Blues strike late to claim epic State of Origin victory
NSW halves Jarome Luai and Mitchell Moses have combined to lead the Blues to a drought-breaking State of Origin series victory over Queensland.
The pair stepped up with Wednesday night's decider hanging in the balance, Luai producing a piece of individual brilliance to break the game open as NSW claimed a 14-4 victory.
With his team trailing 4-2 in the 64th minute, the NSW five-eighth slid through the Maroons defensive line before linking up with centre Bradman Best to cross for the opening try of the game.
Moses then put the match beyond doubt when he sliced through the Maroons defensive line just three minutes later.
Mitchell Moses Try
It was a historic moment for the Blues, becoming just the third NSW team to win a decider at Suncorp Stadium and the first since 2005.
It also marks a significant moment for first-year coach Michael Maguire as the Blues claimed their first series since 2021.
The coach built his team on a defensive foundation and it was on show throughout one of the greatest State of Origin matches played in the series' history.
The 2024 State of Origin Trophy presentation
It took 39 minutes before the opening points of the game were scored as both sides slugged out it out in an entertaining and high-quality defensive epic.
The contest was frantic from the opening whistle, with the Blues almost breaking through in the first set of the match.
A left shift saw Best slide through, only to be ankle tapped by a desperate Daly Cherry-Evans.
From there, the Blues weathered a fierce Queensland defensive onslaught to slowly gain the upper hand in the territorial battle.
Barnett with a tough carry
The advantage eventually led to a number of attacking opportunities, however NSW were unable to convert their early chances.
The intensity did not drop off as the half progressed before tensions boiled over in the 31st minute when Luai and Cherry-Evans locked horns.
Things are heating up
The melee eventually spilled over on to the Queensland bench, with each team reduced to 12 men after Jeremiah Nanai and Cameron Murray were sent to the sin bin for escalating the situation.
The Blues controlled the next nine minutes however they still could not break through as Queensland found an answer to everything their opponents threw at them.
Such was NSW's dominance, they had 22 tackles to three inside the attacking 20-metre zone in the first half.
That's Maroon spirit
In the end the Maroons had the final say after Spencer Leniu was penalised for taking out Cherry-Evans after he kicked the ball. With the half drawing to a close, Valentine Holmes calmly slotted the goal to secure the only points of the opening 40.
The Blues' dominance continued in the opening minutes of the second half and it took just five minutes for Zac Lomax to level the scores courtesy of a penalty goal from the sideline.
The match started to open up as fatigue set in however points remained hard to come by as each team scrambled desperately.
Murray all heart
Eventually momentum swung back towards Queensland and three penalties in succession allowed Holmes to make it 4-2 with 18 minutes to play.
The lead did not last long, with Luai producing a moment of brilliance to slide through the Maroons defensive line before linking up with Best to beat Dane Gagai and Kalyn Ponga to cross for the first try of the contest in the 65th minute. Lomax nailed the conversion from out wide and suddenly the Blues were up 8-4.
Spencer straight and hard
The NSW winger drew a penalty in the ensuing set of six to put his side straight back on the attack.
This time it was Moses' chance to step up, the halfback stepping his way through a tired Queensland defensive line to extend his side's lead to 10.
The match took a sour turn for Moses in the dying minutes when he left the field with a bicep injury.
The Maroons threw everything at their openings in the final stages but the Blues stood tall to hold Queensland try-less and secure a famous victory.
Match: Maroons v Blues
Game 3 -
home Team
Maroons
away Team
Blues
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match Snapshot
- The 2-0 half-time scoreline matched Game One of 1995 when the Maroons led 2-0 after 40 minutes, with no further points added in the second half on that occasion.
- Queensland fullback Reece Walsh was placed on report for leading with his feet when denying a Stephen Crichton attempted try.
- Angus Crichton and Ben Hunt each passed Head Injury Assessments during the match.
- Dylan Edwards was named man of the match after a performance featuring 242 running metres and seven tackle breaks.
- Wednesday's win was the Blues' first in a decider in Brisbane since 2005.
- A sold-out crowd of 52,457 packed into Suncorp Stadium for the epic contest.
Play of the Game
With the Blues trailing 4-2 with less than 20 minutes remaining, NSW were looking for one of their leaders to step up. Jarome Luai answered the call, picking up a loose ball before sliding through the Queensland defensive line near the halfway line. The five-eighth then linked up with Bradman Best who juggled the ball before fending off his Knights teammates Dane Gagai and Kalyn Ponga to score the first try of the match.
Bradman Best Try
What They Said
"I feel like the team was defeated, it didn't feel like a loss. I was disappointed after [Game Two], I don't feel disappointed right now. I feel immensely proud of this playing group. What they had to endure out there, they kept turning up and we just couldn't quite get it done tonight." - Queensland coach Billy Slater
Maroons: Game 3
"It's up there, if not one of the best defensive performances [in Origin history]. To have Queensland not score, they had to work really hard to be able to create that. Looking at the team Queensland have, they have a lot of attacking weapons there and the [NSW] players worked really hard for each other. In small parts of the game, players know how hard they work for each other. Something I've seen in this group is what they're prepared to do for each other and for their state." - NSW coach Michael Maguire.
Blues: Game 3
