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It would be a shame if James Tedesco’s last Origin memory is of proud New Zealand Briton Nikora whimsically taunting him after knocking him out with an accidental blow to the head.
Tedesco made his 26th appearance for the Blues on Wednesday night, with only Brad Fittler (31) and Andrew Ettingshausen (27) wearing the state’s sky blue more often.
Just before the break, Tedesco tried to tackle Nikora, but the pair collided heads and Tedesco fell to the ground.
Nikora realized Tedesco was in trouble, stopped, growled in his face, and then let his emotions get the better of him by putting his forearm to Jack Bostock’s throat.
As referee Ashley Klein penalized Nikora, there were concerns for Tedesco as he was taken off the field to have his head injury assessed.
The strike was initially classified as a Category 2 strike, but everyone in the stadium, as well as the millions watching at home, knew Tedesco’s night was over.
It was an early evening for Blues defender James Tedesco.Bradley Canaris
With Tedesco turning 34 early next year, it is unlikely he will wear the NSW number 1 again.
Penrith’s Dylan Edwards will be pushing hard to return, Tedesco’s replacement Tolu Cole will only improve and Kula’s clubmate Tom Trbojevic will also be knocking down the door if he is fit ahead of next year’s series.
Tedesco won the game in the first game when he burst forward and jumped high to strike Nathan Cleary for a goal in regulation time. It was arguably better than his game-winning try in Game 3 in 2019.
Like most Blues players, Tedesco remained silent in Melbourne and questions would have been asked about whether he was the best fit in attack for a guy like Cleary had the Blues suffered another series defeat.
Blues defender James Tedesco is surrounded by a crowd of teammates after scoring the winning try in the dying moments of the State of Origin I match in Sydney in May. Getty Images
He was such a wonderful servant to New South Wales. There were also some difficult scenes, including his Sydney Roosters teammate Lindsay Collins jumping over for a try and being picked up and tackled to the ground as Jai Arrow suffered a concussion during the 2020 decider.
The Roosters captain still has a few good years left at the club. Remember, it was this time last year that Tedesco won the Dally M medal for player of the year. Is Tedesco starting to think about retiring from representative football to squeeze an extra year or two out of his time at Bondi?
Replays of Nikora’s reaction will be one of the easy storylines leading to interstate action next year. When Nikora wakes up in the morning, she will most likely regret that she continued.
Tedesco watched the second half wearing a giant Blues track jacket and stood and applauded when Bradman Best scored from long range, despite Queensland legend Cameron Smith claiming Jack Bostock had cleared the ball at the other end.
Blues fans celebrate in the crowd at Suncorp Stadium.Audrey Richardson
“I can’t forget that call from the bunker—Bostock obviously affected him,” Smith said.
People in the bunker thought differently.
Tedesco deserved a long, hard celebration with the Blues. I hope he wakes up with a headache for the right reasons.
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