The New South Wales Blues can put the 2025 State of Origin series to bed on Wednesday evening with a win at Optus Stadium, while the Queensland Maroons will be desperate to keep it alive.
Watch: State of Origin 2025 Game 2 Live
Watch: Qld Maroons v NSW Blues Online
Game 1 was a slow motion car crash for the Maroons, who have elected to axe captain Daly Cherry-Evans for the trip west.
It'll be over to Tom Dearden to pilot the Maroons ship, while the Blues have only made a forced change, with Mitch Barnett out out to injury and Melbourne Storm enforcer Stefano Utoikamanu into the side.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think the Maroons have been bold enough, especially with how the extended squad converts into the nominated XVII.
Put simply, if these two groups play out a typical match of NRL quality rugby league I don’t see how NSW don’t win every time. The Blues pack is a couple of weight divisions more powerful, Nathan Cleary is the halfback of his generation, Stephen Crichton is the premium defensive organiser in the game, Zac Lomax is an aerial weapon, Dylan Edwards is indefatigable, the interchange is deep, and if everything is too predictable they can always toss the ball to the sport’s greatest maverick, Latrell Mitchell.
For Queensland to win conventionally, they must perform at their very best, and NSW must slip off considerably in most areas. As a result, I would advocate the throwing of convention out of the window.
Maybe the Maroons could have turned tonight’s clash into a dogfight, especially taking into account the rain? Bring Corey Horsburgh into the starting pack, call up a scrapper like Jai Arrow, and add a chaos agent to the bench like Reed Mahoney or Felise Kaufusi to create a contest full of disruption and spot fires to deny the Blues flow. Are Kurt Capewell and Trent Loiero realistically likely to outperform Payne Haas, Liam Martin, Angus Crichton, and Isaah Yeo? It feels like Slater and his selection panel are pissing into the wind.
Behind the underpowered forwards Slater has gone all-in on Tom Dearden; an excellent footballer, but is he the kind to play lights-out footy and win a match off his own boot? I can’t see it. Queensland need to tear up the script, not try and rewrite it. They could take a punt on the instinctive qualities of Ezra Mam, Jye Gray or Jayden Campbell, or look at Jamal Fogarty or Braydon Trindall as kicking specialists to overcoming the likely territorial deficit. If that sounds like a lot of fullbacks and halves, then get creative with shirt numbers. Harry Grant was well below par in Brisbane, and Valentine Holmes increasingly seems like a legacy selection, not one based on impact, especially if he’s anything other than 100% off the tee.
Throw caution to the wind while the series remains alive rather than experiment in a dead rubber in July.
The State of Origin is back for Game 2 as the Queensland Maroons face off against the NSW Blues in the at Optus Stadium in Perth on Wednesday.
After their 2024 State of Origin championship, the Blues started this year's tournament as slight favourites. In Game 1, they showed off exactly why, as they took home a dominant 18-6 win at the Suncorp Stadium.
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Maroons coach Billy Slater has taken perhaps the most significant decision of his coaching career by stripping captain Daly Cherry-Evans and replacing him with Tom Dearden at halfback and Cam Munster as captain. Jarome Luai will reunite with Nathan Cleary in the NSW halves after Mitchell Moses was ruled out due to a calf injury sustained in training.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this State of Origin clash, including how to watch the match and kickoff times.
What time does Queensland Maroons vs. NSW Blues State of Origin kick off?
This State of Origin Game 2 takes place at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia, and kicks off on Wednesday, June 18 at 8:05 p.m. local time (AEST).
The remaining two Queensland Maroons vs. NSW Blues matches in the State of Origin kick off at 8:05 p.m. (AEST). They will be played on June 18 and July 9.
Here's how that kick-off time translates to the various Australian time zones:
The Queensland Maroons make the trip to the west coast for a do-or-die clash against New South Wales Blues in Game 2 of the 2025 State of Origin series.
The Blues won the opener of the series at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, beating the Marrons 18-6 and have put themselves in a great position to retain the shield this year.
After suffering a defeat in their own backyard, the Maroons have made changes with captain Daly Cherry-Evans being axed from the setup.
In head to head matches, Queensland have an upperhand with 70 wins while NSW have 61 wins, ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Both teams have won three titles apiece over the past six years. NSW won the 2024 State of Origin series 2-1 after rallying a comeback from a Game 1 defeat.
The Sporting News is on hand to bring you all the latest TV, scheduling, and live streaming information ahead of this match.
The NSW Blues vs. Queensland Maroons match is available for free-to-air live TV broadcast on the Nine Network and can be live-streamed on Nine Now.
Game 2 of the 2025 State of Origin series will be played at Optus Stadium in Perth, with the Queensland Maroons looking to keep the series alive.
Kick-off is set for 8:05pm (AEST) - 6:05pm (AWST) on Wednesday, June 18, and this is a full guide of how to watch the game on TV, or live stream it online.
Game 2 comes after the Blues took the chocolates on the road in Game 1, becoming the first New South Wales team to win back-to-back games in Brisbane for nearly 30 years.
Queensland will need to win both of those and have axed captain Daly Cherry-Evans for Game 2, with coach Billy Slater feeling the pressure on the back of last year's series loss.
How to watch State of Origin Game 2, 2025, on TV
If you're looking to watch the game on TV, then there will only be one way to do so.
Their coverage of the game will commence at 7pm (AEST), and Channel 9 can be found at Channel 90 in high definition, 91 in standard definition, or 100 if watching through a Foxtel service.
How to live stream State of Origin Game 2, 2025, online
If you'd prefer to live stream the match, you'll be able to do so through 9Now.
Their online broadcast of the game will commence at the same time as the TV broadcast, and you'll simply need to sign up with a valid email address to a free account to access the broadcast.