All eyes now turn to Sydney and the Game 3 decider on Wednesday 9th of July.I will be back there to see who lifts the State of Origin shield.Until then, I’ll leave you with Jack Snape’s match report from tonight’s chaotic classic.Catch you soon.A quick look at social media and it appears NSW fans have some polite concerns with the refereeing of Ashley Klein.

Obviously when a penalty count ends so one-sided it’s easy to leap to that kind of conclusion, but the focus should be on the Blues’ poor discipline, especially during that last half hour of the first half.Individually, Brian To’o must be unable to believe he was on the losing side, scoring a hat-trick and running for over 200 metres.The only Queenslanders to pass 100 were Cameron Munster and Kurt Capewell, the former leading from the front as captain, the latter making a superb return to the Origin scene after his surprise recall.The Warrior lock was present in much of what Queensland got right in both attack and defence, adding some much needed steel.Another newcomer, Kurt Mann, acquitted himself well.

Tom Dearden looked at home at this level in the opening half, but seemed to become swallowed up by the occasion in the second as Munster and Kalyn Ponga showed their authority.Payne Haas was immense again for the Blues, and Hudson Young caught the eye off the bench, but both were guilty of crucial errors in a defeat ultimately defined more by what NSW did wrong than Queensland did right.Despite the lopsided stats sheet at half-time indicating Queensland’s ascendancy, almost all the key markers ended in NSW’s favour after 80 minutes.Other than the scoreboard, the numbers that counted the most were arguably in the penalty count, which Queensland dominated 10-2.One of those infringements allowed Holmes to kick what proved to be the winning goal.

30 minutes or so of poor discipline from the Blues in the first half, and it cost them the game, despite a four try to nil second half.NSW ended up outscoring Queensland five tries to four, but Val Holmes out-kicked Zac Lomax 5/5 to 2/5 and that proved the difference.“It was everything you could imagine,” pants a breathless Cameron Munster, who is named player of the match on his debut as Queensland captain.“We had a really good first half.Second half, just shot ourselves in the foot.

Can’t afford to give a team like that so much ball.But we had that mentality like the ‘95 nobodies team and just kept working and turning up for each other.And we ended up getting the chocolates.But in game three, we need to be a lot better in certain positions.We can’t afford to give them piggybacks.

“It’s just it’s just a pleasure playing with these boys.Like, I know we didn’t deliver in Game One, but I felt like our preparation was really good, and we built it on that in Game Two.I love playing with this group.There was a never say die attitude tonight.Our back was against the wall and that’s what we love.

Queenslanders love being underdogs and we still are,”Extraordinary,How did the Maroons hold on?Queensland somehow win a chaotic, thrilling, State of Origin classic,The series is alive heading to Sydney,79 mins: Queensland take no risks whatsoever, grinding out of their red zone.

NSW will have 30 seconds to win the match from just inside their own half… no they won’t! Munster crunches Edwards running the ball back, it spills free and the Maroons win a classic!78 mins: NSW go to the left to To’o but the hat-trick man is haiuled in inches from the left corner.The Blues come back inside but Haas knocks-on in contact! Munster and Capewell to the rescue.77 mins: Capewell with a huge tackle on Leniu.Then Loiero on Haas.NSW go to the backs and Dearden wraps up Mitchell on the left then Munster mops up Cleary.

Luai with a massive bomb on the last tackle – can Ponga defuse it? NO! The fullback knocks on 10m out,Queensland challenge the decision – they think the ball goes backwards off Ponga,The TMO takes plenty of time over the call – unsuccessful! The TV experts all thought the ball went backwards but the man who matters most did not agree,Three minutes to go, NSW 10m from a staggering comeback,76 mins: Excellent defensive set from the Maroons, until tackle four, when the Blues go wide to the right and Coates knocks on executing a tackle on Lomax.

NSW get a scrum on their own 30m line.74 mins: Leniu, Crichton, Martin, Yeo, the big Blues get to work but Cleary still has to kick from his own 40m line.Can Queensland complete a set? Just! Holmes almost loses in contact but Munster is able to bomb from halfway and Edwards is tackle inside his 10m line.73 mins: This is an all-time comeback from NSW.And an all-time implosion from Queensland.

Mitchell stripped Nanai 1-1 after a gang tackle fell away.Two tackles later Luai spots a gap in behind, drops the ball onto his left boot, watches it bobble towards the in-goal area with only one chaser: Angus Crichton! He finishes the job, leaps in jubilation, Lomax kicks the extras, and we have a two-point game.Wow.71 mins: Mitchell with the strip! Queensland cannot clear their lines and the Blues are back on the attack! This is extraordinary.70 mins: A Crichton, Haas, Young, big blue bodies take contact.

Ruck infringement set restart.Ponga throwing a hand to intercept but knocking on, six more! Cleary tries to snipe under the posts, surely there’s another score here.It feels inevitable, but Watson goes right – twice – despite Cleary and Luai standing on the left! There’s no room on the right and eventually Toia forces Lomax into touch.69 mins: The Blues grind to halfway.Cleary kicks long to Coates.

Two tackles later Toia coughs up under contact and NSW are on the attack again! Queensland are disintegrating in the WA rain.67 mins: Capewell! The Warrior has been immense tonight and he jams the ball out of Young’s control with a massive hit 30m from the NSW line.The Maroons get some respite and go through their tackles, but look terrified to actually do anything with their possession and on the last Dearden is pinged for a forward pass.65 mins: What a second-half comeback this has been from NSW.Queensland have forgotten how to win.

From the scrum on halfway the Blues mount an attack.Queensland concede a set restart as Young, Haas, and Watson hit the line.10m out, bang in front, quick ball, you know what happens next.Cleary, to Luai, to Mitchell, to To’o, liquid rugby league! When the Blues go through hands they are a tidal wave bursting a levee.So so good to watch.

That mistake from Tabuai-Fidow… wow!Lomax misses again from the touchline! Goal kicking is starting to cost the Blues in Perth.62 mins: Queensland will be happy with a few minutes of midfield arm-wrestling, but the belief seems to be ebbing away as NSW smell blood.S Crichton again causes havoc in the right channel but a desperate tackle keeps him at bay.The Maroons are keeping things simple, running one-out until Ponga busts a tackle and pulls the release valve.Toia kicks neatly on the last tackle and Queensland almost drag Edwards in-goal.

NSW can only make 20m with their clearing set – is this the turnaround the Maroons were searching for? No! The long clearing kick is straight to Tabuai-Fidow – and he knocks on! Awful error from the double try-scorer.60 mins: NSW are motoring now! Two tries since the break, all the territory, and now Haas almost breaks the defensive line from the restart.Young again sets up the drive with a powerful hit-up.Then from under the bar Penrith get busy.Cleary, to Luai, to Edwards, to Crichton, there’s an irresistibility to the tempo of the move, a pure rugby league snake arcing its way towards the right corner; then Crichton straightens, brushes off a limp Holmes tackle, and takes Coates over the try line with him!Lomax hits the post with his touchline conversion attempt!58 mins: Young has been lively since came on, Yeo is busy, and A Crichton has his nostrils flared, but Queensland stand their ground until Munster marks Cleary’s lob on the last and gets dragged in-goal.

The short dropout returns NSW to possession.57 mins: For the first time tonight both teams trade sets either side of halfway, then Young is marginally high on Munster and Queensland are awarded yet another penalty! NSW challenge – not the high tackle – but earlier in the passage Lomax winning an aerial contest ahead of Coates and being tackled mid-air.The TMO agrees! Massive bonus for the Blues and they can get to work 20m out.55 mins: Haas with a powerful carry takes NSW over halfway.Cleary kicks dangerously to the left corner, drawing Tabuai-Fidow forward – but he holds magnificently under intense aerial pressure.

Nanai does a brilliant job running out of defence, then Capewell shows his versatility on the left edge, before Munster kicks poorly again on the last,53 mins: Queensland get back to work, one-out hit-ups from 15m out,Excellent defence from NSW for five tackles, denying Queensland any space, and shutting down Ponga as he threatened to dart to the left corner,Then Munster overhits his grubber horribly for the second time tonight to let the Blues off the hook,This is compelling sport, but far from perfectly executed.

52 mins: Queensland attack down the left with Munster busy.Then Dearden straightens up, uses Tino, then the ball comes free! Backwards – play on! Cotter collects the loose ball and almost scrambles over for a try.Robson is in the right place at the right time but Queensland have a full set in touching distance of the line.Then Klein’s whistle blows yet again for another NSW infringement, this time at the ruck.The first significant delay of the night follows as Robson is patched up.

51 mins: NSW’s kicking woes continue,Cleary, under pressure near halfway on the last tackle, kicks for an off-cutter but doesn’t connect perfectly and the ball lands on the right touchline on the full,, Queensland have the break they needed after a strong start to the half from the Blues,50 mins: The Maroons take no chances, one-out running to halfway, then chasing ferociously to dump Lomax as soon as he marks Munster’s long kick,This is no frills intense rugby league.

48 mins: Utoikamanu is absolutely crunched on the restart hit-up but Young and Leniu again make excellent carries before Robson snipes over halfway from dummy-half.Cleary lofts a kick to the right corner and the Blues are back in motion.Textbook rugby league from NSW! Young takes three tacklers with him to the posts allowing the Blues chance to run their preferred patterns from the ruck.Cleary takes the ball to the line, ignores his decoy forwards to go to Luai.Then it’s catch and pass with Mitchell, into the hands of To’o, and the Panther is over in the corner.

Clinical, especially in these conditions.Lomax is agonisingly wide with his touchline conversion.44 mins: The conditions are now absolutely atrocious.The rain is teeming down, the ground is heavy, and neither team trusts the Steeden.Capewell is the latest to carry loosely and the Blues retake possession on halfway.

Cleary reads the conditions and kicks on tackle four from 20m out, Coates has no option but to concede the line drop-out.Munster takes it, but it’s forward off Tabuai-Fidow and NSW have a set 15m out.42 mins: Visibility is practically nil at Optus Stadium as the smoke from the half-time pyrotechnics lingers in the blanket rain.Queensland take no risks with the restart set and kick long to Edwards.The Blues look good with the ball, Young and Leniu in particular, before Cleary kicks on the last… and Luai is offside.

The penalty count climbs to 9-0! That was another costly one because Lomax’s contest had forced Ponga into knocking-on.41 mins: The biggest margin NSW have overcome to win an Origin encounter is just six points.They will have perform a miracle if they are to leave Perth with the shield.Some half-time stats to help try and make sense of the chaos.10/17: NSW’s completion rate is just 58%! The Blues have not looked comfortable at all in these wet conditions, an insecurity compounded by a much more ferocious defensive performance from Queensland