LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
In response to NSW's loss in State of Origin Game 2, captain Isaah Yeo emphasized that the team's poor discipline, rather than the harsh penalty count against them, was to blame.
Queensland benefitted from an unprecedented 8-0 penalty count in the first half, leading to a 26-4 scoreline at halftime, with NSW fans expressing their frustration over the mismatch in penalties.
Despite NSW's improved performance in the second half, where the penalty count settled at 10-2 in favor of Queensland, the initial disparity marked a historic moment in the series, being the first instance of nine consecutive penalties awarded to one team.
Yeo maintained focus on his team's errors during the match, stating, "There were certainly a few we were shooting ourselves with and they're just penalties...
Some nights you get them and some nights you don't.
But what you can't do is just go drop the ball in the next set when you've got the ball.
You would obviously like that to be a bit more even, but we were the own worst enemies at times."
Coach Laurie Daley echoed this sentiment, criticizing the team's discipline as "nowhere near the mark." NSW legend Greg Alexander acknowledged that many penalties were justified, including incidents involving Zac Lomax and Jarome Luai.
Nevertheless, he found it noteworthy that one team was not penalized at all during the first half.
Yeo's mature analysis of the game underlines the importance of accountability and highlights the need for NSW to address their discipline issues in future matches.