The Westpac NSW Blues have surrendered the Ampol State of Origin Shield after suffering a 24-12 loss to a near-perfect Queensland at Accor Stadium tonight.
The Maroons finished the match with a completion rate of 92 per cent after finishing 37 from 40 sets but operated at a near perfect 100 per cent until late in the second half.
The Blues were effectively shut out of the match in the first half after giving up a 20-0 lead but never gave up and provided the 80,246 fans that packed Accor Stadium some hope when Stephen Crichton scored midway through the second half to cut the margin to 20-6.
Halfback Tom Dearden put the result beyond doubt when he scored with just over five minutes remaining to extend the scoreline to 24-6 and ensure a Maroons victory.
“It’s shattering to be honest,” Blues halfback Nathan Cleary said after the game.
“We just weren’t good enough at the end of the day. We probably didn’t react well enough to their rushing defence. They saved tries and scrambled and we struggled to be honest.
“I knew we’d keep fighting, we had that spirit to keep fighting, it’s just a shame we put ourselves in that position two games in a row. As I said they scrambled well and saved a lot of tries.”
It was also an emotional series victory for Queensland captain Cameron Munster, after his father Steve passed away only days before the decider and he thanked the Rugby League community from both states for the support he had received. Halfback Tom Dearden was named a deserved Wally Lewis Medallist after turning in another memorable performance since replacing veteran Daly Cherry-Evans in Game Two as the Maroons No.7
For NSW, it was a case of what might have been after they scored an 18-6 win in Game One in Brisbane to start their Shield defence in strong fashion.
They lost Game Two in Perth 26-24 after giving up a 26-6 lead at half-time on the back of poor discipline and handling errors. They roared back to life in the second half and although they eventually outscored the opposition five-tries-to-four, goal-kicking proved to be the difference after they only managed to land two from five attempts.
The Blues were confident of turning in a more-disciplined performance for Game Three after they were 9-0 down in the penalty count after 45 minutes in Game Two but they would need to buck history to win with the Maroons winning nine of the last 11 series-deciding games.
NSW prop Payne Haas showed from the opening set that he was showing no ill-effects from the back problem that had disrupted his preparation after bending the line and dragging several Queensland defenders with him on his first carry.
The Blues oozed plenty of early confidence in attack and shifted the ball to the right for centre Stephen Crichton to release Liam Martin down the sideline. Another quick shift to the left saw a promising break from Latrell Mitchell who kicked ahead for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to defuse the threat metres out from his own goal line.
The Blues were testing the Queensland defence with the ball but it was the Maroons who took the early lead after Stephen Crichton was penalised for a high tackle on Kurt Capewell and Valentine Holmes landed the goal for a 2-0 lead.
Another penalty saw the Blues under pressure defending their own line again and the Maroons were able to capitalise when centre Gehamat Shibasaki put winger Xavier Coates over in the corner. Holmes landed the sideline conversion for an 8-0 lead.
The Maroons went further ahead when centre Robert Toia managed to slip a pass as he was being bundled into touch for Tabuai-Fidow to pick up the loose ball and pass back infield for halfback Tom Dearden to score underneath the posts. Holmes converted to extend the lead to 14-0.
The Maroons completed a first half rout when hooker Harry Grant wrestled his way past five defenders on the goal line to score underneath the posts with less than two minutes to go. Holmes converted for a 20-0 lead at half-time.
The second half got off to a promising start for NSW after Queensland were penalised on the fifth tackle while defending their own line, but the Maroons defence held firm to deny them a try when Angus Crichton steamed on to a pass from Luai.
The Blues received another penalty but again were unable to capitalise when fullback Dylan Edwards was unable to hang onto a pass back inside from Martin.
Another opportunity also came up short when a shift left saw Latrell Mitchell release Brian To’o down the sideline but Dearden came up with a try-saving tackle to save the day.
The Blues finally cracked the Queensland wall when some quick hands on a shift to the right and the Maroons stripped for numbers and Stephen Crichton pinned his ears back and set sail for the corner. Lomax converted to reduce the deficit to 20-6.
The Maroons defence was proving hard to crack. Mitchell went close to scoring in the corner only to be dragged down short of the line. A kick from Luai intended for Cleary in-goal was batted dead by Tabuai-Fidow.
Dearden put the result beyond doubt when he scored to extend the lead to 24-6, before To’o grabbed a consolation try at the end with Lomax converting to make it 24-12.
