Summary
An unpredictable Origin series, tacked on to the end of the most unfamiliar season, ends with an unlikely victor. Congratulations Queensland.
Wayne Bennett only accepted the coaching job a couple of months ago. A few weeks later he was told he had the worst Maroons outfit in Origin history. Last Wednesday his side was embarrassed in Sydney. Tonight the master mentor is enjoying a hearty last laugh.
With 50,000 Queenslanders behind them the home side dominated the vital Origin decider. The Maroons forwards had the upper hand in the middle and with a fit again Cameron Munster behind them there was the game craft and mercurial brilliance that was missing at ANZ Stadium.
The Maroons deserved more than just their six-point half-time lead, but the scoreboard didn’t reflect the cost of NSW losing skipper and star fullback James Tedesco with concussion.
The second half began with more Queensland dominance with the Maroons camped on NSW’s line for 25 minutes but only had one penalty and one Harry Grant try to show for it. Grant was exceptional on Origin debut, sowing the seeds of a storied representative career to come.
Time and again Queensland failed to put the game to bed - Valentine Holmes particularly culpable - and that profligacy came back to haunt them when NSW upped the tempo with 15 minutes remaining, stretching the game and feasting on the broken field. In a six minute burst the Blues matched Queensland’s points haul for the half and then with the pressure rising Corey Allan was sent to the bin for a professional foul that on another day could have seen NSW awarded a penalty try.
At the death the Blues threw all they could at the home defence but they couldn’t drag the scores level. After two years in NSW’s possession the shield is back in Brisbane.
Thanks for joining me tonight, and throughout the series. It’s been a heck of a season.
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Here’s how Nick Tedeschi saw things go down tonight.
That’s Origin at Suncorp (Lang Park). Maroon too good. Perfect game plan and mentality. Kept Blue under pressure all night. Blue had period of great defensive courage themselves, but failed to mount anything significant in attack. Epic game. Tough series. Well done to Queensland.
— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) November 18, 2020
“I’m buggered” says Grant to Channel 9, taking over the mic from Cameron Munster. The two Storm schemers were the game’s decisive protagonists.
State of Origin never fails to deliver, does it? Full house, series decider, some Munster magic, the coming-of-age of Harry Grant, shattering injuries to a pair of Blues, a late sin-binning, and a desperate finale. What a way to end the season.
What a victory from Wayne Bennett and his unheralded Maroons. They made life hard for themselves at the end, but they were well worth the victory over the course of the 80 minutes.
The challenge is successful, but it still doesn’t prevent the final whistle. Queensland still win!
Hang on... NSW are challenging the lost ball that prompted Queensland to celebrate victory.
Queensland 20-14 NSW
Queensland win!
79 mins: The pressure is huge and building as NSW probe left right and through the middle. Queensland look exhausted but they continue to lay tackles when it matters. Cleary goes to his boot dabbing into space but Holmes is alert to force the drop out.
78 mins: NSW load up and after one drive they cut left and Wighton almost crosses. Then they throw the ball wide to the right but Yeo doesn’t have enough room to get through. Queensland hold on but on the last tackle they interrupt the play-the-ball under the posts and concede a set restart - that could easily have been another yellow.
YELLOW CARD! (Allan 77)
NSW try to up the tempo but struggle for three tackles before gaining ground on the left wing on the fourth. They can only reach halfway before the last though, when they head right and see some space in behind. Yeo takes advantage, kicking through for Addo-Carr to chase, and the fastest man on the ground does just that before he’s bodychecked by Allan stepping up from fullback. That was a blatant professional foul. The only question now is what is the penalty? “Too far from the goal-line to suggest a penalty try” says the TMO. But still a yellow card for the Souths debutant. Huge moment of controversy.
76 mins: Queensland resume on their own 40m line. They take no risks for five tackles, rolling towards the NSW 30m marker. Then the chip and chase pins Addo-Carr in the corner.
76 mins: The medical buggy is on the field to remove the stricken Walker. The delay is only heightening the tension with only a couple of sets remaining for either side.
76 mins: There’s a break in play while Walker receives treatment. The Souths five-eighth looks out cold on the turf after an accidental collision near the Queensland play-the-ball.
76 mins: Three tackles send the Blues to halfway, then Yeo makes 10m with a break on the right edge. With the tempo increasing NSW head back infield but Cleary loses the ball in contact with Friend!
75 mins: A solid drive sends Queensland to halfway. Munster kicks and the chase is good. NSW regroup on their own 30m line.
74 mins: NSW should be buried and Queensland only have themselves to blame but in the last ten or so minutes as the game has become stretched and play broken the Blues have come alive. The Maroons need to settle their nerves.
Penalty! Queensland 20-14 NSW (Cleary 73)
Of course, NSW go straight up the other end, keep the ball alive on the last, earn a penalty and Cleary kicks it from under the posts to reduce the deficit to just six points.
And now there’s a streaker.
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71 mins: “QUEENSLANDER! QUEENSLANDER!” roars the partisan crowd. Cleary tries to silence it with a cheeky dink over the top but the Maroons mop it up easily. They reply with a textbook attack that punches holes down the middle for five tackles then exploits the space on the left wing. It should end in a try when Capewell does brilliantly to accept contact and reach out to pass out of the tackle wide to Holmes - but WOW! - not for the first time tonight Holmes absolutely butchers a gimme four points. Oh my goodness. That was a straightforward pass and touchdown. How did he not score!?
70 mins: NSW have found a spark in the past five minutes and Queensland are responding by trying to slow the game down. I’d suggest they need to fight fire with fire and get the crowd back into the contest. Still, while they’re not making unforced errors they’re still making their visitors attack from deep in their own territory, a feat they have failed repeatedly to achieve all night long.
@JPHowcroft Origin, never ceases to amaze me. I've never seen the worst side in Origin history play so well... Can someone check on Gus...
— phil withall (@phil_withall) November 18, 2020
68 mins: Isn’t that just the way? Queensland dominate for an hour and NSW score with practically their only two attacks. That sets up a grandstand finale. Who has the belief?
TRY! Queensland 20-12 NSW (Tupou 66)
A short kick-off to NSW and it leads to a penalty for an escort against Queensland. Another penalty early in the set allows them to build their first sustained attack in an age - and they need only three tackles to make it count. Paulo and Cook lead the charge through the middle but when they send the ball through hands to the left there are runners everywhere, one of whom is Gutherson who draws in Brenko Lee and times his pass out to Tupou perfectly to skip over in the corner.
Cleary reduces the gap to eight points.
TRY! Queensland 20-6 NSW (Grant 63)
Welcome to the big time Harry Grant.
NSW defend the set piece, then they repel another series of Queensland runners bulldozing their way through the middle until Welch finds an offload that Grant pouches, spins into contact and reaches out to place the Steeden on the back half of the line to send Suncorp Stadium into raptures. The Storm hooker has changed the tempo of this contest in his time off the bench and his try may well have secured the series.
Holmes continues his flawless night off the tee.
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63 mins: Queensland run it back well beyond halfway then Munster launches an inch perfect bomb to Addo-Carr’s wing that wraps up the Storm flyer in a blanket of Musclebound Maroon before he can exhale. NSW know they need to up the ante but they can’t figure out how, and when they spread wide to the left their urgency leads to an unforced error and the home side get a scrum 25m out.
61 mins: NSW just cannot escape the vice-like grip of Queensland’s kick-chase. Munster kicked on tackle four behind Addo-Carr in the left corner and five Blues drives later Cleary is forced to go to his boot from inside his own half.
60 mins: This Queensland side, remember, is the worst in Origin history. They are 20 minutes away from a series victory.
Penalty! Queensland 14-6 NSW (Holmes 58)
Valentine Holmes slots the simple penalty to extend Queensland’s lead beyond one converted try. It is the very least they deserve for 60 minutes of near total domination.
57 mins: This is ridiculous. Queensland are camped on the NSW line with runners smashing the line and a host of ball players working the edges, but still they cannot penetrate! Crichton is a monster in defence and the rest of his team are not far behind. It is exhausting to watch but the Maroons, for all their possession and muscle and craft, cannot find an opening. Eventually they have to kick, but it ricochets into blue hands and the attack looks done. But Frizell was offside! Queensland can finally score some points, if only two.
56 mins: Grant continues to snipe, allowing Munster to accept the second and third passes in a phase, allowing him to hit the line at speed on the runaround - but still the defence holds firm. NSW are defending for their lives and they live to fight another day when Tupou knocks on attempting the intercept under the posts.
54 mins: Queensland look left, then right, runners hit the line hard and Munster sharks, but the defensive line is sound, led by some desperate tackling from Crichton. A kick on the last leads to a repeat set and the Maroons go again, Munster, Cherry-Evans, Friend and Grant all on the field together, enormous pressure on the NSW land, and the latest dinked kick forces Addo-Carr to concede the line drop-out. The Blues have soaked up an extraordinary amount of pressure in their own half tonight.
51 mins: There’s no spark from the Blues, a reality highlighted when Gutherson steals 15m from a rare dummy-half burst. Queensland, by contrast, are nailing big hits defensively and drawing multiple tacklers when they run the ball. One of those from Arrow induces a high shot from Frizell that sets up yet another prime attacking platform.
49 mins: The Blues continue to toil hard for little gain with ball in hand. They’ve enjoyed hardly any territorial advantage all night with Cleary kicking regularly from inside his own half.
47 mins: They don’t just escape, led by the livewire Grant they eat up Suncorp Stadium and turn defence into attack in no time. A try looks on offer on the right wing but some desperate defence keeps them at bay, but a series of offloads keeps the ball alive until there’s space on the left wing but - oh! - the final pass out wide to Holmes isn’t clean and the winger fumbles it on the half-volley. Deary me, that was a crucial mistake. Holmes should have gathered that but instead he knocks on and NSW escape.
But not for long! Grant executes a steal and sets the Maroons off again - and again there’s a chance on the left wing - and again the final pass to Holmes is found wanting, this time behind the speedster.
Queensland fans can’t believe their side are only six points in front.
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45 mins: NSW remain committed through the middle but their isn’t the go-forward they enjoyed in Sydney. Queensland are defending much quicker and with greater force, denying Cook in particular time and space to exploit. A sloppy play the ball near their own line causes panic in the Maroons defence but a Blues penalty at the ruck follows it soon after and the home side escape.
42 mins: NSW are full of running through Crichton and Cook after the restart, forcing Queensland to start their set deep in their own territory. Harry Grant doesn’t mind, slithering like an eel away from dummy half and piercing a gap in the middle of the field. He dashes 20m then dabs a kick through that is fiercely contested by chases from both sides but doesn’t end with a Maroon hand touching down for a score. That was a scintillating break from the rookie.
The second-half is underway!
Even though three tries were scored during the first half, the biggest moment arrived when James Tedesco slid into Papalii’s knee. Tedesco is the best player in rugby league, the NSW skipper, scorer of his side’s only try, and his absence forced a reshuffle that Brad Fittler’s selection was ill-equipped to cope with. Shifting regular No.1 Gutherson to fullback is straightforward enough but the gap he exposes in the centres is more difficult to fill. Yeo has stepped into the breach, but as soon as the regular loose forward entered the fray Queensland immediately targeted - and prospered from - his flank.
Absolutely, and it took Munster’s imaginative best to unlock a stubborn NSW defence that withstood an incredible amount of pressure in that half. Grant’s introduction should not be discounted either, the young rake added an air of unpredictability to the Maroons after he came on midway through the half.
The meat and potatoes is working for Queensland too with Papalii, Fa’asuamaleaui, Welch, Arrow and Capewell all securing the middle of the park.
It was a backs to the wall half from NSW defensively but they didn’t look cowed or out of form, they just never had consistent territory or possession. Walker and Cook were especially quiet, and it’s hard to imagine that happening for another 40 minutes. I’m not writing them off yet.
Updated
The world is watching, in envy.
Meanwhile in Brisbane … the State of Origin decider pic.twitter.com/79u0Fa6z9N
— James Dart (@James_Dart) November 18, 2020
Half-time: Queensland 12-6 NSW
Queensland will be delighted with the six-point lead at the break but they’ll be disappointed it’s not more after bossing that opening 40 minutes.
39 mins: This is just a dedicated Cameron Munster tribute entry because that previous try description probably didn’t do the Storm star justice. Three superb interventions in a minute to unlock the resolute NSW defence.
TRY! Queensland 12-6 NSW (E. Lee 39)
Queensland look to be going nowhere on halfway; enter Cameron Munster. The blistering No.6 chips and chases behind the defensive line, regathering and then kicking further ahead in one movement. The chase is superb, and the Maroon tacklers prevent a Blues jersey taking clean possession. The ball is soon back in Munster’s hands and he kicks immediately across the line to the right corner where there are two Lees free on the overlap. The first, Brenko, can’t hold onto the ball but has the good fortune to knock it backwards where cousin Edrick is in the right place at the right time to scoop up, step inside and swoop over for the try.
Holmes nails the extras.
HOLLYYYYY! What on earth?!?
— NRL (@NRL) November 18, 2020
Big Edrick Lee is here to play 😤
QLD take the lead.#Origin pic.twitter.com/vXLI7j0GrP
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35 mins: Queensland back on attack from halfway into NSW territory. On tackle three Munster fashions a rare gap on the left wing but Cleary dives out the line and knocks on attempting the intercept, a knock-on his team are happy to accept. From the resulting set-piece Queensland head left again and there’s a hint of an overlap on the touchline but the pass from Gagai to Holmes isn’t nailed and Addo-Carr does well to bundle his opposite number into touch. The Maroons are taregting the left edge because Yeo has been moved to NSW’s right centre position in the reshuffle following Tedesco’s exit. What Fittler would do for a Papenhuyzen on the bench.
Updated
32 mins: Woah, how’s that for a momentum changer? Early in the tackle count Cleary nails a massive crossfield 40-20 to completely shift the game from endless Queensland attacking to a rare Blues attack. On tackle three Paulo offloads, then Cleary, then Frizell takes metres after contact. Cook then snipes from dummy half, feeding Gutherson on the burst but he’s held up just short of the line. The six again siren sounds the alarm for the Maroons who are defending desperately - can they withstand the barrage? Yes! NSW try to go through hands to the left but there’s a fumble from Walker under incredible pressure from Collins and the Maroons clear. They don’t clear far though because Munster and Cleary have a disagreement and everyone comes together to discuss a fair and reasonable outcome.
Unsurprisingly, Tedesco has failed his HIA.
That's an Origin kick.
— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) November 18, 2020
The Decider - LIVE and exclusive on @Channel9. #9WWOS #Origin pic.twitter.com/GcAsuBbki2
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30 mins: More Queensland attacking, more NSW defending, and yet again the defensive side comes out on top. A huge tackle on Arrow takes man and ball to nip the move in the bud with the Maroons flooding to the right wing. The home side must be starting to rue their inability to take advantage of their dominance.
28 mins: After a clean opening 25 minutes or so two errors come along in the blink of an eye, Yeo is the latest culprit, dropping a simple pass in the middle of the scrum set play and inviting Queensland back on the attack - a Maroons 13 now featuring Harry Grant on debut. And Grant is in the action immediately, sniping from dummy half to unsettle the NSW defence, allowing Cherry-Evans to provoke a line drop-out from Gutherson.
26 mins: Queensland’s forwards are winning the battle so far, gaining ground with ball in hand and defending the middle superbly. Again Cleary is forced to kick form well inside his own half and another wave of Maroon pressure crashes back on their shores. But this one is shortlived because Allan has lost the ball at the ruck under pressure from Cook and NSW have a much-needed scrum.
24 mins: It’s all Queensland still with the Maroons making plenty of ground through the middle but lacking cutting edge in their backs. Papalii has shone in these early exchanges and another offload takes the home side into the red zone, but Munster’s chip and chase on the last tackle does not pay dividends. The Blues have not enjoyed a decent attacking set in over 10 minutes.
22 mins: I should have added, Fa’asuamaleaui picked up the ball dropped by the unconscious Tedesco and ran it within inches of the NSW line. That gave the Maroons A1 field position after play restarted, but despite Munster’s best scheming no gap was forthcoming, then Cherry-Evans’ grubber was smartly claimed by the more than handy reserve fullback Gutherson.
James Tedesco injury
20 mins: Since that siege on the NSW line the game has been played largely in the forwards in the vicinity of the halfway line with errors at a premium. That is until a long kick is claimed on the ground by Tedesco who runs it back into contact but slips just before he reaches the tacklers and the NSW skipper’s head clatters in Papalii’s knee! The best player in the game is knocked out instantly. He gets back on his feet soon enough but he’s groggy and like Bambi on ice on his feet. That is probably the No.1 done for the night. Huge moment!
There’s a break in play while trainers escort Tedesco off the field.
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18 mins: NSW’s forwards haven’t created much momentum yet and again the Blues are forced to kick from further out than they would prefer. The bomb is Walker’s this time and Queensland are keen for it to go out on the full on the left wing, but it remains stubbornly in-field and Lee is forced to scramble to recover.
15 mins: That was an excellent defensive passage from the Maroons, forcing Cleary to kick long from his own half. Holmes then runs back into Blues territory before Papalii offloads allowing Munster to burgle some more metres. Just 15m out the six-again klaxon sounds and Queensland are all over the Blues like a rash. Munster and Cherry-Evans direct traffic one way then the other, Papalii hitting the line hard, but NSW stand tough. There’s ANOTHER set restart on the line as the Maroon wave keeps surging but for all their huffing and puffing there’s no breakthrough. Eventually Munster kicks to the right corner but after the wingers collide Tedesco is fastest to the loose ball, whereafter Brenko Lee releases the pressure with a penalty.
Big few minutes defensively for NSW.
12 mins: NSW start their drive just 30m out from the Queensland line. Saifiti and co take some bruises in the corridor before snipes to either edge fail to pay off. Cleary goes aerially again, this time to the right, but despite a huge chasing pack the Maroons pounce on the loose ball. A short set in response ends with an early Cherry-Evans kick that is chased brilliantly and catches NSW on their heels.
11 mins: Munster kicks the restart MILES out on the full. Yikes.
This is CRAZY 😱
— NRL (@NRL) November 18, 2020
Who other than Teddy to score a try like this?!#Origin pic.twitter.com/qk4gCsS9jd
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TRY! Queensland 6-6 NSW (Tedesco 10)
10 mins: NSW gain good metres with runs from dummy half, one of which, from Cook, earns a set restart just past halfway. The Blues then go through hands, first to the right, then the left, before Cleary kicks to the corner. The bomb is testing but a little deep - but Allan fumbles it! That was a simple drop. Then the fullback can’t touchdown to concede the drop-out, nor can Cherry-Evans standing over the ball! Instead, Tedesco, the leading chaser, like a thief in the night reaches out a hand and touches down for an opportunistic try. Absolutely nightmare for Queensland. Wayne Bennett might be regretting not using those last words to remind his fullback to hold onto the high ball.
Cleary slots the conversion.
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8 mins: Another penalty goes Queensland’s way for Frizell interfering with Welch at the ruck. Papalii, Fa’asuamaleaui and Kaufusi hammer the middle and when the ball comes backwards Munster is busy creating space on his outside but despite getting inside 10m they can’t puncture the line. Friend then concedes a pressure-releasing penalty.
Andrew Johns reckons this crowd is as noisy and febrile as he can recall.
Updated
TRY! Queensland 6-0 NSW (Holmes 4)
4 mins: The first penalty of the night goes against Crichton, allowing Queensland to kick inside the Blues’ half. From here Papalii sets up good field position through the middle before Munster goes to work, first drawing in Capewell then, on the last tackle, shifting play from the middle to the left where Allan shows superb quick hands to flick the pass out to Holmes who dives spectacularly into the corner, touching down mid-flight one-handed.
Holmes dusts himself down and nails a touchline conversion. Huge start for the Maroons!
Valentine Holmes doing what he does best. 😎
— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) November 18, 2020
The Maroons draw first blood.
The Decider - LIVE and exclusive on @Channel9. #9WWOS #Origin pic.twitter.com/3bffP8EYPw
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2 mins: Queensland accept the kick-off and Munster is in the action early, almost fashioning a gap on the left edge. Otherwise it’s a predictable drive up the guts that is defended solidly by NSW.
Munster’s kick is returned to the 30m line and the crowd raises a few decibels to register their dislike of their southern neighbours. The Blues don’t make much ground but Cleary still executes a superb kick that wrongfoots Allan and Holmes in the right corner, inducing a collision between teammates, but the Maroons escape.
Kick-off!
The Origin decider is underway!
Out come the Blues (to a chorus of boos). NSW are in their regulation sky blue.
And here are the Maroons (out to dethrone). Qld are bedecked in burgundy.
The anthem has been sung, we’ll be underway in no time.
“Queensland and NSW have never waged war,” Channel 9’s ludicrously hyperbolic prematch pump-up package growls at me. The voiceover sounded a little disappointed about that fact before indicating they don’t need actual fratricide because rugby league is a suitable proxy.
The epic soundtrack bed is still on, about five minutes after it began. Simmer down.
For anyone watching along at home, the Channel 9 commentary team are calling the game from Sydney, not Suncorp Stadium. This is due to the impact of quarantine measures in place between Queensland and NSW and the toll they would have taken on lead caller Ray Warren. Tonight will be the first game he has ever called from a monitor. What could possibly go wrong?
The temperature is in the mid-20s in Brisbane this evening, and it’s dry, but there’s a slight easterly breeze that could influence the kicking games.
“Have you got any last words for the four debutants?” Paul Vautin asks Bennett. “Not really,” comes the deadpan response.
Presumably some of the near-last words to the three debutant backs would have been around counting how many NSW opponents are either side of the scrum after the Maroons suffered two set-piece overlaps last week.
The narrative coming out of game two was all about how impressively NSW performed, belatedly living up to expectation after a disappointing showing in Adelaide. As Emma Kemp wrote, the excellence of the Blues was personified by Nathan Cleary who starred despite many notable pundits suggesting he shouldn’t have even started.
His task tonight will be even stiffer. Not only will he have to handle the hostile Suncorp Stadium crowd, but lining up against him will be Maroons enforcer Christian Welch. The big forward missed the clash in Sydney through injury but returns tonight and Wayne Bennett will hope he performs as well as he did in the recent NRL grand final when his pressure off the line for Melbourne disrupted Cleary’s kicking game for Penrith.
There are going to be scenes tonight. Months after global sport ground to a halt and with supporters still unable to return to many venues, Suncorp Stadium will welcome a capacity crowd for the Origin decider. It will be the biggest sporting attendance anywhere in the world since the onset of the pandemic and a far cry from the cardboard cutouts and video walls.
Andrew Johns reckons this gives the Maroons a 12-point head start. They’ll need all that and more to bridge the gulf in class between the two sides that we saw last time out.
The TV cameras are in the Queensland change rooms allowing us to see Wayne Bennett sauntering around delivering some last minute pep talks. His outfit this year features some fashionably narrow chinos to complement the maroon blazer and such is Bennett’s reed-like physique I can’t help but picture him speaking with the voice of John Cooper Clarke.
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Nick Tedeschi has crafted the scene-setter and he reckons that with a full house behind them the Maroons, despite their recent humbling, are in with a shot of redemption.
Home-field advantage is always significant in State of Origin. Since 2000, the Maroons are 20-7 in Queensland – a win rate of 74.1%. The Blues have lost just nine of 29 at ANZ Stadium since moving to the venue in 1999. Home teams have won the past four deciders and the Maroons have lost just one of eight deciders at Suncorp this century.
NSW XVII
Brad Fittler had the luxury of naming an unchanged seventeen when he revealed his squad over the weekend. And why not? The Blues played so well in game two, why fix something that isn’t broken?
The only player who may feel somewhat aggrieved is Clive Churchill medalist Ryan Papenhuyzen who missed the opening two matches through injury and now cannot even force his way onto the bench.
1. James Tedesco (c) 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Clint Gutherson 4. Jack Wighton 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cody Walker 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Damien Cook 10. Payne Haas 11. Angus Crichton 12. Tyson Frizell 13. Jake Trbojevic.
Interchange: 14. Dale Finucane 15. Junior Paulo 16. Nathan Brown 17. Isaah Yeo
Queensland XVII
Not necessarily by design, Wayne Bennett has been forced into a number of changes for tonight’s Origin decider. The outcome is four debutants and a backline transformed.
Phillip Sami, who was found out at ANZ Stadium, and Ben Hunt, who deputised at five-eighth, were both cut from the squad early on, and on Tuesday they were joined on the sidelines by Xavier Coates who failed a fitness test on his groin. A knock-on effect of that was the shuffling of Kurt Capewell out of the centres and back into his more familiar home in the pack. That all means three new faces in the starting line-up, with Edrick Lee on the left wing and cousin Brenko Lee slotting into the centres, while behind them Corey Allan will become the third Maroon fullback of the series, a move that sees Valentine Holmes pushed out to the right flank.
In the pack Maroons fans will be delighted to see the return of Christian Welch after he missed game two with concussion. Meanwhile Rookie of the Year Harry Grant has been backed to provide some spark off the bench.
The big question mark is over the fitness of Cameron Munster. Queensland looked bereft of options when their stand-off missed most of game two with a head injury and there were some doubts over whether he would pull up in time for tonight’s clash, but he will wear the No.6 jersey with plenty riding on his performance.
5. Corey Allan 1. Valentine Holmes 4. Dane Gagai 21. Brenko Lee 19. Edrick Lee 6. Cameron Munster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c) 8. Christian Welch 9. Jake Friend 10. Josh Papalii 3. Kurt Capewell 11. Felise Kaufusi 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
Interchange: 12. Jaydn Su’A 14. Harry Grant 15. Lindsay Collins 16. Jai Arrow
Past results from #Origin deciders! 👀
— NRL (@NRL) November 18, 2020
- Played: 20
- QLD: 13
- NSW: 5
- Draw: 2 pic.twitter.com/3ogaytaWaF
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Origin III from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Kick-off between New South Wales and Queensland is at 8.10pm AEDT (7.10pm local).
It all comes down to this. The 2020 State of Origin series - the exclamation mark at the end of the longest rollercoaster of a season - will be decided tonight at a packed Suncorp Stadium.
New South Wales head north of the Tweed buoyed by one of the all-time great Origin performances last week in Sydney. After the 15-minute mark the Blues excelled in every facet, outplaying the Maroons off ANZ Stadium and running in a series of superb tries. NSW’s dominance, especially in the backline, could have easily left scars in the Queensland sheds.
But that was last week. Tonight the Maroons have home ground advantage and for the first time anywhere in the world since the start of the pandemic that means 50,000 rabidly partisan fans cheering on their side. Wayne Bennett is also able to call on Cameron Munster and Christian Welch after both missed last week’s defeat, while the veteran is also ready to unleash Rookie of the Year Harry Grant off the bench.
It all sets the stage for a captivating night of sport. NSW, full of confidence and oozing class against a Queensland outfit with their backs to the wall, eager to make critics eat their words after being dubbed the worst team in Origin history. It should be a fitting climax to a year of domestic rugby league that nearly didn’t happen.
I’ll be back in a short while with line-ups and more preview waffle. If you want to get in touch at any point, you can reach me on Twitter or email.
