the QLD Maroons, Cherry-Evans wasn’t at his best in this first match.
Now, a former great player for NSW, Andrew Johns, has said it’s time for Queensland to make a big change.
He believes they should drop Cherry-Evans and bring in Tom Dearden at halfback.
Dearden, who played off the bench in the first game, is a young gun who can really spark things up.

Johns didn’t hold back, saying Queensland looked like they couldn’t fix their problems. He also thought NSW could have won by a lot more if they played even better.
“Look, no one beats Father Time and DCE is what, (36)? I think they have to pull the trigger and bring Dearden in,” Johns said on Channel Nine TV.
” I don’t know where the improvement comes with this group.
“NSW, if they were on tonight, they win by 40 or 50. They left so many tries out there and they’ll be better for that.
He also suggested other changes for Queensland, mentioning players like Corey Horsburgh and Jai Arrow. But the big question is whether they will replace their captain, Cherry-Evans, with Dearden.
“I don’t know if they can go up another level, Queensland. I think there has to be changes with Corey Horsburgh, he’s one I think can add something.
“Jai Arrow is an Origin player, but the big one is Dearden and whether they pull the trigger on Dearden with DCE.”
Dearden has shown his class before, playing well for Queensland last year and being outstanding for Australia in the Pacific Cup.
When asked if he wanted another chance to prove himself in the next game, Cherry-Evans said, “Yeah, definitely. When you lose, these questions come up. I’d love the opportunity to come back and make things right.”
Another former Queensland captain, Cameron Smith, also spoke about the situation. When asked if it was time for Queensland to move on from Cherry-Evans, he said the coach, Billy Slater, would have the final say.
“There’s no doubt that the key position players of Queensland lacked a bit of cohesion tonight. In the crucial moments of the game they just couldn’t get the job done.”
Queensland had a rough night. They gave away too many penalties, their attack wasn’t smooth, and they didn’t control the middle of the field. They also made poor choices on the last tackle and missed a lot of tackles – 48 in total!
Coach Billy Slater said they need to review what went wrong.
“That’s probably something for the review, and looking through the the tape and, obviously sitting down with the group. At the end of the day it’s got to come from the players,” he said.
Slater doesn’t think it’s just about the players they picked.
“I definitely don’t think it’s a personnel thing. I know what this team’s capable of and and that’s why you can probably see I’m disappointed because they haven’t played their best footy.
“I feel responsible to try and help them get there. So it’s definitely not a personnel thing. They’ve had a great attitude as well. But to the discipline side of the game, the attitude wasn’t good enough.”
So, the big question for all you rugby league fans here in PNG is: will Queensland stick with their experienced captain, Cherry-Evans, or will they bring in the young talent of Tom Dearden to try and turn things around in the next game? It’s going to be interesting to see what happens!
Source: Australian Associated Press