Why this is one of NSW’s greatest ever Origin performances

Let’s start with the fight – if you could even call it that – because it explains why this NSW side just achieved what so many have failed to do in a State of Origin decider in Brisbane.

Weeks of tension between the two states bubbled to the surface in the 30th minute when some push-and-shove between Blues five-eighth Jarome Luai and Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans escalated into a sideline stink involving every player,even those not playing.

At one point,several Queensland players swarmed around Blues winger Brian To’o like it was a little lunch fight at primary school.

Blues back-rower Cameron Murray wasn’t having a bar of it. He raced from the bench on which he had been sitting to dive into the thick of the action to support his teammate.

He later became thefirst man in history to be sin-binned as a replacement. Maroons forward Jeremiah Nanai was also sent for 10 minutes while NRL officials ordered NSW’s non-playing squad member,Haumole Olakau’atu,to watch from the sheds.

Debate will rage for days if Murray should have been sent off because he had entered the field of play from the bench,as Cherry-Evans argued on the field to referee Ashley Klein and then in the post-match media conference.

The NRL will no doubt argue the referee and Bunker handled the situation well.

“I’m looking for players being aggressive,” Klein told the video referee.

Seriously.

“It’s not a good look for what the game should look like,” he later told Cherry-Evans and NSW vice-captain Isaah Yeo.

Seriously.

From a NSW perspective,though,the sight of Murray and Olakau’atu racing from nowhere to protect their brother in sky-blue is an indication of the culture established by first-year coach Michael Maguire.

Some will call it thuggery and hotheadedness. Others will understand they were standing by their teammate.

Two years ago in the decider at Suncorp,centre Matt Burtonfound himself isolated in a fight,surrounded by Maroons players just like To’o,and none of his teammates came to his rescue.

Since theirgame one loss in Sydney in May,these Blues have been hellbent on proving to themselves as much as Queensland that they won’t be bullied.

They did itat the MCG three weeks ago andnow at Suncorp,their 14-4 victory making them just the third Blues team to win a Brisbane decider.

It must rank as one of the state’s greatest Origin victories,up there with the Steve Mortimer-inspired team of 1985 that won the series for the first time and the Andrew Johns-led side of 2005 that also won the decider at Suncorp.

Clearly scorned by what happened in Melbourne,the Maroons produced one of the bravest defensive displays in recent memory.

Halfback Tom Dearden set the tone early when he jolted the ball loose from Blues back-rower and then roared at him just as Martin had done to Jaydn Su’A in Melbourne.

Everyone figured the Blues would attack the Maroons’ right-edge defence of Cherry-Evans and Dane Gagai and that’s where they went in the first set.

But as much as the Blues peppered that corridor,they simply couldn’t crack the line.

They had so much possession and field position in the first half but still couldn’t score,trailing 2-0 at half-time,you started to wonder if a try was ever coming.

When Maroons replacement Kalyn Ponga took the field early in the second half just as the defence from both sides was starting to loosen,you sensed the home side would finish stronger.

I mean,when don’t they finish stronger at their spiritual home?

But then the match swung on a piece of Luai brilliance.

From a standing start,he spotted the hole between Nanai and Gagai,motored through,drew Reece Walsh and passed to Bradman Best.

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With blood pouring out of a cut to his mouth,Best bobbled the ball,gathered it in,fended off Gagai then did the same to Ponga to score.

Zac Lomax’s sideline conversion and Mitchell Moses’ solo try against tired defence sealed the deal.

Much of the kudos must go to Maguire,who has taken NSW from a state of apathy on the eve of the series to outsmarting and outcoaching Billy Slater,who was being hailed as the next supercoach after winning the last two series.

Even Maguire couldn’t have predicted the scenes just before full-time.

As the final minutes ticked down,you could see banks of empty seats in the stands,along with a rareNew-South-Wales chant elsewhere in the stadium,as Queenslanders abandoned their own spiritual home.

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