State Of Origin, Game Tres; Match-Up Guide
Fullback
Not much more needs to be said about Josh Dugan who has been the most threatening player for New South Wales this year and he will once again be sniffing around the ball, ready to pounce on any opportunity that is presented to him.
Greg Inglis replaces Billy Slater for Queensland and Inglis offers a bigger body who isn't quite as skillful as Slater but has shown in the NRL that he can lay on a try or two. One of the benefits of having Inglis at fullback will be his kick returns which should get the Maroons off to a nice start when Inglis carts the ball up. Inglis has mastered the art of constantly being involved, regardless of what's happening so make sure you've one eye trained on Inglis whenever Queensland have the ball.
Wings
Brett Morris maintains his spot on the wing along with Will Hopoate and rightfully so after a solid display in game two. Both Hopoate and Morris are safe wingers both on attack and defence while also being strong carriers of the footy.
Queensland have called up Dane Gagai who will make his State Of Origin debut on the right wing with Darius Boyd holding down his left wing spot. Gagai has been around the Maroons squad for a number of years now so while he's played at fullback and centre this season for the Knights he'll know what is required of him on the wing for the Maroons. The Blues will send plenty of traffic his way not only with their kicking game but they will test his decision making - will he get up and in or will he hold fire?
Centres
Michael Jennings showed in game two that when he's involved, he is a great asset for New South Wales while Josh Morris has consistently done a job for the Blues.
I've got the battle between Jennings and Justin Hodges at 1-1, with Hodges getting the nod in game one while Jennings bounced back in game two. This is easily one of the best battles on the park and it's always fun to watch two high quality centres got at each other.
Will Chambers moves from the right wing to left centre, which will be a strange place for him as he plays right centre for the Storm each week in the NRL. Chambers has however proven to be a top NRL centre, but the Blues are going to send a lot of plays at him to test his trust with Cooper Cronk defending inside him. The Blues like to use Josh Dugan out the back in sweeping plays to their right, Chambers will need to be on point defensively to limit the damage done by Dugan and whoever is used.
Halves
Mitchell Pearce and Trent Hodkinson weren't amazing in game two, but they were good enough which for the Blues is all that they need to be. They have the weapons around them so they don't need to overplay their role, just get the ball to the right bloke and either kick to the corners or consistently get some sort of result with their last tackle plays.
Queensland welcome back Cooper Cronk who is the best at those core roles of a half, no one is better than Cronk at that and while the Blues halves need to show that they can do it under the pump, the Maroons need Cronk for this. In game two everything looked a bit patchy and Cronk's ability to make the right decisions consistently is crucial for Queensland. Jonathan Thurston was Queensland's best in game two, but with Cronk directing traffic, Thurston should be able to shine even more with more freedom.
Props
Aaron Woods and James Tamou have had the edge on Nate Myles and Matt Scott over the first two games and this battle is going to have a big influence on the outcome on the game.
Myles and Scott however did show great signs in game one as they carried with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, which is once again required. That wasn't there in game two which sets this up as a nice little youth vs experience battle.
Hooker
Robbie Farah probably won't play, such is life and Michael Ennis, while being in nice form and a good runner of the footy doesn't have Farah's left boot. Should Farah not play, the Blues will miss his kicking game but that will be about it as Ennis is a ready made replacement.
Cameron Smith has had the distraction of the Alex McKinnon saga to deal with, rather unfortunately as there's no need for it to all kick off a year later. Smith isn't a dynamic ball runner but with this big Blues forward pack he's gotta get out of dummy half and catch lazy defenders around the ruck, the controlling of the game is the easy bit for Smith.
Back Row
Beau Scott and Ryan Hoffman have been pretty impressive in the first two games and you'd expect Scott to run at Will Chambers a fair amount in game three. Keep an eye on Hoffman's offloading ability, he loves to poke through the line and get an offload out to and outside runner, usually Jennings.
Aidan Guerra has been very quiet, borderline disappointing to be honest in the first two games and he's got to find a way to somehow impact the game. He's a rugged customer but doesn't offer any punch or whack in defence, well up to this point he hasn't. Sam Thaiday also has to level up a wee bit, but I can see both Guerra and Thaiday playing key roles should Queensland look to push the ball and run the Blues around.
Lock
Any time Paul Gallen and Corey Parker line up against each other you know it's going to be a fun ol' time and the stage is set for another round. Keep an eye on Gallen's minutes as he's definitely going to play, but suffered that rib injury in game two which could impact his match fitness.
Parker has had the challenge laid down to him after being physically dominated in game two, how will he respond? He's not the biggest lad but in keeping with my theory that the Maroons will look to play an up-tempo style and run the Blues around, Parker's offloads and mobility is crucial.
Bench
We know what David Klemmer will bring, but no one really paid much attention to how good Boyd Cordner was for the Blues in game two when he came off the bench. Cordner cam on for Beau Scott and added some size and aggression to the Blues' right edge which will again be needed. Don't be surprised to see Trent Merrin get plenty of minutes even if Gallen stays on the field as Merrin will come on as a 'middle forward' and offer skill and footwork along with his size. Josh Jackson is a stock-standard workhorse.
Many expect Josh Papalii to play the role of the hitman, but don't sleep on how Papalii is going to fit into Queensland's up-tempo style should they go that route. Papalii is extremely mobile as he's played on the edge for the Raiders and has great footwork, which could be an asset as the Blues forwards start to tire. Michael Morgan and Matt Gillett also fit this mould while they are also reasonable ball players which will give the Maroons a funky edge. Jacob Lillyman #cannonball.