The Blues have forced a decider with a dominant game two performance, thrashing the Maroons 44-14.
NSW’s dominant display included a stunning Origin debut from Matt Burton, and an outstanding bounce back performance from two try hero Nathan Cleary.
Wide World of Sports’ The Mole rates all 34 players who took the field.
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NSW
James Tedesco: Led the team well and combined well with his wingers in getting the Blues on the front foot from Queensland’s kicking game.
Rating: 8
Brian To’o: Won his battle with Cobbo, stopping his opposite scoring once and scoring a try himself.
Rating: 8
Matt Burton: Justified his selection and then some, scoring the Blues’ first try and putting To’o over for the second.
Rating: 8.5
Stephen Crichton: Came up with a bad miss on Ponga in defence that led to a Maroons try but otherwise solid.
Rating: 6
Daniel Tupou: A controversial selection ahead of Josh Addo-Carr, justified his spot with a fine game, scoring a try, defusing bombs and making valuable metres.
Rating: 7
Jarome Luai: Produced a vital missed tackle in Queensland’s first try but more than made amends with a slick solo try in the second half.
Rating: 7.5
Nathan Cleary: Much improved on his poor game one, putting Burton over for the Blues’ first try with a clever kick and then sending Tupou in early in the second half for a decisive try before sealing the result with two quick-fire solo tries.
Rating: 9.5
Payne Haas: Got the Blues on the front foot early on and ran for over 100 metres.
Rating: 7.5
Apisai Koroisau: Controlled play well from dummyhalf in the first half hour before being replaced by Cook.
Rating: 7
Jake Trbojevic: His return made a massive difference to the Blues pack, giving it a harder edge in defence and attack.
Rating: 8
Cameron Murray: Copped a cheap shot and went for an HIA early and wasn’t as busy as usual as a result.
Rating: 6.5
Liam Martin: Quiet game by his standards but made no errors and succeeded in niggling a few Maroons forwards.
Rating: 6
Isaah Yeo: Played his link role between the backs and forwards to perfection and ran for over 100 metres.
Rating: 7.5
Damien Cook: Carried on Koroisau’s good early work to keep the Blues going forward from dummyhalf.
Rating: 6
Angus Crichton: Brought energy from the bench and came up with a try to justify his recall.
Rating: 6
Junior Paulo: The biggest man on the field ran with power and purpose, gaining over 100 metres and getting some good offloads away.
Rating: 7
Siosifa Talakai: Only got 15 minutes of game time but looked at home and will be better for the experience.
Rating: 5
Queensland
Kalyn Ponga: Strong attacking game, throwing the final pass for the Maroons’ two first half tries, but poor in the last line of defence.
Rating: 7
Selwyn Cobbo: Came back to the field after his splendid debut in Sydney, having trouble containing To’o.
Rating: 4.5
Valentine Holmes: Put Munster over for a try and always dangerous to the Blues defence out wide.
Rating: 6.5
Dane Gagai: Usually an Origin specialist, was kept quiet by the much-improved Blues defence and missed a game-high eight tackles.
Rating: 4
Murray Taulagi: Didn’t get many chances with Queensland’s poor field position but was solid in a beaten side.
Rating: 6.5
Cameron Munster: Again worried the Blues all game, scoring a vital try and a threat every time he ran the ball.
Rating: 7
Daly Cherry-Evans: His kicking game was strong but he rarely ran the ball and was well out-pointed by Cleary on the night.
Rating: 6.5
Lindsay Collins: Only made 47 metres carting the ball forward but came up with some big shots in defence.
Rating: 6.5
Ben Hunt: One of Queensland’s game one heroes was well contained and missed four tackles – including a couple of vital ones.
Rating: 6
Josh Papali’i: Another Queensland forward well down on his game one heroics, making just 37 metres and struggling with the pace of the game.
Rating: 5
Kurt Capewell: Uncharacteristically quiet, making a mere six runs for 30 metres. Worked hard in defence.
Rating: 5
Felise Kaufusi: Scored the opening try with a trademark burst but was then sin binned late in the first half in a key moment.
Rating: 6
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui: Tried to lift the Maroons but the Blues defence gave him little latitude.
Rating: 6
Harry Grant: A threat from dummy-half but had few chances due to Queensland’s poor ball control.
Rating: 6
Jai Arrow: Only played 27 minutes and didn’t have much impact off the bench.
Rating: 5
Patrick Carrigan: The only Maroons forward to run for over 100 metres and also topped his team’s tackle count.
Rating: 8
Jeremiah Nanai: Fell into the same hole as most of the Maroons forwards with just four runs for 30 metres.
Rating: 4.5
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