State of Origin game two live blog: NSW Blues v Queensland Maroons, ANZ Stadium
NSW Blues superstar Jarryd Hayne wept with joy as his side finally ended Queensland’s remarkable dynasty with a 6-4 win in Origin II.
AFTER eight years of frustration and defeat and heartache, the NSW Blues delivered Queensland a message on behalf of the state: nobody beats NSW nine times in a row.
Yes, Queensland’s eight-year dominance is over after NSW claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead when they beat Queensland 6-4 in a dour match at ANZ Stadium, sending the game to a dead rubber in Brisbane in three weeks.
It ends one of the most remarkable winning streaks in modern sport.
Not before the Blues almost made the fatal mistake they promised themselves they would not make: playing not to lose, instead of playing to win.
In the end, it was a surprising show-and-go from halfback Trent Hodkinson in the 72nd minute that broke the drought.
Hodkinson shaped to pass but held the ball and the defence opened up, sending him over to give the Blues their historic win.
It was a brutal contest.
Two sides who for much of the first half didn’t really care much for the ball at all.
They simply ran into each other, playing smashmouth football, all through the middle. And then they wrestled and niggled and postured, as if they were about to start a fight ... but then stopping.
It was all very strange, the biproduct being it failed to match the grand heights of game one.
Early on the Blues revealed their intention to knock down every Queenslander that kicked a ball, taking the out of the game as well as, if nothing else, an annoying inconvenience.
Robbie Farah knocked down Daly Cherry-Evans with Michael Jennings’ assistance.
Another small wrestle took place, Jennings holding his knee on Cherry-Evans to keep him down.
“That knee to the face was pretty poor,” Nate Myles told the referees shortly after. He was only offering help, given a chance after Greg Bird was penalised for an odd tackle where Aidan Guerra’s leg was hooked over his back and Bird was unable to shake it.
The penalty gave Queensland a 2-0 lead after Johnathan Thurston’s penalty goal.
Niggle continued to dominate.
Later in the half James Tamou crashed down on Myles, dropping his forearm.
Myles then threw a punch – breaking the NRL’s no punch edict – but the referees ruled Tamou’s forearm justified the retaliation and gave Queensland the penalty.
“Are you going to penalise every tackle now?” asked Paul Gallen.
“The forearm came first,” referee Shayne Hayne said.
While there is little doubt it was intended to apply subtle pressure on the referees, Gallen had a point.
Why rule now?
Thurston’s penalty gave Queensland a 4-0 lead but also saw him break Mal Meninga’s Origin point scoring recod of 161, taking him to 162.
Re-live coverage of State of Origin game two below.