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State of Origin 2017: Five talking points from Game 2

21st June, 2017
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Valentine Holmes crosses for a try. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
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21st June, 2017
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The Queensland Maroons have levelled the 2017 State of Origin series with a thrilling 18-16 win over the New South Wales Blues in Game 2, forcing a decider in Brisbane.

The Maroons fought back in the second half, scoring two tries to none after conceding three in a row in the opening 40 but they were able to sneak over the line to send it to Game 3.

More State of Origin 2
» Queensland’s champions refuse to lose
» Match report: Maroons steal Game 2 win to force a decider
» Watch all the Origin 2 highlights
» Why the State of Origin man of the match process is broken
» WATCH: Andrew Johns blasts the Blues’ woeful second half

With a decider in the balance and an outstanding Queensland comeback in the bag, here are five talking points from Game 2.

The Queensland dynasty survives
Queensland has been one of the most dominant sides in Australian sporting history, winning a slightly ridiculous eight series in a row and ten of the last 11, but alas for the Blues, their era of domination isn’t quite over.

In one month, New South Wales have gone from dismantling the Maroons up in Brisbane with a chance of shattering the dynasty, to letting the series slip through their fingers at home with another daunting trip north staring them in the face.

With an ageing side and forward pack struggling to match the might of the Blues big men in Game 1, it was a huge effort from Queensland to bounce back and maintain the success they’ve enjoyed over the last decade.

Vital experience and calmness under pressure really got them over the line in the end as the Blues fell apart with late in the game trying to protect their lead.

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It’s one hell of an achievement to be able to beat Queensland in Brisbane twice in one year, especially up against a Maroons side looking for retribution from Game 1. There is little to no chance they’ll be embarrassed at home like that again and the Queensland dynasty will likely to keep rolling on.

Dane Gagai scoring a try

(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

The Blues collapse under pressure
New South Wales may have conceded first but they were on fire in the first half, scoring three quick tries before the break to take a 10-point lead into the sheds.

They were still fighting hard early in the second stanza, but once the Maroons found the line through Dane Gagai in the 53rd minute, the Blues went into their shell.

They began to protect the lead instead of trying to win the game and it really showed in the end as they struggled to get out of their own half inside the final 15 minutes while the Maroons piled on the pressure.

As soon as the foot came down from Queensland, the Blues began losing their way, throwing the ball all over the shop and making errors in attack and defence.

Despite hanging on as long as they could, the Maroons saw blood in the water and thrived under the Blues crumbling conundrum.

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Experience versus youth
Queensland’s well-known experience was broken in Game 1 and they suffered because of it, but this time, bolstered by the “big three,” the Maroons found the mix of ageing experience and new-blooded debutants to get them over the line at the end of the day.

The Maroons stalwarts are starting to ease up on the park and are on their way out with father time working against them, but they showed in Game 2 that they have the youth and depth to continue to fire and keep up with the pace of Origin, and more importantly, the pace of the NSW side desperate to win a series.

With Jonathan Thurston leaving rep footy at the end of this series and Cooper Cronk likely to follow as he moves to Sydney, Queensland will be battling a delicate balance of transitioning their elder statesmen with the new breed in the next 18 months.

Where was this in Game 1?
The final 15 minutes was nail-biting rugby league and gave us the dramatic and tension-fuelled finish we were all hoping for in the series opener.

Queensland really started to fire after conceding three tries in a row in the first half, taking the attack to the Blues right side edge in the second stanza and got them back in the contest.

Game 1 never really looked like being a tight game outside of the opening 15 minutes and, despite being a surprise result, this one really turned the heat up on the players and fans as an 80-minute contest.

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It ebbed and flowed across both halves, climaxing in a tense finale that had hearts in mouths and New South Wales fans wondering where it all went wrong.

If Game 3 is anything like this one, we should be in for an exciting final chapter of the 2017 series.

James Tedesco running during Origin

(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

Referees not up to the big stage
It’s a bit of a cheap shot to have a go at the officials, but regardless of the result, there were a few blinding decisions that the refs either failed to make or just made in the wrong direction.

On two separate occasions, NSW players were taken out on the kick chase with Darius Boyd, in particular, making no efforts to hide his direct change of line towards the chasing player and even dropping a healthy shoulder in as well.

It wasn’t just Queensland though. Billy Slater was taken out and taken high by Aaron Woods in the second half while giving chase and nothing was called.

The first try of the game came under controversial circumstances when it looked as though Valentine Holmes back heel touched the sideline on his way over.

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It was a forward pass bonanza in the first half as well with Queensland getting away with a host of passes from out of dummy half and through broken play.

Offside calls and strips all seemed to be called the wrong way throughout the contest.

It will certainly be an easy targetting point for Laurie Daley to toss the blame towards.

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