Maroons force State of Origin decider with comprehensive win in Game 2 – live reaction

Key events

Summary

Thank you for joining me tonight for a rare one-sided Origin experience. The result sets everything up perfectly for the decider in Brisbane three weeks from now. Be sure to join me back here for all the action.

Remarkably, considering the format, this is the 16th Origin series in a row that will end 2-1. There have been only two sweeps since 1997.

Fitness permitting, Billy Slater has no such concerns. He named a largely unchanged team tonight and can look forward to Reece Walsh getting another game under his belt with the Broncos to recapture some form in case he is needed to perform a miracle off the bench.

It will be fascinating to see what Laurie Daley does before game III. There were plenty of changes between the first two matches, reflecting how his side was second best 13 v 13 in Sydney, and you’d think there’ll be more to come for Brisbane.

McLean is likely to slot back in, if he recovers from his injury, but any other decisions will be statement calls on big name players that will come to define this second iteration of Daley’s NSW coaching career. How bold will he be?

The Blues won the forward battle in the opening half but failed to press home their advantage. Robson was soundly beaten by Grant and Moses did little more than kick the ball miles, compared to the nous and leadership of Munster.

Nawaqanitawase finished brilliantly – he is quite something, Young ran for over 100 metres and laid 40+ tackles, but collectively there was a spark missing, the kind Ethan Strange provided in Sydney.

Despite attacking with such elan Queensland completed 39/42 sets. The mix of Grant, Walker, Munster, and Ponga makes for such a varied collection of ball players, all capable of taking the game on and executing under pressure.

Add to that the form of Tabuai-Fidow and Cobbo on the left, and the made-for-Origin industry of Toia and Fifita on the right, and you have a formidable array of weapons.

That was an incredible second half demolition by the Maroons. NSW had the upper hand at the break but whatever Billy Slater said in the sheds his charges executed it to perfection over the next 40 minutes. Grant was purposeful, Cobbo had the game of his life, Ponga was destructive, Munster was poised, and Walker was 8/8 off the tee and superb in open field play.

Full-time: NSW 24-44 Queensland

On to Brisbane for a series decider.

79 mins: 68 points – currently the second highest scoring Origin ever.

78 mins: Cleary drops a soda on tackle four. The sooner this ends the better for NSW.

CONVERTED TRY! NSW 24-44 Queensland (Barnett, 77)

NSW have had their share of luck tonight as well, and they get another slice with a chargedown landing their way to turn a clearing kick into a dangerous attack. Yeo is held up inches from the line. So is Young. But Barnett cannot be stopped after lovely hands from Murray.

Cleary makes it 12/12 off the boot for the night between the two kickers.

76 mins: Discussion on the TV has already turned to what NSW must do to arrest their decline. They have been eviscerated in the second half today. They were second best for an hour in Sydney. But for that Ponga send off they could be on the back of an historic hiding.

74 mins: Queensland execute a textbook restart set. NSW can’t get out of their own half, despite a bullocking run from Young.

91,671 is the confirmed crowd in the MCG – a new Origin record, by about 100 patrons.

73 mins: We’re going to another series decider in Brisbane.

Conversion! NSW 18-44 Queensland (Walker 72)

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a purer display of goal kicking. Walker makes it 7/7 from the left touchline. Again it travels with the trajectory of a frozen rope.

TRY! NSW 18-42 Queensland (Cobbo, 71)

Six again for offside, then a set restart for the marker not starting square. Surely Queensland score. Eventually they engineer some room on the left, Cobbo spots his opportunity after a Ponga tip-on, and darts around and over in the left corner! Klein doesn’t fancy it in real time so it goes to the bunker. They check the feet, and the grounding, tick and tick! Selwyn Cobbo is having the series of his life!

70 mins: Queensland eat up the tackles in the red zone. Ponga almost gets some room on the right, then on the last Loiero finds an offload that’s touched and the Maroons get six more in the shadow of the posts! This is like a boxer being pummelled on the ropes.

68 mins: It’s 13 v 12 so Queensland just go sideline to sideline, running the Blues ragged. NSW do well to stand their ground and force the Maroons to kick. Walker does just that, a grubber, that the chasers follow to drag Tedesco in goal. The resulting drop out is marked by the imperious Cobbo.

67 mins: Tedesco manages 10m from the restart this time but Queensland still come up with the ball. Robson is then penalised for stripping Walker after the tackle on halfway and there’s no love lost between the Roosters teammates as the kick is send down to the left corner to set up another attacking opportunity.

66 mins: Grant has been magnificent tonight, dominating from the play-the-ball.

CONVERTED TRY! NSW 18-38 (Collins, 65)

Queensland are in overdrive! Tedesco’s kick gifted field position and a couple of tackles later Grant snipes through the ruck unmarked. Does he have a support runner? He sure does, it’s big Collins, who accepts the pass and crashes over next to the posts. What a second half this has been from the Maroons.

Walker makes it 6/6.

Lindsay Collins scores a try. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

65 mins: NSW try the short kick off but Tedesco can only execute an absolute shank that doesn’t travel 10m and Queensland can ram home their advantage.

Conversion! NSW 18-32 Queensland (Walker, 64)

Undeterred by the delay and distractions around him, Walker continues his flawless night off the boot.

Sam Walker converts the try. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Yellow card! Staggs (64)

It’s just 10 in the bin for Kotoni Staggs. NSW have a mountain to climb with 12 men.

What will happen to Staggs? He will get time, but is it 10 or 20?

TRY! NSW 18-30 Queensland (Tabuai-Fidow 63)

Unbelievable. Ponga, Cobbo, and Fifita do some grunt work up the guts, then Queensland get to work. The Maroons go to the left, Ponga taps on – and gets collected high behind play by Staggs – the attack goes on, Tabuai-Fidow runs on, offloads to Cobbo, who returns the favour by grubbering through for his centre to dive over unopposed. Liquid end-to-end footy.

62 mins: Queensland were furious with the referee in the aftermath of that score. The whole momentum of the match has turned on that decision not to penalise Young and Robson for not wrapping in the tackle. The Blues are now fizzing and the Maroons have to regroup.

CONVERTED TRY! NSW 18-26 Queensland (Nawaqanitawase, 60)

Can NSW benefit from yet another stroke of luck?

They get to the posts after three tackles then Klein blows against Collins for holding the man down after the tackle. NSW look to the left but Walker is there to close that route – twice. So Cleary cuts to the right and the ball ends up in Nawaqanitawase’s hands with three to beat. He stops, shakes his hips like Elvis, makes Cobbo stumble like a drunkard, and uses that split second to dive for the line with bodies hanging off him! Incredible individual skill from the NSW winger.

Of course Cleary slots over two more points from the touchline.

Mark Nawaqanitawase scores a try as three Maroons close in. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

58 mins: Collins spills the ball on the restart carry. Queensland challenge, looking for a shoulder charge – which isn’t forthcoming – despite neither Young nor Robson wrapping. The bunker is decisive. Cameron Smith is absolutely furious on TV.

Conversion! NSW 12-26 Queensland (Walker, 57)

Not only is Walker making kicking for goal in front of 90,000 spectators at the MCG look easy, he’s doing it from the touchline with the ball not deviating from its line.

TRY! NSW 12-24 Queensland (Fifita, 56)

Fonua-Blake is on to help the Blues drive to halfway, but that won’t cut the mustard with an eight point deficit. Especially as Grant is able to snipe from dummy-half from his own 40 to attacking 40 where Ponga is on his shoulder to streak towards the corner. The play the ball is rapid and Queensland can smell blood again, Munster spots To’o isolated on his right, and the crossfield kick is inch perfect for the onrushing Fifita to mark and touchdown like he’s playing the other football code at this temple of sport.

54 mins: Laurie Daley looks haunted in the NSW box as Queensland run the restart safely out of defence.

Conversion! NSW 12-20 Queensland (Walker, 53)

This is a goal kicking clinic from Clear and Walker. The latter splits the uprights from the left touchline to take Queensland beyond a converted try clear.