Matty Johns: Jake Trbojevic was as influential as James Tedesco in Origin III

There were plenty of heroes on both sides in the epic State of Origin decider but MATTY JOHNS has picked out a few who should get a little more shine.

• CAMPO’S CORNER: Tedesco walks with the legends

• EXTRA: How Thorpey helped get the Blues home

It was not just one of the great State of Origin deciders, but one of the great Origin games — full stop!

And it could’ve been better.

In the high pressure atmosphere of an Origin decider it appeared as though it was the referees who were the most affected early.

In the first half it was a case of stop/start through unnecessary penalties.

In the second half, thankfully, the referees let the players play and decide the contest — and what a display they put on.

For Blues coach Brad Fittler and his team, the whole experience must have felt surreal.

At 12 points up midway through the second half and making breaks through the middle, seemingly at will, it looked as though it was going to be the Blues by plenty.

But NSW took their lead and ascendancy for granted and became frivolous with the football and sloppy in defence.

The Blues very nearly let it slip. AAP Image/Craig Golding.

Queensland accepted the invitation and with only minutes to go, had all the momentum with the scores 20-20.

But all the way through the series NSW have been rewarded for being brave with the football.

And it was Mitchell Pearce, the man so often blamed for not “owning the big moments,” who ultimately came up with the series of defining play.

From an offload, Pearce threw a long, high pass, with the Blues struggling to come out of trouble, which found Tom Trbojevic and ultimately led to James Tedesco’s version of Mark Coyne’s try for Queensland in 1994.

An amazing game, it was a matchwinning try, totally against the run of play.

Throughout the series Fittler made some decisions, selection-wise, which placed the pressure squarely on his own shoulders.

As they say, leadership is about two things: making decisions and making decisions.

James Tedesco continues to add to his reputation as a player — he was phenomenal and a deserving player of the series.

But Jake Trbojevic was as influential.

Trbojevic was outstanding in the middle. Picture by Adam Head.

Go back and have a look at game three, Jake didn’t just come up with some big effort plays, but for the most part he played the role of the first receiver and chief decision maker.

Often times, twice in a set, the ball would be thrown to Jake and in an instant he’d make a crucial call whether to push the ball toward the edge or take the metres.

He never made a bad decision ... actually he never made a bad decision all series.

Well done also to young Rabbitoh Cameron Murray, from the moment he came onto the field he was the game’s most dangerous player.

And for NSW this series should serve as an ongoing lesson. We play our best when we play football.

We always should pick a team which carries an aggressive attacking attitude.

Too often we have allowed Queensland to dictate the terms of what defines Origin football.

We have selected teams in the past to try and contain Queensland and hold off defeat, rather than pursue victory.

The key now is to maintain the hunger and desire to dominate, as the Maroons did for the previous decade.