Even before kick-off on Wednesday, Phil Gould knew something was amiss in the New South Wales dressing room.
Queensland reclaimed the coveted State of Origin shield after defeating the Blues 22-12 in game three at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
NSW were overwhelming favourites to retain the Origin title, but Billy Slater’s men pulled off a shock upset in the highly-anticipated series finale.
Gould, the most successful NSW coach in Origin history, visited the Blues sheds before game three and immediately took notice of the “eerily quiet” atmosphere.
“When I walked into the dressing room, it was eerily quiet, it was really quiet,” he told Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“I even mentioned it, I said, ‘It’s very quiet down here’, and he (Fittler) said, ‘Yeah’. Brad was quiet.
“Obviously there’s a lot of pressure that comes up and grabs you by the…
