Daly Cherry-Evans reveals key to Maroons’ incredible Origin win was BASHING Blues centre Matt Burton – with Tino Fa’asuamaleaui picked as the enforcer
- Maroons captain said Matt Burton was identified as a danger by coaching staff
- Tino Fa’asuamaleaui took it upon himself to rough up star centre from kick-off
- Burton and Queensland centre Dane Gagai sin-binned for second half biff
- Ruthless tactics paid off, with Queensland winning 22-12 – and the series 2-1
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has admitted roughing up Blues centre Matt Burton in the Origin decider was a deliberate ploy.
Pre-game, the Maroons earmarked forward Tino Fa’asuamaleaui as the enforcer, and he was more than willing to rattle the cage to ensure a series victory.
‘That’s what got us the win. We all had each other’s back and we were willing to do whatever,’ Fa’asuamaleaui said.
‘It was about the boys playing hard football and willing to do anything for their mates.’
Burton blitzed Queensland in his Origin debut in game two from Perth’s Optus Stadium, and Billy Slater’s men weren’t going to give the centre another chance to showcase his class.
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has admitted roughing up Blues centre Matt Burton in the Origin decider was a deliberate ploy
Pre-game, the Maroons earmarked forward Tino Fa’asuamaleaui as the enforcer, and he didn’t let his state down
When Burton knocked over man of the match Kalyn Ponga early in the second half, Dane Gagai (pictured) stepped up to help his teammate
From the opening whistle at Suncorp Stadium he was a target, with Fa’asuamaleaui given the green right to terrorise the Bulldogs star.
Fa’asuamaleaui hammered Burton with a late swinging arm in the ninth minute – for which he feared he may be sin-binned.
The Titans star felt Burton ‘fell’ into the tackle and when the centre knocked over man of the match Kalyn Ponga early in the second half, it was on.
Dane Gagai unleashed a flurry of punches which saw the pair sin-binned – with Fa’asuamaleaui remarkably staying on the field despite holding Burton in a headlock.
Cherry-Evans said it was a matter of identifying Burton as a danger – and then nullifying his involvement by any means necessary.
Dane Gagai was sin-binned for his role in the biff, but had the last laugh after Queensland won the series (pictured left, with teammate Valentine Holmes)
The stoush between Gagai and Burton was the first time punches have been thrown in an Origin match since Paul Gallen put a few into Nate Myles in 2013
‘We had to limit his impact and we did that really well,’ he told News Corp.
‘We drew a line in the sand on where we felt the series was going if we didn’t stop certain things. This team doesn’t look back when we get instructions. All 17 of us bought into the game plan.’
Queensland has won two of the past three series, but NSW will welcome back Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell into the fold next year.
Both injured centres were sorely missed given they the Blues’ two standout performers in the 2021 series.
Burton later told reporters ‘what happens on the field, stays on the field’ when asked if he felt he was targeted by Queensland (pictured, getting sin-binned for his brawl with Gagai)
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