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Has there ever been a more complete performance by any representative team? I think not. Wow. Simply wow.
From the very first set of the match Queensland displayed an intensity rarely seen before. Now couple that with a physical performance that started in the extreme level and rarely wavered even for a play. In attack, defence and in transition.
They were calm and composed and yet razor sharp, which led to absolutely incredible levels of execution despite playing at breakneck speed.
That has never been achieved before.
The snowball really started rolling in the Maroons’ first set following a penalty goal in the ninth minute. Immediately off the kick-off Matt Scott wins the first collision, leaving Beau Scott behind at the first play the ball. Cameron Smith out of dummy half then beats both Paul Gallen and Mitchell Pearce up from the ground leaving them lying on the ground like dead marines.
At the following play, the ball rolls out and Gallen and Aaron Woods are both unable to dominate or even cut square in the tackle.
At the fifth play the ball they are on the Blues’ 40-metre line – that’s 60 enormous metres made on the ground against NSW’s best. All on power running.
The bomb they finish with is caught by Josh Dugan on the Blues’ 10-metre line a fraction of a second before three rampaging Maroons nearly cut him in half with the the most ferocious contact.
It never stopped. Relentless has new meaning after the stratosphere of intensity maintained by these wonderful players.
I reckon there is a reason for this unparalleled standard set above all the most fantastic and blockbusting matches we have watched over the decades Origin has been running.
In every other game from the past where this fever pitch has been reached by one or both teams, it would have erupted into melees and brawls. Punches and grappling in a furious and ugly way would have pulled the steam out of the game.
Knowing that can’t happen allowed Queensland to stay focused of the top class footy they were playing and it prevented NSW from utilising distracting tactics designed to get a fresh start after the formerly compulsory ‘cattle dog’ call.
And the Blues could not even find what was needed after half-time when many a team has been able to muster something, anything, to reverse the trails of destruction in the opening 40 minutes.
All credit to the administrators of our game for sticking with that strong stance they took a couple of seasons back to rid the game of violent brawls. The payback was in Origin 3, the greatest performance by any team in Origin.
Ever.
For Queensland it would be churlish to even attempt to identify one player above his 16 fellow squad players. It was a mammoth performance by every single guy but more so by 17 players committed and selfless on every single play.
For NSW it would be agenda driven to isolate any player also such was the complete dominance the Blues endured from go to whoa. Not one individual was able to rise to anywhere near his best performance.
On reflection, over the series and even including the winning series of last season, NSW has never really looked like dominating their opponents to anywhere near this extent. They are right back where they started from and perhaps shell shocked and shattered beyond repair.
Based on what we saw on Wednesday it could be years before NSW gets to even provide a threat of any kind to the power, skill and composure of this unbelievable Queensland squad.
This match will be talked about like where were you when Elvis died. It will be enshrined in so many players’ minds over and over as coaches across the rugby league spectrum play it over and over again to their teams of all ages everywhere.
The new yardstick for so many aspects of footy – all attained on the one night on the biggest stage under the most pressure.
We will never forget this match.
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