When NSW dominated the customary pre-game theatrics, with Paul Gallen’s chook-feeding quips about Queensland being grubby and disrespectful during their win in the Origin opener, there was a sense that Queensland would deliver their definitive retort at the MCG on Wednesday. Instead, NSW defied recent history and walked the walk, beating Queensland 26-18 down the straight to force a decider in Brisbane in three weeks’ time.
In Origin’s first return to the MCG since 1997 – back when just 25,000 fans saw NSW squeak home 15-14 – NSW, holding the upper hand in the forwards, scored four tries to three to prevail in what was an open and entertaining game, in vast contrast to Game One that was so dour many wondered openly if Origin was losing its mojo.
In front of 91,513 fans NSW secured the win after coming from 18-14 behind to score the final two tries of the game, the first in the 62nd minute to a hugely impressive Aaron Woods after his rumbling, defender-bumping run off the shoulder of hooker Robbie Farah from close in; the second to Josh Dugan in the 71st minute when, with NSW ahead 20-18, the full-back cut back inside off a Hodkinson short ball and carved past Billy Slater and bravely dived low to beat the approach of Matt Gillett.
Dugan’s try brought an end to five minutes of exhilarating madness in which both sides thought they had scored decisive tries. First, in the 65th minute, Mitchell Pearce and NSW were celebrating a try – or at least they thought they were. After some smart midfield play Brett Morris slipped a short ball to Pearce and he wrong-footed the defence to dive over.
But just as the much-maligned five-eighth was enjoying what would have been one of his best Origin moments – admittedly, such is his record in the No6, that there is not a lot to choose from – the try was disallowed due to the pass from Morris being deemed forward. If it was forward, so is almost every dummy-half pass in the game.
The sense that that decision would haunt NSW was given weight when two minutes later Pearce appeared to have dropped the ball as NSW attacked Queensland’s line and Greg Inglis, who returned to something close to his best tonight, picked up the ball and galloped 90m downfield, most of the crowd cheering him on like a racehorse they had mortgaged the house on.
But Queensland then had their turn to bemoan the wildly swinging scales of officialdom when the try went upstairs and was disallowed; seemingly for a slight knock-on from interchange player Michael Morgan who had stripped the ball from Pearce’s hands, just before the arrival of a second tackler in Nate Myles.
It was then, as the crowd was considering how calamity tends to even itself out, that Dugan scored to push NSW out to a 26-18 lead, one they would hold until full-time by controlling the game by playing for field position.
NSW had reason to hope as early as the third minute when they scored before Queensland had touched the ball. Some 20m out from Queensland’s line James Tamou spun in a tackle and though his offload found the grass. NSW shuttled the ball to Michael Jennings who put his head down and burst through the ineffective tackles of Daly Cherry-Evans and Will Chambers to score 10m in from the left touchline. Trent Hodkinson’s conversion made it 6-0 to NSW.
Queensland did not have to wait long to respond. Three minutes later Johnathan Thurston got in behind the line after selling a dummy. From the resulting play the ball Cameron Smith passed inside to Corey Parker and the veteran found Matt Scott running off his left shoulder. Scott hit the gap and burst through the tackle of Beau Scott to crash over under the posts.
Those opening 11 minutes set the scene for a game in which both teams were willing to offload and test the opposition out wide. It brought both Inglis into the game as well as Jennings who tormented Queensland’s right side all night
Ironically, given the pre-game niggle, and his casting as the man in the black hat, the game’s first sign of unrest came when Blues captain Gallen was off the field receiving attention for a rib injury. It followed a contretemps between James Tamou and Billy Slater; Slater throwing the ball at Tamou in retaliation to Tamou resting both his hands on Slater’s face, as if he were molding clay. As the two shaped up, players flew into the fray but fists remained in their holsters and Queensland got the penalty.
It was the first but not the last melee of the night but they only truly untoward moment was the swinging arm Justin Hodges laid across the chops of Ryan Hoffman.
NSW went ahead again in the 27th minute following more good work from Jennings, and Brett Morris, on the left. A good NSW passage ended up in the hands of Pearce, who put in a pinpoint cross-field kick that Josh Morris climbed high to claim between Darius Boyd and Thurston. He began to lose his purchase on the ball as he fell from space and though he still had his hand on the end of it as it touched the grass in the Queensland in-goal one might debate how much control he had over it.
But after the on-field referee awarded it there was hardy conclusive evidence to overturn it. NSW went ahead 12-6 after Hodkinson landed the extras. Queensland fought back as they do, and with 10 minutes to go before half-time, Inglis made a destructive bust and seemed certain to score until Josh Morris got a fist on his jersey and, with the help of Hopoate, wrestled him to earth like a rodeo steer.
But just three minutes later Queensland claimed their try and it was through a move Queensland patented years ago. Running left from just inside their own half, Thurston found Slater doubling around him and the full-back hit the line hard and slipped a lovely ball to Greg Inglis, who had a head of steam. He found Boyd on his left and the winger then returned the pass to Inglis when Dugan loomed. Thurston failed to convert and after NSW added a late penalty they went to the half-time break 14-10 ahead.
Queensland hit the front for the first time early in the second half after a close-in try by a nimble-footed Gillett and a 56th-minute penalty bumped their lead up to 18-14. However from that point onwards NSW showed Queensland they were not about to relinquish their Origin crown without a fight.
