Event of the Day: State of Origin Game 2
Our event of the day is the 2018 State of Origin Game 2 between New South Wales and Queensland at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney. For years, NSW have struggled in this prestigious event but a 22-12 victory over Queensland in game 1 perhaps marked the beginning of a new era. Fullback James Tedesco had a strong performance, having been involved in all four tries and the fast feet of Damien Cook also caught the eye.
The Maroons have always been the overwhelming favourites recently, having won 11 out of the past 12 series. Going into 2018, with Queensland lacking many successful and familiar faces like Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, there is clearly an opportunity for NSW to buck the trend. Tonight, Queensland coach Kevin Walters has brought in the exciting 20 year old Kalyn Ponga onto the bench to perhaps make his debut Origin start, Dylan Napa should be fit for game two and Billy Slater will play his 30th Origin game. The new NSW coach, Brad Fittler, expects an exciting game in Sydney with lots of points scored. NSW has one of the fastest backlines in Origin’s history with James Roberts and Josh Addo-Carr able to reach speeds of up to 36km/h. Together with more outstanding performances from James Tedesco and Damien Cook, the Blues are hoping for another victory and the series. With the Blues full of confidence and the Maroons fighting for their dynasty, it should bring out the best in both teams and we can expect a thrilling game at the ANZ stadium in Sydney.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the 5th ODI between England and Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester. Australia are facing a whitewash in the series as England have won all four matches so far. In Formula 1, the French Grand Prix race takes place at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. Mercedes’ drivers will start from the front row, at the world’s oldest grand prix, as the Brit Lewis Hamilton took pole position on Saturday, while the Finn Valtteri Bottas secured second position. In tennis, it’s the seventh and final day at two WTA World Tour events – the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham and the Mallorca Open at the Santa Ponsa Tennis Academy in Mallorca. On the ATP World Tour, the Gerry Weber Open at the Gerry Weber stadium in Halle concludes as does the Queen’s Club Championships in London. It’s Day 2 of the 3rd Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. At the FIFA World Cup in Russia, the second round of group stage matches will be completed with three matches. In Group G, England face Panama at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod; whilst in Group H, Japan come up against Senegal at the Central Stadium in Jekaterinburg and Poland take on Colombia at the Kazan Arena in Kazan. It’s the fourth and final day of the European Tour’s BMW International Open at the Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof in Pulheimand, and of the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. In the MLB, the New York Mets meet the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field in New York.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by NRL