NEW SOUTH WALES’ new faces spearheaded a record-breaking first-half blitz to send this year’s State of Origin series to a decider.
Recalled halfback Mitchell Moses set up four tries — including one to debutant fullback Dylan Edwards — while Latrell Mitchell rat riot down the left edge in his first interstate outing since 2021 and South Sydney team-mate Cameron Murray got through a mountain of work in the middle.
Wingers Brian To’o and Zac Lomax each bagged a brace as the Blues sprinted to a 34-0 lead after a frightening first 40 minutes, as the masterful kicking game of Moses and halves partner Jarome Luai put their side in complete control.
The Blues were fighting to keep the series alive after Joseph Sua’ali’i’s early dismissal for a high shot on Maroons fullback Reece Walsh essentially settled game one inside eight minutes.
Yet with Michael Maguire’s inclusions leading the way, the men in blue smashed the record half-time advantage (21-0 by Queensland in 1983) to wrap up the win by the break.
Queensland stemmed the bleeding in a spicy second half but the damage was done.
NSW enjoy a good record at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, having now won five of their six clashes here.
And they’ll be asking to play in Melbourne every year if this is the sort of performance they can look forward to.
Game one victor Billy Slater made two changes to the line-up that thumped the Blues in Sydney three weeks earlier, replacing injured subs J’maine Hopgood and Selwyn Cobbo with veteran forwards Felise Kaufusi and Kurt Capewell.
Maguire made even deeper cuts in his bid to send the series to a decider.
The rookie Origin boss dropped fullback James Tedesco, halfback Nicho Hynes, lock Cameron McInnes and forward Hudson Young, while game one villain Sua’ali’i was suspended, making way for Edwards, Moses, Mitchell, Murray and Connor Watson, who made his bow off the bench.
The jury was out on whether NSW looked better on paper — but it was immediately apparent they had vastly improved on the park.
After a patient start and a mountain of pressure, the Blues broke through when Moses sent Liam Martin steaming through the Maroons’ goal-line defence.
Things got even better for Maguire’s men when Mitchell unleashed a back-handed offload to his outside man To’o, who made no mistake in the left corner.
Lomax delivered the moment of the evening when he showed off aerial skills that wouldn’t look out of place at an Australian rules football match at the MCG, reeling in a Moses bomb by soaring above opposite man Murray Taulagi.
Adding injury to insult, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow went off with a shoulder injury, although he later returned.
When a twisting Moses grubber gave To’o his second, the floodgates began to open.
And the points were absolutely flowing once Mitchell marked his interstate return with a four-pointer, after a Crichton offload released Edwards in the build-up.
Just when Queensland enjoyed a bit of ball at the right end of the field, Stephen Crichton snaffled a stunning intercept to give NSW the ascendancy yet again.
With little over a minute until the half-time siren, Lomax scored his second, taking advantage of some fatigued Maroons defence.
The Dragons winger’s sideline conversion made the margin 34 and took his personal tally to 18. Only two men — Nathan Cleary (24 in 2022) and Ryan Girdler (32 in 2000) — have scored more in an entire game, let alone a single half.
The Blues’ statistical dominance in the first half was extraordinary. They led possession 68 percent to 32 percent, completed sets 21 to 10, run metres 1041 to 419 and tackle breaks 23 to two.
The Queenslanders churned out a tiring 209 tackles to NSW’s mere 108, and the scoreboard clearly reflected that lopsided stats sheet.
Despite the foregone conclusion, both sides were desperate to seize the momentum heading into the decider in a testy second half.
A high Mitchell tackle on Xavier Coates and a Crichton grapple on Daly Cherry-Evans raised temperatures… but in the end, a pat on the head lit the fuse.
Officious referee Ashley Klein sin-binned Martin for rubbing Jaydn Su’A’s hair after an error, sparking a melee that also cost Patrick Carrigan 10 minutes on the sideline.
Queensland finally troubled the scorers when Cherry-Evans sent Jeremiah Nanai busting through, then a deft Taulagi kick allowed Tabuai-Fidow to extend his extraordinary try-scoring record in the Origin arena — the Hammer’s ninth try in six outings, crossing every time he’s pulled on a Maroons jumper.
The Blues did add a couple of moments to the highlights reel, when Angus Crichton pulverised Val Holmes then Edwards notched his maiden Origin try on the end of it.
A long Moses ball gave the Penrith fullback plenty of space, and the first-gamer beat Tabuai-Fidow and Walsh to the whitewash.
Queensland did nab the final try before game three at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, July 17, after Cherry-Evans put Taulagi into the left corner.
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