Is there any way to stop Tom Trbojevic when he goes roaming?
While all of Trbojevics 13 possessions inside the NSW half were on the right side or centre of the field as they looked to work the ball away from their own end, there is a clear pointer when he switches into a second fullback role. Generally, when the Blues inched across the halfway line, Trbojevic went searching for an opportunity on the other side of the park or through the middle. He originally tried the tactic in Perth during the 2019 series, but used it to its most devastating effect in this years series opener. Tom Trbojevic and Nathan Cleary celebrate a try in Origin I. Credit:Getty While two of his three tries  becoming the first player in Origin history to score hat-tricks in two matches  came in his traditional right role, he backed up a Jarome Luai break to score on the left after a pass from Mitchell, which started an eight-minute period where the Maroons didnt touch the ball. And Trbojevic also stabbed a kick through for Mitchell deep in the left corner, meaning his try involvements on the right were matched by those on the opposite side. Loading It becomes a Walkers on situation, says premiership-winning hero Scott Sattler. It just comes down to communication. Tom Trbojevic becomes one of those players like Joey [Andrew Johns] or Darren Lockyer, wherever they were defending you really had to throw an extra defender on that side. As soon as he starts moving hes gone, and everyone realises they need to shuffle and youve got to keep pushing people across accordingly. While other sports such as soccer and AFL have been known to employ man-marking tactics where a specific player is designated a role to smother an influential rival, rugby leagues defensive line is required to retreat 10 metres and usually adopts a sliding method to match numbers. Trbojevics Queensland opposite Kurt Capewell stayed on his side of the field in game one, trusting his teammates to factor in Trbojevic when he was roaming. But clearly it didnt work as NSW flooded the middle and left with another attacking weapon, who worked in tandem with No.1 James Tedesco. Were not going to stop him doing that [roaming around]; its what he does well. Paul Green on Tom Trbojevic Capewell might be the right one to do it because hes used to defending in the middle or on an edge, Sattler said. He could probably do it. But then youre putting pressure on someone else to defend in his centre position which is difficult to do. Asked if he could stop Trbojevic scouting in different places, Green said: Were not going to stop him doing that [roaming around]; its what he does well. Its about being more physical through the middle; that will help us handle those other guys.  But for all the talk that Queenslands forwards were mauled by their Blues rivals in game one, there was one set that will be sending shudders through the Maroons as they try to salvage the series at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night. It led to the first try of the second half when Trbojevic kicked for Mitchell. NSW actually started possession deep in their own end, with Brian Too fielding a Daly Cherry-Evans kick and charging back into the Queensland defence. Then followed Mitchell one out, Tedesco from dummy half before Trbojevic joined in down the left corridor to put the Blues in Maroons territory. It was nothing but hard running from their back five, each generating enough power and momentum to keep Queensland on the back foot. The next play was the only time any NSW forward touch the ball in the set, Junior Paulo and Cameron Murray involved in a back line shift that had Addo-Carr stepping into space down the right. Trbojevic had just taken the previous carry and was on the other side of the field. And sensing they could play one shift after another and knowing where Trbojevic was, halves Cleary and Luai swung into action on the last play. They flung the ball back to the left where Trbojevic had inserted himself into the attack standing next to Mitchell, kicking for his fellow centre to touch down. Any small chance Queensland had of staging an Origin comeback vanished after that try. It was actually cool just to be out there and to see that [set] happen, Cleary says. They research the game that much, they just know the game better, NSW coach Brad Fittler says of the modern NRL player. They do a lot of video and theyve got a really good understanding of the teams and players. We just want the best they can give and if that means him moving around the field a bit then hell do that. If we need him to spend more time on the right-hand side then hell do that. But theres people looking out for him, and thats what happens when it works. If it can work again, maybe only Trbojevic knows. Queensland will be much more prepared for it, but the ball has a way of finding Trbojevic. And if he manages to stand next to Mitchell again, then rugby league might have really gone back to the future.