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Queensland Maroons player ratings: Origin 3

10th July, 2019
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10th July, 2019
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The New South Wales Blues have won an absolute thriller in Game 3 of State of Origin, scoring a last-minute try to steal a 26-20 win from the Queensland Maroons in Sydney.

Here are the player ratings for Queensland.

More Origin 3
» NSW Blues player ratings
» Queensland Maroons player ratings
» WATCH: Match highlights as Blues seal epic series
» WATCH: James Tedesco ices victory with last-play winner
» WATCH: Kaufusi scores first try of Origin 3

1. Cameron Munster – 8.5/10
One of Queensland’s best on the park, especially in the first half an hour of the game, testing the NSW forwards on the edges and taking on the line when the opportunity arose.

He racked up the second-most metres for his side – at just shy of ten metres per run including a line break – as he tried to ignite the troops throughout a tough second half.

2. Corey Oates – 6
While not as flashy as his fullback, Oates still put in a solid performance in attack, picking up the most running metres of anyone across both sides thanks to some big post-contact metres and strong returns off of the Blues’ kicking game.

A little absent in defence, mostly due to the NSW penchant for running it up the middle or out wide on his opposite wing. A good game for Oates without being spectacular.

14. Moses Mbye – 5
Mbye struggled to get going for most of the contest.

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Unfortunately, he may be remembered for his slip on the last play, which allowed James Tedesco to waltz over the line for the game-winning try. Other than that, he really struggled to stay busy around the ball and get into the game, despite a few decent runs.

4. Will Chambers – 6
A high tackle-count for Chambers out wide bumps Chambers up a touch in the ratings, but seven missed tackles brings him right back down again.

Only James Maloney missed more tackles on the night, as the Blues were able to push Chambers across the line in defence and leave him grabbing at air.

Still made a big linebreak early in the second half but was unlucky to lose the ball after contact from behind, in a performance that left a little to be desired without disappointing in attack.

Dane Gagai

Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

5. Dane Gagai – 5
A quiet game for Dane Gagai, who suffered from a lack of possession and an inability to inject himself into the game. A few solid runs weren’t enough from the Rabbitoh.

Missed tackles in defence hurt his performance even further.

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6. Corey Norman – 7
A man that has waited a long time for his shot at the Origin arena, Corey Norman shouldn’t be disappointed with his performance, playing the supporting role to skipper Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves.

His deft touch brought about the first try of the game with a beautiful grubber for Felise Kaufusi. His kicking game as a whole was impressive when he took over from Cherry-Evans, forcing a dropout and putting up five high balls for the Blues backline, picking up good metres from inside his own half when needed.

A little more involvement later in the game could have seen him finish with a very good game but he couldn’t quite ice the game.

Corey Norman

Corey Norman (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

7. Daly Cherry-Evans – 6
The Maroons captain came firing out of the gates with a 40-20 attempt on the first set of the game. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t really get a whole lot better from there in a real middle-ground performance that was neither great nor terrible.

He bagged a try assist but lacked in the same running game that the NSW backline excelled at in the second half. His kicking game was decent but too often found the Blues’ back three on the full.

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8. Joe Ofahengaue – 6
Ofahengaue played 42 minutes, the fewest of the starting forwards for Queensland, but was still able to provide a hard-hitting presence in the defensive line.

He made 26 tackles and picked up nearly 100 metres – strong numbers compared to his partners in the pack.

Could have made more of an impact if he got some more game time.

9. Ben Hunt – 7
Hunt again delivered with his service from the ruck, feeding his halves good ball throughout the game and keeping the defence on their toes up the middle of the park.

He was selective with his runs, but made good metres when he spotted a slow marker or a couple of tired forwards.

A big performance in defence certainly helped his case for selection next year as well, racking up 40 tackles while playing the full 80 minutes.

10. Josh Papalii – 8.5
Big Josh Papalii had a bruising game in the decider as arguably Queensland’s best on field. He was a powerhouse in the opening stages, racking up big metres and some even bigger hits in defence to push the Blues onto the back foot.

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Although he was only on the field for a pair of stints just over 20 minutes each, he made a big impact at both ends of the contest, scoring a try with just three minutes to go to level the scores and put the Maroons on the cusp of an all-time victory.

He didn’t end up leading any of the stat counts, but the New South Welshmen knew about every one of his 100 running metres and 30 tackles.

11. Felise Kaufusi – 6
Kaufusi played the full 80 minutes in the second row, scoring the first try of the match in the 14th minute.

While not a bad game by any standards, the Melbourne big man may have peaked early with that meat pie, running strong for the Maroons around the edges of the ruck without being too damaging.

Defensively solid in the line. A decent performance in all but could have done a little more.

Felise Kaufusi

Felise Kaufusi celebrates after scoring the opening try. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

18. Ethan Lowe – 8
The surprise packet of the Maroons performance for many, Ethan Lowe came into Game 3 without much attention but certainly left with some eyes on him.

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While no slouch in attack, it was his defensive efforts that stood out, rattling off a game-high 52 tackles to keep the Blues contained for large portions of the match.

In the midst of a goal-kicking shortage, Lowe was given the tee and delivered with four from four. He did as much as he could to remain in the selection equation for next season.

13. Josh McGuire – 7
Another defensive machine on the night, McGuire racked up 47 tackles in the defensive line, making some big tackles at key moments and physically taking the game to the home side.

He was energetic in attack with some damaging hit ups, including a try late in the game that turned the tides, nearly serving as the catalyst for an unlikely win.

Queensland Maroons

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

3. Michael Morgan – 4
An unfortunate evening for Michael Morgan with his match cut short after 23 minutes as the result of a scary collision with teammate McGuire, knocking him out on the spot and removing him from the game.

With just one hit up to his name and 11 tackles, Morgan never had the chance to get going.

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15. Christian Welch – 6
Another player with a lack of game time to his name, Welch did make his mark when he got the chance, despite only getting a little over 20 minutes on the field.

Over 60 running metres and 17 tackles a tidy return as Welch gets used to the Origin arena.

16. Tim Glasby – 4
Glasby played the fewest minutes of anyone, just 13, a victim of the starting Queensland forwards putting the foot down in the first half and firing late in the second when needed.

He still averaged a tackle a minute in his short time on the park, without a single one missed.

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17. David Fifita – 5
Made his mark in the defensive line despite the short stint he was given on the field, playing just a quarter of the game.

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He was absent in attack though, not finding the room to bring his size and power into the game with ball in hand.

Total: 105/170

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