Premium Content
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.
Premium Content
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.
 In years to come, we will look back on State of Origin I in 2021 as the night one of rugby league s greatest partnerships was officially born.
Stream selected Fox League shows on Kayo Freebies completely free this June including NRL 360, Sunday Night with Matty Johns, Big League Wrap & more. No Credit Card. No Brainer. Register Free Now >Â Good luck with that. Unless he can find a way of turning back the clock and reinventing big Mal Meninga and Gene Miles in their prime, what hope do the Queenslanders really have to save this series? Who cares if they ll be playing the next game at Suncorp? It wouldn t matter where they played on Wednesday night.