Boyd Cordner has the (c) after his name, and was named man-of-the-match last night, but NSW regained the Origin honours for the second time in 13 years, thanks to James Maloney.
In short, he’s the man-of-the-series already.
More State of Origin 2:
» Match report: Blues win game 2, series
» Nine talking points from Origin 2
» WATCH: Video highlights from Origin 2
» Re-live the match with our live blog
He was the rock in organising the Baby Blues’ defence, especially in the final 11 minutes last night when James Roberts was binned for 10, and Cordner left with a head injury.
As if that wasn’t enough, Maloney was the spark in attack in both games where he scored a try, and set up four of the remaining five.
But he had a quartet of willing attackers of very classy kids – Nathan Cleary (20), Latrell Mitchell (21), Tom Trbojevic (21), and the flying winger Josh Addo-Carr at 22.
Throw in Queensland’s Kalyn Ponga (20), Coen Hess (21), and Valentine Holmes (22), and the seven of them proved the naysayers were very wrong in predicting they were too young, and too inexperienced, to be Origin reps.
The old saying if you’re good enough, you’re old enough, has again held good.
More importantly, the seven played major roles in a crackerjack Origin 2 in front of 82,223 in a sea of blue at ANZ Stadium, plus multi-millions of television viewers around the world.
Kalyn Ponga of the Maroons (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
And the Holy Grail of rugby league was on show at its very best.
Ponga was my pick of the seven on Origin debut.
The impressive Knights’ fullback came on as a loose forward in the 26th minute, and for the next 54 minutes wasn’t at all fazed in a foreign role.
In fact he thrived on it in both attack and defence.
His highlight was a scorching run late in the game that started just inside NSW territory where he was confronted by three defenders.
Somehow he came out the other side and headed for a try that would have tied up the game, with a Holmes conversion to take the lead in sight of full time.
Out of the blue Cleary and Addo-Carr combined to drop Ponga from behind just short of the tryline with magnificent tackles.
Cleary and Addo-Carr tackled their hearts out all night, but were just as effective in attack with Addo-Carr again scoring through deft footwork.
Mitchell is a solid lump of a lad who just loves being in the thick of the action.
One head-on tackle of Cameron Munster shook the bones of the Queenslander, and everyone in the stands.
Mitchell got up smiling, Munster didn’t.
Holmes is something special as well with a try to take his Origin total to six in four games to go with his 14 from 11 with the Kangaroos, and 56 from 92 with the Sharks.
Queensland is blessed with three world class fullbacks: Billy Slater – the best of all time – plus Ponga and Holmes.
Luckily Ponga and Holmes can play elsewhere, but all three, plus Hess, must be on duty if the Maroons are to avoid a whitewash at Suncorp.
Boyd Cordner of the Blues (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Last night will go down as one of the all-time great Origin clashes where Queensland opened up a 10-point lead, NSW retaliated with 18 points, and Queensland finished with four more.
Queensland were unlucky to have the first try of the night disallowed by the bunker after Dane Gagai’s right knee just touched the sideline as he dived over in the corner.
There was only a centimetre in it, but it did make one helluva differefence to the outcome.
NSW are in seventh heaven, and can honestly say winners are grinners, and the losers make can make their own arrangements.
That’s life, bring on Suncorp.
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