ORIGIN II: The Greatest Test of State versus State
Unless your phone was disconnected from the internet last night or your television was broken the morning after, you would have known that Queensland, with four debutants, defeated New South Wales in the NRL's biggest game, State of Origin.
Yes, game two certainly lived up to the expectation that had prevailed before kick-off; will the great dynasty finally be over? Do the Blues have the winning combinations that will see them claim the shield? Can Queensland actually bounce back from a game that they were so out of touch from?
In the 110th game of the tri-game series, the Maroons performed courageously, sending the series into a decider at Suncorp Stadium on the 12th July. The upcoming game will certainly go down as one of the greatest games in the modern era, pitching two of the most equally contested teams against each other, which will also Jonathan Thurston's last game in Queensland colours.
But enough on whats to come in game three for now, it is important to evaluate how game two put Queensland back into series winning contention and took New South Wales out of the game.
Game II had it all, from the big hit ups to the fancy plays, it was a game of high skill and a deep desire to do your state and mate justice. The first 50 minutes, the game was equally contested as both teams put their bodies on the line taking each touch of the ball like it was going to be their last.
Despite Queensland getting on the board first, through debutant Valentine Holmes with the competitions 600th try, New South Wales capitalised on some early, un-charatcerisic Queensland errors, that enabled them to go into half time ten points up.
It was a captivating first half, that was nothing shy of the greatest football to have graced our eyes. But if we were to break the game down team by team, the Blues should have taken their lead and ran the series away.
New team captain, Boyd Cornder was impressive in his ninth origin match, playing 77 minutes, making 28 tackles and running 153 metres, equal to fullback James Tedesco. It was a stellar performance by the young captain, who bore the weight of his state on his shoulders like a champion.
If any New South Wales player was to get man of the match, it should have been Cordner, or better yet, Nathan Peats, who made an impressive 57 tackles in his second origin appearance. This isn't to say that Josh Jackson, who was declared man of the match by the Australian test selectors, wasn't deserving of the award. Jackson made 26 important tackles throughout his 49 minutes on the field, as well as a valuable 67 meters made during the attack.
The man of the match winning performance by Jackson was nothing out of the ordinary, with his performance during game two a reflection of his week in - week out efforts. Blues lock, Tyson Frizell was another underrated performer of the game, coming up with a pivotal tackle on the Maroons play maker Jonathan Thurston.
The Blues back line in James Tedesco, Blake Ferguson, Josh Dugan and Brett Morris all combined strongly both in defence and in attack to give their side some type of spark to seal the victory. Tedesco's line break in the 26th minute to set Mitchell Pearce up for an easy four pointer all but sealed the game in my eyes, but alas poor defensive errors and easy penalties invited the Queenslander's back into the game.
Off the bench, David Klemmer, Wade Graham and Jake Trbojevic all played an integral role in maintaining the Blues dignity going into the decider, with Trbojevic making try saving tackles right on the brink of half time.
The same can't be said for Jarred Hayne on the other hand, who certainly wasn't playing at his Origin best. Despite scoring the Blues return fire try for the Maroons opener, Hayne was off the mark and out of touch during the second half. It appeared that the 'big man' couldn't handle the big stage any more.
Regardless of the Blues performance during game two, last night was without a doubt all about Queensland.
The last 30 minutes of the game epitomised what it means to be a Queenslander and wear the Maroon jersey. The 17 men who donned the jersey left everything on the field to level the series, putting each other before themselves throughout the entire game.
Dane Gagai - no other way to describe him than simply a man of the match performance. Gagai was without a doubt, the best of the 34 players on the field last night, having 24 runs for 189 metres, and scoring not one but the two match wining tries. Not only did Gagai excel in attack, but defensively he did not put a foot wrong all night.
Darius Boyd, Will Chambers and the new boy Valentine Holmes were all superb in attack and defence, using their pivotal combinations that have established throughout the years to excel. The strong performances in defence and exciting attacking prospects were all aided by the return of one man, the kid Billy Slater. Slater looked like he hadn't missed a game of origin football, never over playing his hand in attack or in defence.
Now it isn't the Queensland way to single out a player but Slater's impressive return performance was boosted by the games next immortal, Jonathan Thurston. There are not enough adjectives in the English dictionary to describe the performance that JT had last night, playing the last 60 minutes of the game with an injured shoulder, that he could "barely pick up the floor." It was simply a stunning performance by the 'G.O.A.T.' of the game.
Up front, the Queensland forwards matched the Blues power, taking the likes of Andrew Fafita and Aaron Woods out of the game. Jarrod Wallace, who was on debut, combined excellently with Dylan Napa taking the big hits up the centre of the field. Cameron Smith did Cameron Smith, there is no other way to describe the captains performance.
Matt Gillett and Gavin Cooper, who both played the full 80 minutes, worked tirelessly on the edges, making 40 and 47 tackles respectively during their time on the field. In the post-match, both players have been over looked for their efforts during game two, which again epitomises what the Queensland team is all about. Packing down at lock, Josh McGuire had the line break of the game, sending Gagai into score the first try of the second half, and putting the Maroons back into the game.
It was a game of debutants for the Queenslanders, and while two made starting line up, 'Mr Who' as he was known pre-game Tim Glasby and the young mountain Coen Hess bounced back when they made uncharacteristic errors. Hess summed up the emotions of playing for his state post match saying, "the jersey is all about turning up for your mate."
So, with game two providing what we all wanted a series decider, its back to the Cauldron in three weeks to settle the score once and for all. The 2017 State of Origin series has already proved to be one of the best, but game three will go above and beyond all expectations with two Queensland champions hanging up the representative boots come the final siren.
Regardless of if you bleed Maroon or revel in the joys of Blue, State of Origin brings people across the east coast together, a camaraderie that everyone engages with and believes in.
It will be a game of pure and raw emotions, that will most certainly typify the Mate versus Mate, State versus State mentality that all people above and below the boarder have.
*All photos by Nrl.com