Queensland Maroons defeat NSW Blues to claim one of the greatest series wins in State of Origin history

The Blues will spend the next 12-months wondering what the hell went wrong, as Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater orchestrated a remarkable comeback to beat NSW on their home turf.

We blew it big time – and this one will really sting.

Against all odds, Queensland won two straight games to reclaim State of Origin supremacy.

The Blues have been left battered, humbled and crushed. This will be a long and painful 12 months of self-reflection for NSW.

And stand by for a year of incessant gloating and merriment from the mighty Maroons.

Queensland scored four tries to claim a famous 24-12 series-winning victory over NSW before 80,256 fans at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.

“It’s shattering to be honest. We weren’t good enough,” said NSW halfback Nathan Cleary.

You can hate and ridicule Queensland – but you can’t help but admire them.

The Maroons, as they have done so many times before, managed to lasso the State of Origin title despite fielding a clearly inferior side to NSW.

Former Blues coach Phil Gould said: “It looked like an Origin side playing against a club side.”

NSW was left stunned after Queensland led 20-0 at halftime. The Blues mounted a small comeback through a 57th minute Stephen Crichton try but Queensland had full control of the game.

Defeat is a devastating blow to NSW and coach Laurie Daley. NSW fielded a better and stronger side but Origin is won on-field, not on paper.

And the best balanced side doesn’t always win in the State of Origin war zone. It comes down to hunger, desire and determination.

The Blues look on after suffering an embarrassing series loss on in the Origin III decider. Picture: NRL Photos

ONE OF THE GREAT ORIGIN AMBUSHES

The win didn’t do justice as Queensland played almost flawless footy against a team that completely missed the start and only saved face with a couple of late tries.

There was plenty of dynasty talk given what the Blues did in the series decider in enemy territory last year which they backed up with another victory in game one.

But Billy Slater and his mighty Maroons weren’t having a bar of it as they came, saw and conquered the Blues in one of the great Origin ambushes that even the proudest Queenslanders would have struggled to predict.

The bravery shown by skipper Cameron Munster to play just days after his father died will go down in Origin folklore, while Slater’s decision to partner him with Tom Dearden was the tactical masterstroke that decided the series.

The Maroons couldn’t score points in game three last year or the series opener, but Dearden’s move to halfback flipped that on its head as the underdogs raced out to 20-point leads in their two road wins.

The series should’ve been over when they lost at Suncorp Stadium considering they’d never won in Perth, but Dearden led them beautifully in the west and was simply superb in Sydney as he totally outplayed Nathan Cleary.

The Maroons celebrate after Tom Dearden scored the match sealing try. Picture: Getty Images

The Cowboys star scored a try in each half, with his trademark show-and-go with six minutes to go sealing the upset win for a team that didn’t make an error in the opening 67 minutes.

Dearden now has a mortgage on the No.7 jersey for as long as he wants it, with the tenacious playmaker equally adept in defence as he came up with some desperate tackles to deny the Blues.

BILLY THE GOAT

Billy Slater’s coaching credentials were questioned on both sides of the border ahead of game two in Perth, but he looks like a genius now after he orchestrated one of the most famous series wins in Origin history.

He made some bold calls at the selection table that raised plenty of eyebrows, but everything he touched turned to gold on the grandest stage.

The decision to drop skipper Daly Cherry-Evans was the gutsiest one of his career but it was a masterstroke with Dearden the best player on the field.

Bringing pack veteran Josh Papalii was the boost his team needed for the decider, with the Raiders legend setting the tone from the opening carry.

Gehamat Shibasaki was on a train and trial deal at the start of the year but set up Xavier Coates for the first try of the night, while centre partner Robert Toia had only played 10 NRL games before he was selected but was immense on the right edge.

And Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow repaid the faith at fullback as he made a break down the right to set up Dearden before he came up with two huge defensive plays to keep NSW scoreless early in the second half.

Slater embraces Cameron Munster after the game. Picture: Getty Images

DEJA BLUE

Laurie Daley will never want to coach a decider again after the Blues legend’s horror record continued on Wednesday night in front of a stunned home crowd.

Daley struggled against the greatest Queensland team ever assembled during his first stint in charge, but things were supposed to be different after returning this year with a star-studded squad that was flying high after winning the 2024 series.

But the ghosts of the past came back to haunt Daley who has now lost all four of his deciders as coach.

Injury clouds hovered over the team all week and the Blues never looked in the contest despite a few encouraging runs, with Jarome Luai and Latrell Mitchell both guilty of poor kicks in attack.

The forward pack was monstered, the edge defence was flimsy and the spine failed to conjure anything in attack as the Blues somehow fumbled the series, with huge pressure on everyone in key positions after another inexplicable defeat.

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Originally published as Queensland Maroons defeat NSW Blues to claim one of the greatest series wins in State of Origin history