Maroons in great escape
Queensland keep NSW scoreless in second half and come back to set up series decider
Queensland came back from the dead to break NSW hearts again in Sydney last night. Johnathan Thurston nailed a late conversion to give Queensland an stunning win, sending the State of Origin league series to a decider.
The Blues led by four points with three minutes remaining when Michael Morgan put Dane Gagai over for his second try at ANZ Stadium in Sydney last night and Thurston sent the series to a decider in Brisbane in three weeks after drilling the vital goal.
The Blues, who comprehensively won the first game at Suncorp Stadium, led 16-6 at halftime after dominating the first half but failed to score after the break and were brought undone by two tries to Gagai in the second half.
The Houdini act saw the Maroons come back from 16-6 down at halftime to score 12 unanswered points in the second-half in front of 82,259 fans at ANZ Stadium.
The result leaves Thurston on course to bow out of the Origin arena a winner with Queensland now favourites to claim their 11th series win in 12 years when the two sides come together for the game three decider at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on July 12.
Tries to centre Jarryd Hayne, wing Brett Morris, and halfback Mitchell Pearce saw the Blues in control with a 16-6 halftime lead after Queensland opened the scoring through debutant left wing Valentine Holmes.
But the never-say-die Queenslanders dug deep after the break with the first stirrings of an unlikely win coming when Gagai finishing off a long-range movement to score his first try in the 53rd minute.
A run of penalties and refereeing decisions helped the visitors to keep the pressure on throughout a heartstopping last quarter but the Blues looked to have done enough before Queensland were awarded a scrum feed near the line.
Conjuring memories of Mark Coyne’s famous 1994 game one match-winner, Gagai was again on hand to latch on to the ball on the end of a backline spread out to the right to spoil the Blues plans of celebration.
The comeback came after the Maroons opened the night’s scoring on their second visit into attacking territory with Holmes diving in to score in the corner and Thurston curling the touchline conversion between the uprights after 11 minutes.
Consecutive penalties gave the Blues momentum and field position in the lead-up to their reply through Hayne, before five-eighth James Maloney equalled his Maroons opposite in nailing the sideline kick to draw level after 15 minutes.
The Blues then put the pedal down with two tries in three minutes.
The Maroons looked short on ideas early on in the second-half but kept their belief before reward came in familiar fashion.
Queensland 18 (Dane Gagai 2, Valentine Holmes tries; Johnathan Thurston 3 goals).
New South Wales 16 (Brett Morris, Mitchell Pearce, Jarryd Hayne tries; James Maloney 2 goals). HT: 6-16.