State of Origin: Baby Blues shatter Maroon dynasty

The Origin shield wasn’t presented last night, but it is back in NSW’s possession.

NSW players get the party started, celebrating victory in the State of Origin series after defeating Queensland in game two at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium last night. Picture: Brett Costello

A couple of hours before kick-off at ANZ Stadium last night, NSW coach Brad Fittler and his players made the short walk from their hotel, through the seething masses, to their very own theatre of dreams. Then, they stomped on a dynasty.

Before a crowd of 82,223 at the Olympic venue, the young NSW team put the soles of their shoes on a Queensland side in the throes of transition and made them feel the pain that dogged the Blues for more than a decade.

The Origin shield wasn’t presented last night, but it is back in NSW’s possession. The handover will take place at Suncorp Stadium on July 11. The coronation will take place on enemy territory.

Not that Fittler and his troops will care. They have done what only one other NSW side in the past 13 years has accomplished – beat Queensland. Their talent was without question, but last night they did it with character and resilience.

They looked out of their depth in the opening 20 minutes and conceded two tries. Then they turned it on. Sure, they were aided by only the second penalty try in the history of State of Origin. But take nothing away from Fittler and his men.

They carried the weight of history on their shoulders and still prevailed. No moment summed up the new Blues more than a two-minute period during which Latrell Mitchell ran roughshod over the Maroons.

First, Mitchell took a flat pass from James Tedesco just short of the line, using his strength and power to out-muscle Will Chambers. That gave the Blues an eight-point lead with 30 minutes to go.

Mitchell then sat Cameron Munster on the seat of his pants with a shuddering shot that had Blues fans howling with delight. The Blues centre rose to his feet with a broad smile on his face. NSW were on top and loving it.

Their fans were back on the edge of their seats with 17 minutes remaining when Chambers got one back on the Blues, beating Josh Addo-Carr to slide over.

The Blues were clinging to the lead. They were out on their feet.

They were forced to dig even deeper when James Roberts was sent to the sin-bin with 11 minutes remaining for a professional foul when he took out Gavin Cooper.

James Tedesco pulled down a flying Kalyn Ponga when he was the last mean to beat. Nathan Cleary made a desperate tackle on Valentine Holmes when danger loomed.

“Teddy on Kalyn Ponga ... that was a brilliant tackle,” Fittler said. “Trying to tackle Kalyn Ponga on your own in the backfield is as good as it gets.”

Captain Boyd Cordner was forced off for a concussion test after collecting the hip of club teammate Dylan Napa.

The Blues were on the ropes but Queensland couldn’t find the knockout punch. Ben Hunt bizarrely kicked the ball dead on the third tackle. Will Chambers did the same. The Blues scrambled and found a way to keep their line intact.

“It is unbelievable — probably the biggest game of my life,” Mitchell said. “We were one down for 10 minutes there and just dug deep. We did it for our state.”

Tedesco added: “That was outstanding that second half. We lost a man there and kept defending our line. It was a great feeling.”

For Queensland, only pride will be on the line at Suncorp Stadium.

“It was ours for the taking and we just didn’t do the little things,” Queensland captain Greg Inglis said. “We kicked the ball dead three or four times in the second half when we had them on the ropes. We just tried the fancy stuff and that is not Origin. Origin is about getting in and getting the little things done.”

The Maroons started the opening game with lots of intent and they did the same last night. Billy Slater missed Origin I with a hamstring injury and he belied any concerns over his fitness by threatening NSW early.

Playing his first game in more than five weeks, he created space for Holmes but it came to nought. The warning shot had been fired.

Slater was in everything. Time and again in the opening 10 minutes he tested the Blues. Another chance came and went but the Maroons won a scrum and from it they went wide and Dane Gagai dived for the corner.

It was a close call. So close, video referee Steve Chiddy was forced to take numerous looks at the replay before deciding Gagai had gone into touch.

With the Maroons enjoying 65 per cent of the ball, they were asking plenty of questions. And the Blues had no answer when Slater and Inglis combined to send Holmes over.

Midway through the opening half, Slater did it again. He created a sliver of space, Chambers delivered the final pass and Gagai tip-toed along the sideline before diving over.

The lead was out to 10. Against the weight of possession and momentum, the Blues found a way to hit back when James Maloney chanced his arm on the last tackle.

He hit Addo-Carr with a bullet pass. The winger stepped inside Gagai and forced his way over. With eight minutes remaining in the half, NSW remarkably hit the front in contentious circumstances. Maloney put through a kick for Cordner, only for the skipper to be taken out by Hunt.

Chiddy awarded only the second penalty try in Origin history — the first was given to Mal Meninga way back in 1981.

Inglis approached referee Gerard Sutton for an explanation. “He’s ahead of Will Chambers who ended up getting the ball,” Sutton said. “There’s no one else within cooee. We reckon Boyd would have got it.” Just like that the Blues were in front.