Queensland have sealed the Origin series in an instant classic, beating NSW in the game three decider at Suncorp Stadium 22-12.
The Blues led 12-10 at half-time but it was all the Maroons in the second half and eventually the valiant visitors cracked, with Ben Hunt finally sealing victory by running away from Nathan Cleary after charging down his attempted chip and chase and somehow coming up with the ball cleanly.
Every player on the field poured out their heart and soul but some were more effective than others.
AS IT HAPPENED: State of Origin 2022 game three
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The Mole pulls no punches as he rates all 34 players who took part in an extraordinary game.
QUEENSLAND MAROONS
Kalyn Ponga: Queensland’s most dangerous player in attack and scored a wonderful solo try.
Rating: 8.5
Selwyn Cobbo: Friendly fire in a tackle resulted in his night ending after just two minutes.
Rating: 0
Valentine Holmes: His powerhouse running gave the Maroons their opening try with a great burst from near the line.
Rating: 7.5
Dane Gagai: Made a mess of Burton’s face in the punch-up but landed few other telling blows.
Rating: 5
Corey Oates: Kept up his Broncos’ club form with a fine all-round performance.
Rating: 7
Tom Dearden: Looked sharp in his debut, creating the opening try of the game for Holmes with a superb long pass.
Rating: 7.5
Daly Cherry-Evans: His kicking game kept turning the Blues around and making them work play out from their own line.
Rating: 7.5
Lindsay Collins: Lasted just four minutes and five tackles without touching the ball before a head knock forced him off.
Rating: 1
Ben Hunt: Queensland’s hero with a crucial 40/20 and then the winning solo try.
Rating: 8
Josh Papali’i: Forced to play his longest minutes of the series due to Queensland’s injury woes and didn’t let the team down.
Rating: 7
Kurt Capewell: Characteristically busy game and scored a crucial try right on halftime from a Grant grubber.
Rating: 7
Jeremiah Nanai: Another strong game, playing the 80 minutes and running with power and purpose.
Rating: 7
Patrick Carrigan: Led the Maroons forward in yardage and defence – as good as any forward in the series.
Rating: 8.5
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui: Busy game, running for over 100 metres and pulling off some big hits.
Rating: 7.5
Harry Grant: Always a danger from dummyhalf, striking a vital blow on halftime with a grubber for Capewell’s try.
Rating: 7.5
Jai Arrow: Helped the Maroons out of some tough situations and lifted the team from the bench.
Rating: 6.5
Tom Gilbert: Came on after just one minute and played out the game but didn’t have any real impact.
Rating: 6
NSW BLUES
James Tedesco: Gave a fine captain’s knock in a beaten side, running for 285 metres and coming up with try-saving tackles.
Rating: 8.5
Brian To’o: Ran with plenty of power but rarely got the ball with any good field position.
Rating: 6
Matt Burton: Didn’t really get into the game, another victim of the Blues’ clunky backline.
Rating: 5
Stephen Crichton: Came up with a bad miss in defence on Holmes for the opening try and a couple of handling errors under pressure.
Rating: 5.5
Daniel Tupou: A handling error led to a Queensland try right on halftime but made a couple of strong bursts.
Rating: 5
Jarome Luai: Got the Blues back into the contest after a slow start with a crafty try from a Cleary grubber kick.
Rating: 7
Nathan Cleary: Dangerous with the ball in hand, setting up the Blues’ first try with a smart grubber kick for Luai.
Rating: 7.5
Junior Paulo: Made the hard yards and caused the Maroons defence some anxious moments.
Rating: 6.5
Apisai Koroisau: Always a danger from dummyhalf and it was his creativity that helped Saifiti get over the line for his try.
Rating: 7
Jake Trbojevic: Led the Blues’ tackle count and tried to make yardage with the ball.
Rating: 7
Cameron Murray: A casualty of the frantic early exchanges, suffering yet another head knock after just a minute.
Rating: 0
Liam Martin: Played the full 80 minutes but was off the pace, making just seven runs for 50 metres.
Rating: 4.5
Isaah Yeo: His poorest game of the series, having little time or space to get the Blues attack working.
Rating: 6
Jacob Saifiti: A stunning start to his Origin career, bringing energy from the bench in the first half and scoring a deserved try.
Rating: 7.5
Damien Cook: Got the final half hour to turn the game but made just one run and not involved enough.
Rating: 4.5
Angus Crichton: Worked hard in his 48 minutes and was one of the Blues’ better performers.
Rating: 7
Siosifa Talakai: Missed a crucial tackle to allow Ponga to score and came up with two handling errors in the second half.
Rating: 3
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