No regrets Tedesco backs late call to kick despite miss by Mitchell

NSW captain James Tedesco says it was his call to hand Latrell Mitchell a last-gasp penalty shot from halfway and he has no regrets given the star centre’s form from long distance at training.

Queensland won Origin III 20-18 but it could have been different if Mitchell’s kick had sailed a few metres further. Given a penalty with less than two minutes on the clock, Tedesco opted for a downtown kick instead of a final attacking raid.

Mitchell had no hesitation in stepping up but didn’t strike it as crisply as he needed. It went long and on target but fell short of the crossbar and into the arms of Kalyn Ponga. The Maroons then ran the clock down to avoid a series clean sweep.

Tedesco was quick to make the call on the field after watching Mitchell thump conversions on the training paddock from 50m and beyond with regularity. On a still night and with the game on the line, he went with his gut.

“He didn’t strike it his best. At training, he hits them from 60m pretty regularly. It still nearly got there, he has a massive boot on him,” Tedesco said.

“I had confidence in him. If you see him at training, he kicks them from 50m-60m with ease. It’s harder with the pressure and expectation but no regrets there. He had a crack and it just didn’t come off.”

Latrell Mitchell celebrates Jack Wighton’s try on Wednesday night.Credit:Getty

For Mitchell, it was one of those moments he had dreamed about since he first played the game. It would have sent the match into golden point and potentially given NSW a coveted clean sweep.

He was happy to oblige once his captain made the call, went through his regular routine and moved in for the strike. But as soon as it left the boot, he knew he had left a few metres on the kicking tee.

“I keep the same routine, a couple of steps and kick it. There’s always a process, I try to stick by it. I just didn’t connect properly,” Mitchell said.

“I backed myself 100 per cent. I’ve always done it. That was one of those moments: you dream it as a kid, the big moments in the big arena. What better place than 50m out in an Origin game?

“I’ve kicked a few from there at training but I didn’t hit it as sweet as I should have ... still nearly made it. Bit disappointed but that’s that.”

It was a near thing but it did help justify an earlier decision from the Maroons that was met with some derision.

Just four minutes into the match, Queensland were given a penalty and Valentine Holmes took the opportunity to give them a 2-0 lead. Most were puzzled why they hadn’t tried to apply some early pressure via a try.

It turned out to be a savvy move, with the Maroons banking those early two and Mitchell just missing a pair of his own to ensure Queensland saved some face in an otherwise poor series for the northerners.

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