Tommy gun: Queensland’s No.7 cuts down the Blues

It was a game of three halves.

First half: great for Queensland, while it seemed like the NSW bus must have got caught in traffic on Parramatta Road and a bunch of imposters in blue jerseys had to be sent out in their stead.

Second half: NSW at last turned up, and at least had a go.

And then there was the constant half, the one that made all the difference – the Queensland maestro halfback, Tom Dearden.

All the way through, it was Dearden who probed the NSW defence and came up trumps. He was involved in the lead-up work for the first great try by Queensland winger Xavier Coates who went over in the corner after 18 minutes. Nine minutes later, it was Dearden who was backing up when Hamiso “The Hammer” Tabuai-Fidow made a break on the right flank, the blonde halfback taking the pass to streak away and plant the pill down under the posts.

Tom Dearden celebrates with teammates after scoring.Credit: Getty Images

And how did Queensland hooker Harry Grant go over just before half-time? That would be after superb lead-up work by Dearden, who almost went over himself. It all meant that Queensland was able to go into the break with a 20-point lead.

And NSW in the face of this onslaught?

EXACTLY.

Their performance compared to Queensland was the difference between sick and slick; between a completely characterless performance and a cast of characters performing at their peak.

In that first half, NSW really did look sick.

Ever and always a fair barometer of passion is how they execute the kick and chase. In this match, the Blues were – what’s that word again – pathetic.

Tom Dearden seals a remarkable series win for Queensland.Credit: Getty Images

Every time NSW put up a bomb, they managed to put just about no pressure at all on the Queenslanders, who were able to field it and then make metres through the gaps where the Blues should have been.

In reverse, when NSW fullback Dylan Edwards took a high ball, he always looked up to see a solid wall of Maroon jerseys coming at him. Beyond that, many NSW moves just sputtered out from dropped passes, forward passes, or simple lack of interest.

What was going on? I have no clue.

But it really was characterless, against Queensland’s cast of characters led by Dearden, the Hammer, Cameron Munster, Josh Papali’i and Harry Grant.

Xavier Coates opens the scoring for Queensland.Credit: Getty Images

Where were our blokes?

Where was Payne Haas? Where was Nathan Cleary and Latrell Mitchell? Where was Isaah Yeo and Stephen Crichton? Brian To’o and Jarome Luai? All of them are fabulous players, possessing extraordinary skills. No doubt all tried hard. But none of them stood out for doing ... anything. Instead, the Blues were little more than a bland band of blokes wearing blue jerseys.

And yes, it really did change in the second half.

At last NSW turned up, to stop the rot and close the gap. At last, they were making metres, putting pressure on, threatening the Queensland line. At last, 17 minutes in, it was Stephen Crichton who was able to score for NSW, to close it to 20-6.

Could we about to see a miracle comeback?

We very well might have, bar ... Tom Dearden.

When To’o launched himself at the line 10 minutes into the second half, who was the one man left standing to take him on with the try-saving tackle?

Dearden, of course.

Two minutes later, To’o got close again. Dearden cut him down.

Mitchell might well have gone over for NSW five minutes later, only to be hit by a mass of Maroon jerseys, that included Dearden.

With five minutes to go, who should score for Queensland to ice the game and secure the Maroons an extraordinary series victory?

That would be – oh stop it – Dearden. You’d swear there were half a dozen of him out there, and the most extraordinary thing was that he didn’t pop up to knock over To’o when he finally scored in the corner to bring the Blues back to something vaguely resembling respectability, in the scoreline at least, with a 24-12 loss.

It was one of the great Origin performances, and Queensland’s capacity to play above themselves when it really counts is simply extraordinary. They were worthy winners and there was never a more worthy man of the match than Tom Dearden.