REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN, Thursday June 14, 2007

JOHNATHAN Thurston took Queensland back to the glory days of Wally Lewis with a 10-6 victory over the Blues and backto-back State of Origin titles.

Not since the days of The King in 1988-89 have the Maroons enjoyed such dominance over NSW, finally breaking an 11-game losing streak at Telstra Stadium in Sydney.

Halfback Thurston showed why he is heir apparent to Darren Lockyer, popping up where it counted, when it counted.

It was Thurston’s hit on Matt King that saved a try in the seventh minute.

Thirty minutes later he was there again with a driving kick and chase that trapped Jarryd Hayne in the in-goal.

Thurston then finished the job with a precision kick that presented Steven Bell with his try.

Lockyer, only the second Queensland captain to go backto-back after Lewis in 1988-89, summed up the game simply: ‘‘Defence and our guts won it.’’

Rookie Referee Shayne Hayne will have commentators south of the border talking for days, taking an amazing 51 minutes to blow his first Origin penalty.

But up this way, fans will be looking forward, not back.

The Maroons, it was thought, could be on the brink of their greatest era with nine members of their side 25 or younger and still with plenty of Origin football left in their bodies.

Willie Mason walked the walk after talking the talk before the game. He made 23 tackles, 19 hit-ups and gained 173 metres. Unfortunately for the Blues, he seemed to be playing solo.