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Subscriber only Queensland forward Felise Kaufusi believes the absence of Josh Papalii was critical in his side s Townsville capitulation, and has declared the Raiders enforcer a must pick for State of Origin II. Papalii has established himself as arguably the NRL s finest prop, and the loss of his 18-games of experience was evident amongst a completely outmuscled Maroons pack. Kaufusi and his teammates struggled to make inroads in the Blues defensive line, opening the floodgates for the likes of Tom Trbojevic, Brian To o and Latrell Mitchell to devastate at will. The aggression of Papalii and firebrand Rooster Lindsay Collins - who will miss the season with an ACL injury - was clearly missed.
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Titans enforcer Mo Fotuaika will miss Saturday s clash with the Roosters after accepting a one-match ban for his dangerous contact against NSW star Latrell Mitchell in the State of Origin opener.
The rookie Queensland front-rower was reported by referee Gerard Sutton for a high shot on Mitchell in the 22nd minute of the Blues 50-6 thrashing in Townsville.
Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt (dangerous contact) and superstar Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster (contrary conduct) were also booked in last night s Origin opener, but both have escaped with a fine.
After Fotuaika accepted the early guilty plea, the Titans will be without the 107-kilogram wrecking ball as they look to break a two-game losing streak at Cbus Super Stadium.
Rugby League by Peter Badel,Travis Meyn and Kyle Pollard 10th Jun 2021 4:55 AM This wasn t State of Origin. This was torture in the tropics. Paul Green s debut as Queensland coach turned to disaster as the fast, furious and ferocious Blues ripped the Maroons apart in a ruthless 50-6 cakewalk to draw first blood in the Origin series opener in Townsville. It was NSW s biggest ever win against Queensland, eclipsing their 56-16 rout at Homebush in 2000 as Blues trio Tom Trbojevic, Latrell Mitchell and Brian To o mauled the Maroons with seven tries between them. A dejected Jai Arrow after losing Game 1 of the 2021 State of Origin Series between Queensland and NSW at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, in Townsville. Pics Adam Head
Winners
Rugby league wizard Nathan Cleary may not have set another record, his 115 falling well short of his 144-point Magic Round extravaganza, but he continued to cast a spell over the NRL with a double and pair of try assists against Souths.
Cleary continues to do his job as a playmaker but he s picking up extra points thanks to his hard running and drive after contact which are producing tries that are more will than skill.
Nicho Hynes (101) also put together back-to-back big scores, filling out the stats sheet in the comeback win over Canberra to improve on his Magic Round 73 while Manly s Tom Trbojevic (99) conjured another signature performance in the emotional win over Parramatta.
The lustre is rapidly disappearing from Gold Coast s premiership credentials thanks to a collapse in the team s defensive resolve in recent weeks.
The Titans have conceded a staggering 188 points in their past five outings, sending their points differential into negative territory and the club out of the top eight.
A match against one of the NRL s battlers should be just the pick-me-up the team needs but the roller-coaster form line and absence of star forward David Fifita (suspended) dictate that nothing be taken for granted. And with dates against the Storm and Roosters looming this is a win the Titans just have to have.