Origin II: Maroons thump Blues 26-6 at Suncorp Stadium to level series

THE biff is back and so are the mighty Queensland Maroons. It was hard to tell which one the crowd appreciated more.

Darius Boyd

THE biff is back and so are the mighty Queensland Maroons.

It was hard to tell which one the crowd appreciated more.

Queensland has booked a date for eight straight with an emphatic 24-6 thumping of NSW at Suncorp Stadium.

But the breath-taking and sublime skills of the Maroons were overshadowed by an all-in brawl in the 54th minute that resulted in two players from each team sent to the sin bin.

MATCH CENTRE: Game details and stats

The hostility had been brewing all game but finally exploded when the Blues, down 18-0 and virtually no chance at getting back in the game, let frustrations boil over with flying fists.

Yet again it was NSW who couldn't control their tempers.

When winger Brent Tate pushed tackler Paul Gallen off Johnathan Thurston, Trent Merrin retaliated with two punches.

From there all 26 players became involved, but it was Justin Hodges and Greg Bird who were deemed to also throw punches.

Under the new "no biff" edict Merrin, Bird, Hodges and Tate were sent to the sheds, Tate effectively marched for a push which started the fracas.

"I can't believe Tate and Hodges ended up in the sin bin," former Blues coach Phil Gould said commentary.

"I can understand Merrin, but the rest was complete overkill."

Gallery: All the Origin II action

When the dust settled Queensland had the penalty, surged down field and Cooper Cronk kicked for Greg Inglis to produce a spectacular try and completely bury the Blues.

By the time the foursome returned, Queensland were ahead 24-0 and just trying to mentally wound the Blues in preparation for the July 17 decider at ANZ Stadium.

The result proved that the greatest Origin team of all-time were still at the peak of their powers, inflicting the mother of all beatings on a team scarred by seven years of failure.

In 2008 the Maroons bounced back from an Origin I loss with a 30-0 win at home and last night it was just as brutal.

This NSW team is not yet shot, but they'll be heavily wounded and carry significant mental scars from the way Queensland cut them apart.

It would be hard to remember a more brutal and emphatic opening in Origin history as the mighty Maroons raced to a 14-0 lead inside 17 minutes.

It took just 105 seconds for Cronk to put Sam Thaiday storming over and from there the Maroons were in total control as the Blues, and at times the referees, suffered stage fright in front of 51,690 seething fans.

Fans show colours for Origin II

Maroons star playmaker Thurston had spent the previous night in hospital due to a virus, but rose from his sick bed with an inspired display.

A sublime dummy and then pass behind the back of rookie Blues winger Nathan Merritt by Thurston set up Darius Boyd for the easiest try of his Origin career in the 17th minute.

The stunned Blues were lucky not to be further behind, with only the desperation of Gallen and Bird denying lock Corey Parker in the 15th minute.

It wasn't until the 24th minute that NSW got their first penalty of the game and for the next 16 minutes it was the arm-wrestle everybody had initially expected.

Just moments before Thurston threw another superb cut-out pass for Boyd's second try in the 48th minute, Gould noted the difference between how the Blues handled their 14-0 lead in Game One compared to the Maroons in Game Two.

"Right at the moment the Blues are getting an Origin lesson," Gould said.

"The Blues really did not put them to the sword (in Game One).

"The Maroons are really trying to jam it to them. They want to beat them by 30 if they can. The Maroons will not let them off easily."

Some things never change.