3 minute read
A snapshot of the State of Origin series decider at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
STATE OF ORIGIN III AT A GLANCE:
* RESULT: NSW defeated Queensland 14-4 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
* KEY MOMENT: After 65 minutes of desperate, physical rugby league, with little leeway for the creative players to get a foothold, Jarome Luai stepped up in the absence of Penrith teammate Nathan Cleary to deliver the first real try-scoring opportunity of the game, pulling a linebreak out of his bag of tricks and finding Bradman Best on his outside to set up the game's opening try. Once the dam wall was broken NSW never looked like folding, with Mitchell Moses crossing over to seal the game a few minutes later.
* MAN OF THE MATCH: Bradman Best. The Newcastle centre made a massive impact on his return to the NSW side after he was ruled out of the opening two games with injury, scoring the opening try of the game after 65 minutes. How the 22-year-old managed to fend off Dane Gagai while juggling the ball and stay in the field of play to dot in the corner may never be fully understood, but it was the perfect moment to top a dominant performance.
* TALKING POINT: After the devastation of game one, it seemed Michael Maguire would be resigned to a series loss in his debut year as NSW coach. But a commanding win in game two and a tough-as-nails performance in the decider to seal the series at Suncorp Stadium, the graveyard of Blues coaches past, was vindication for Maguire. The first NSW win in a decider played in Brisbane in 19 years proof of the former premiership-winning coach's suitability for rugby league's highest level.
* KEY STATS: 65 minutes. The longest wait for an opening try in a State of Origin match. But when Bradman Best eventually crossed over it was well-deserved for a NSW side who weren't overawed despite the physical reception they received from a fired-up Queensland side desperate not to lose a decider at their fortress. Despite the intimidating size of the Maroons pack, NSW posted an impressive 524 post-contact metres to the hosts' 295.
* INJURIES: NSW - Mitchell Moses (biceps)
* JUDICIARY WATCH: Queensland - Reece Walsh (dangerous contact), Jeremiah Nanai (contrary conduct); NSW - Cameron Murray (contrary conduct), Haumole Olakau'atu (contrary conduct).
