It was all on the line as Queensland took on New South Wales at the Suncorp Stadium in the deciding match of an exciting 2024 State of Origin series which had kept the Australian public on a knife edge since that sensational New South Wales win three weeks ago.
Queensland were slight favourites with the bookies and had been handicapped by two points on the coupon, but all indications were that game three would be the closest and most keenly fought of the three games and a game which could come down to the last kick of the game in front of a capacity crowd.
Both coaches made a couple of changes; Queensland had Kalyn Ponga, Selwyn Cobbo in their seventeen with Trent Loiero as eighteenth man, while Bradman Best and Matt Burton were in for New South Wales, the latter as the reserve.
It was a bone crushing opening few minutes with some monumental tackles and unbridled aggression from both sides, as had been expected prior to kick off. An ankle tap on Stephen Crichton in the opening minute prevented what looked as though it would be a certain try, both sides living on their wits in the opening exchanges. It looked like the game would live up to the hype.
Both sides forced goal line dropouts but both defences raised their game to the challenge and forced turnovers to deny scoring opportunities.
On the thirty-minute mark there was a mass brawl which spilled onto the benches as referee Ashley Klein tried to break up the sides with the whistle. Jeremiah Nanai was sin-binned for joining the melee and was joined by Cameron Murray who was sin-binned from the bench, Mitch Barnett being selected from the field to take the ten-minute sit down.
On thirty-three Stephen Crichton lost control of the ball as he slid towards the corner flag, foul play after the drop led to a Queensland penalty just a metre from the line. Once again, the Maroons defence held strong, and they prevented the Blues getting over the whitewash.
With thirty seconds left on the clock Daly Cherry-Evans was hit after a kick by Spencer Leniu and rather than the game go into the sheds scoreless for the first time in forty years, Valentine Holmes kicked the penalty goal for a 2-0 Queensland lead at the interval.
It had been a breathless half in an incredible atmosphere played out between two sensational sides of the highest quality.
Five minutes after the restart the scores were level at 2-2 as Zac Lomax kicked a penalty from the right touchline after a late tackle on kicker Mitchell Moses.
The hour mark came and went with the two sides locked together on the scoreboard as the intensity showed no sign of relenting.
It was clear that the game would be decided by the odd point and a high tackle on Harry Grant by Reece Robson on sixty-one allowed Holmes to kick his second penalty of the game, this one from in front of the sticks, for a 4-2 lead.
It was always going to take a sensational try to break the deadlock and it came on sixty-five with an incredible break from Luai off an offload, the winger making it for forty metres with a couple of fends before finding the supporting Bradman Best to accelerate into the corner and dive in for the try. Lomax drifted his touchline conversion through the uprights for an 8-4 lead to the Blues.
Two minutes later the Blues were in again, Mitchell Moses stepping off both feet to go through the Queensland defence from twenty metres out and score by the right upright. Lomax made it three from three for 14-4, momentum with the Blues against an exhausted Maroons with ten minutes left on the clock.
But there was no way back for Queensland, the match had taken too much out of their tanks, New South Wales taking a famour win.
New South Wales have visited the Queensland heartland in Brisbane and emerged with their first series win since 2021 and their fourth win in the last ten years. The way that they buckled in the opening game would have led you to believe that there was no way back, but two sensational performances gave them the spoils and broke Maroons hearts.
Queensland: Walsh, Cobbo, Gagai, Tabuai-Fidow, Holmes (2/2 G), Dearden, Cherry-Evans, Fotuaika, Grant, Kaufusi, Cotter, Capewell, Carrigan. Subs: Hunt, Collins, Nanai (SB on 30), Ponga. 18th Man: Loiero.
New South Wales: Edwards, To’o, Best (T), Crichton S, Lomax (3/3 G), Luai, Moses (T), Trbojevic, Robson, Haas, Martin, Crichton A, Murray (SB on 30 off bench). Subs: Yeo, Watson, Leniu, Barnett (Took SB penalty on 30). 18th Man: Burton.
Half-Time: 2-0.
Full-Time: 4-14.
Score Progression: (SB), (SB), 2-0: HT: 2-2, 4-2, 4-6, 4-8, 4-12, 4-14 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: QLD – Square – QLD – NSW.
Referee: Ashley Klein.
Attendance: .
