Rookie makes himself at home

BLUES rookie Jake Trbojevic turned the match in NSW’s favour in a scintillating stint off the interchange bench.

Trbojevic ( pictured) may have featured in just his second Origin game but it was his combination with fellow bench player David Klemmer which looked to have secured the Blues victory.

Throw in back- rower Wade Graham and the Blues bench overpowered the Maroons side, with the match turning in the Maroons favour when the respective sides got their starting teams back on the park.

Like they did in Origin I, Klemmer and Trbojevic added to the solid platform already set by starting props Aaron Woods and Andrew Fifita.

Trbojevic at just 23 has cemented himself as a long- term Blues player. He wasted little time to stamp his class on the game.

With just his second touch he threw an inside pass that allowed James Tedesco to slice through before the fullback set up Mitchell Pearce for a try.

Trbojevic then made a trysaving tackle on Cooper Cronk in the dying stages of the first half to deny the Maroons.

In comparison, Queensland debutant Tim Glasby struggled. He was spotted, twice, in defence, with either a missed tackle or a poor defensive read contributing to two NSW tries.

Klemmer ran for a massive 163m, while Trbojevic also hit triple figures in his first stint. For Queensland, Josh Papalii was the best with 87m while Glasby finished with 69m.

Coen Hess was billed as the Maroons’ enforcer, but spent a large chunk of the match warming up on the sidelines.