State of Origin – game three
Queensland (4) 12
Tries: Tabuai-Fidow, Cobbo, Fifita
New South Wales (18) 30
Tries: Cleary 2, Murray, Best, Young Goals: Cleary 5
Nathan Cleary scored two tries in an inspirational performance as New South Wales stunned favourites Queensland to clinch the State of Origin series with victory in Brisbane.
The Kangaroos half-back also added 10 points with the boot – including a late penalty that effectively sealed the win – with his calmness under pressure crucial on a night where Queensland missed all three of their kicks at goal.
Victory brought a measure of vindication for Blues head coach Laurie Daley, who is out of contract now the series is over and who had faced significant scrutiny regarding his team selections.
“We were written off, but we came together as a group, and I’m just pumped,” Cleary told Sky Sports. “What a team.”
While Cleary’s brilliance was a key factor in the win, Daley was helped by two major video review calls in the second half – one to allow Bradman Best’s sensational length-of-the-field try to stand despite an apparent knock-on by Jack Bostock, and another to rule out a Robert Toia score because of an offside against Max Plath.
Daley made a raft of changes in the wake of the 44-24 defeat in Melbourne three weeks ago that levelled the series – but it was his star man Cleary who led the way.
Cleary opened the scoring at the end of a long spell of New South Wales pressure that had begun when his kick had been knocked on by Queensland winger Jojo Fifita under pressure from Origin debutant Bostock, one of the players brought into Daley’s rejigged line-up.
Bostock himself ought to have scored during that early push, fumbling with the tryline in sight, but Cleary dived over shortly afterwards, wrongfooting Kurt Capewell and then holding off three opponents to get the ball down.
He added a second after forward Liam Martin – recalled by Daley after sitting out the first two matches of the series – stepped past Cameron Munster to send Stephen Crichton away on a break, before Mark Nawaqanitawase burst forward and offloaded one-handed to Cleary.
When Cleary then robbed Selwyn Cobbo and set up an attack that ended with Cameron Murray muscling over in the face of some weak defending, New South Wales had opened up a seemingly unsurmountable 18-0 lead.
The Blues, though, suffered two setbacks towards the end of the half, as Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow dived over in the corner for his 14th try in 13 Origin appearances, and then full-back James Tedesco was forced off with a head injury sustained in a collision with Maroons forward Briton Nikori.
Reece Walsh – who has struggled for form with Brisbane Broncos this season – came on early in the second half, and was involved in the move that ended with Selwyn Cobbo collecting a rebound off his own attempted grubber kick to juggle the ball and touch down, pulling the home side back to 18-8.
But then Best broke after a Munster kick for the corner had run loose, and surged from one end of the field to the other for a try that stood even though television replays suggested Bostock had knocked on when jumping for the ball.
Queensland responded with fight, and Fifita was put in at the corner by Toia.
That might have sparked a revival had Toia’s try, scored with little more than 10 minutes left, been allowed to stand.
The centre steamed through to score after Sam Walker’s high kick had been allowed to bounce by a hesitant Tolutau Koula.
But a video review ruled that Plath was offside, having been just ahead of Walker when he kicked, and was close enough to Toia at the point of scoring to be active.
Queensland must have known then that it was not their night – and after Cleary had put the game further out of reach with a penalty, Hudson Young scored right at the end to add to New South Wales’ delirium.
Queensland: Ponga; Cobbo, Toia, Tabuai-Fidow, Fifita; Munster, Walker; Flegler, Grant, Fa’asuamaleaui, Nikora, Capewell, Cotter.
Interchanges: Plath, Carrigan, Nanai, Loiero, Walsh, Taulagi.
New South Wales: Tedesco; Bostock, Best, Crichton, Nawaqanitawase; Moses, Cleary; Haas, Robson, Barnett, Young, Martin, Yeo.
Interchanges: Murray, Fonua-Blake, Olakau’atu, Brailey, Strange, Koula.
Referee: Ashley Klein.
