While Latrell Mitchell was erstwhile again a standout, the ending of NSW' Game Three loss could've been a full antithetic communicative had the Blues opted against giving the prima centre a long-range punishment extremity successful an effort to necktie the crippled up.
With the Blues trailing 20-18 with conscionable nether 2 minutes remaining, a precocious tackle from Maroons guardant Christian Welch connected Mitchell Moses handed the Blues a punishment close connected halfway.
While it remains unclear astatine this signifier whether the determination came from Mitchell, skipper James Tedesco oregon Brad Fittler successful the coaching box, the Blues rolled the dice alternatively than kicking for interaction to acceptable up an attacking acceptable heavy successful Maroons' territory.
Mitchell, who's known to person 1 of the biggest boots successful the game, stepped up and took the kick, lone for his effort to autumn good short, landing successful the arms of Queensland prima Kalyn Ponga nether the transverse bar.
At the clip of the punishment extremity attempt, Maroons fable Cameron Smith admitted helium was "surprised" the Blues opted against kicking for touch.
Latrell comes up abbreviated astatine the death
"He hasn't missed a footwear this series," Smith said successful commentary for Nine.
"He's deed them sweetly tonight, but with the bid already wrapped up, I was a small spot surprised.
"I thought New South Wales whitethorn person looked for a interaction finder heavy successful Queensland's territory and past gone for the triumph with a try."
Following the lucifer however, Immortal Andrew Johns supported the call, saying it would person been hard to crook Mitchell down aft helium "put his manus up".
"It's hard to benignant of marque the determination erstwhile you're successful a studio. When you're astatine the crushed and you person a consciousness for it, past you'd cognize then," Johns said.
"Latrell evidently enactment his manus up. And if Latrell puts his manus up and says, 'I'm going to footwear it', you fto him footwear it.
"But with fatigue, 79th minute, a batch of running, a batch of fatigue successful the legs, bedewed ground, bedewed shot - truthful you works ft erstwhile your footwear doesn't excavation in, it whitethorn descent a small bit.
"But you've got to backmost Latrell. If helium says he's going to footwear it, you backmost him. Don't question Latrell similar that."
Mitchell was asked astir the infinitesimal instantly pursuing the match, jokingly claiming that helium was incapable to deed it successfully owed to his shorts being excessively tight.
"My shorts are a spot tight, I don't know, couldn't get my legs through," Mitchell said.
"But look, everyone dreams of doing that footwear and is what it is."
Latrell making the champion 'look silly'
Earlier successful the game, Mitchell needed small clip to stamp his authorization aft crossing implicit for the opening try.
Life was made hard for the Blues erstwhile Queensland took a 2-0 pb successful the opening 2 minutes of the crippled pursuing a costly penalty.
But erstwhile it was clip for the Blues to respond, Mitchell stepped up by cleaning up a escaped shot successful attack, which had slipped done the hands of playmaker Jack Wighton earlier the centre cleaned up by redeeming a adjacent 15-metres nonaccomplishment of tract possession.
Then conscionable moments later, Mitchell was handed the shot successful a one-on-one presumption against Dane Gagai and stepped his South Sydney teammate to skip distant into the in-goal untouched for the Blues' archetypal effort of the game.
"We highlighted earlier the crippled the endowment of Latrell Mitchell and however he's the X-factor," rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns said successful commentary for Nine.
"Remember these players are the champion successful the world, the champion defenders.
"In the lead-up, helium gets the shot and picks it up and is conscionable playing with the opposition.
"Then helium gets the shot successful space, and person a look astatine the footwork - they don't get a manus connected him.
"These aren't mean footballers, these are the champion players successful the world. He's making them look silly."
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