State of Origin: Blues rout Maroons 44-12 to keep series alive

NSW have blown past Queensland 44 points to 12 on a slippery Perth surface to keep their State of Origin hopes alive and set up a winner-take-all third game in Brisbane behind a Nathan Cleary classic.

Queensland drew first blood through edge forward Felise Kaufusi who spotted a gap running off the hip of fleetfooted fullback Kalyn Ponga, before NSW debutant Matt Burton gathered in a deft Cleary grubber off his bootlaces to give NSW an 8-6 lead.

Ponga again made his presence known in the 32nd minute, slipping past Blues centre Stephen Crichton down the left edge to set up a Cameron Munster and give the Maroons a four-point lead.

Kaufusi was binned in the dying minutes of the first half for repeated ruck infringements, much to the dismay of the Queenslanders, leading to a Brian To’o try in the left corner as the Blues took a 14-12 lead into the break.

The second half was all NSW as they ran in five unanswered to tries to level the series at a game-apiece and set up a deciding final game at Suncorp Stadium in a little over a fortnight.

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Cleary was near-perfect in the 32-point romp, crossing for a pair of tries, assisting on two others, kicking all eight of his goals and steering the ship for much of the night as he collected the second Man of the Match award of his Origin career, whilst former Penrith teammate Burton proved his Origin chops on debut, crossing for NSW’s first try of the contest, assisting on their second, and showing off his extraordinary kicking repertoire.

NSW’s back three were again excellent, with To’o, James Tedesco, and Daniel Tupou combining for 636 metres from 65 carries, compared to 264 metres from 35 carries for Queensland’s Ponga, Selwyn Cobbo, and Murray Taulagi.

Recalled prop Jake Trbojevic ran for 135 metres from 17 carries and made 28 tackles in is 71 minutes, whilst Junior Paulo bounced back after a disappointing opener to finish with 16 carries off the bench for 128 metres and a pair of tackle breaks.

Queensland went blow for blow with NSW throughout the opening half before the game blew open in what proved a horror second stanza.

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NSW dominated possession and field position in the second, having held 65 per cent possession across the second 40 minutes and 73 per cent of the territory. In the second half, the Blues more than doubled Queensland’s run metres total and missed just seven tackles to Queensland’s 38.

Ponga led the Maroons with 113 metres from 12 carries and assisted on their only two tries, whilst Patty Carrigan was their only forward to crack 100 metres run. The Blues also managed to keep Munster quiet for much of the night as the rest of his spine struggled to create any incisions in the NSW defensive line.

Game III will be played at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday 13 July as NSW look to win their fourth series in five years under Brad Fittler, whilst Queensland will be desperate to avenge their fifth loss by 24 points or more since 2019 in front of a rabid home crowd.

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