Brad Fittler

NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler is lamenting the Queensland Maroons' ruck tactics and said he'd present a list...

there were no penalties so they were probably holding us down for that extra second, and didn't allow us to free the ruck and play with that freedom that we wanted to. "They kind of played how we wanted to play... "I thought the Junior Paulo one, getting held in the scrum, as well. "We should have done a better job. "They did a great job. I think they did a good job.

Blues coach Brad Fittler has taken a subtle dig at referee Ashley Klein for allowing the Maroons to slow the ruck down and gain a clear advantage in their ...

“Not sure, not sure, I thought they won the ruck, I thought they were really good there,” Fittler said. “They did a great job, they worked hard there and won the ruck.” “I think they did a good job, held on tight and Ashley didn’t want to give penalties away, I think we got a penalty with 17 minutes to go was the first,” he said.

This has been true for many years, even during Fittler's own tenure as Blues coach. For all it's glory and victories, even Fittler's Blues don't look ...

Time will tell if this series joins the legendary Maroon victories of the past, like 1995 and 2006 and 2020, but it's as good a start as any. Fittler will gather them in the changing rooms in Perth, in the moments before the series is on the line again, and he will say the only ones who believe in us are the 17 blokes in this room. Backs to the wall. Supporting a team full of all-time legends must feel amazing, but you know what's even better? Even the dynasty struggled here at times. The crowd did not expect this.