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Queensland have gone a way to atoning their State of Origin series loss with a comprehensive 32-8 defeat of New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium, with only a dogged first-half defensive performance from the Blues preventing a greater margin.
2014 State of Origin Game 3: Queensland vs NSW live scores, blog
State of Origin Game 3: Half time result – QLD 6-2 NSW
After having already surrendered their first Origin series in nine years in the first two games Queensland showed their intent to move the ball from the outset.
The sight of Greg Inglis barging over in the sixth minute, only to be held up by dogged New South Wales defence, became a consistent theme in the first half as the Maroons were denied over the tryline on four separate occasions.
New South Wales seemed more content to stick to the conservative formula that had brought them the series win, with Trent Hodkinson opening the scoring with a penalty goal that stemmed from a rare Blues attacking foray.
It took Daly Cherry-Evans, who was introduced to the game after half an hour, to break open the game in the 37th minute with a kick that released Queensland skipper Cameron Smith to recover and fall over the line.
The ball sat up nicely for @camsmith9 after DCE's kick and it is now 6-2 to @Qld_Maroon after 39 minutes of #Origin 3 pic.twitter.com/SwfsRv1wQN
— NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2014
The 6-2 half-time scoreline hardly illustrated the story of Queensland’s dominance, and the question in the second stanza was always going to be just how much energy the Blues had expended in what had been another typically robust defensive effort.
Billy Slater seemed to answer that in the 44th minute when he crossed after being released by Justin Hodges’ pass, and from the conversion the ten-point lead appeared close to a match-winning one even with over half an hour to play.
Slicing through!
@billyslater gets a gift from Justin Hodges and @Qld_Maroon score their 2nd! #Origin pic.twitter.com/ODg3QUjCrw
— NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2014
Things didn’t get any easier for the Blues as the Maroons sensed weakness and ramped up the pressure when they had the ball, and they made it an even two converted tries just prior to the hour mark after Greg Bird’s dangerous throw on Nate Myles was rightly penalised.
Myles got his own back from the ensuing set of six, leading with an elbow that caught Bird and saw him go on report.
For a side that had had everything more or less go to play throughout the opening 60 minutes it was an unnecessary action that gave New South Wales an opening, and they took it.
From a set play Hodkinson put Josh Dugan through a hole and went on to convert the penalty, leaving New South Wales somehow only six points down with 18 minutes to run.
Through two full games and 70 minutes of the third tensions had simmered without ever bubbling over, although Justin Hodges’ push to the back of Josh Reynolds’ head in the 71st minute saw both sides come together.
But from an earlier infringement it was Queensland who received the penalty, and despite just nine minutes left in the game they decided against a field goal that would have extended the margin to seven.
Instead they went wide through Thurston, with his brilliant cut-out pass putting Darius Boyd over for his 15th career Origin try that saw him equal Inglis’ record.
Aidan Guerra had been held up over the line in the first half but he wasn’t denied a second time in the 74th minute, and it was Hodges that was again the architect.
Game 3 will go to @Qld_Maroon as @GuerraA88 gets his 1st #Origin try!
| pic.twitter.com/FZU2VW5LGZ
— NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2014
As the largely-Maroon Suncorp Stadium crowd of 50,155 began the all-too-familiar ‘Queenslander’ chant the home side continued to suck the joy out of the Blues’ post-match trophy presentation with their fifth four-pointer of the evening through Cooper Cronk.
The scoreline had all the hallmarks of the 2003 series, which saw New South Wales head north for game three only to be blown out 36-6 at Suncorp Stadium.
Then-skipper Andrew Johns had been forced to parade the series shield in front of empty stands and again the presentation was conducted in front of a half-empty crowd that hailed boos down on Paul Gallen as he accepted his man-of-the-series award.
As he promised prior to the match, Gallen appeared to take delight in finally lifting the shield that had evaded the Blues since 2004.
The Blues will delight in going into 2015 as the holders, but the 24-point victory in game three is a firm reminder that any prediction of Queensland’s era of dominance ending might yet be a little premature.
[roargal]
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