Beaten. Battered. Bruised. Given no chance. That is what everyone said about Queensland heading into Game 3 after their Game 2 capitulation at the hands of New South Wales. 

Kalyn Ponga was told to step up. Billy Slater said his side had belief despite the heavy loss. Cameron Munster was ruled out with COVID. The odds were against them and so were the pundits.

But, despite all that, the decider – and a brutal, colossal one at that – saw the Queensland Maroons come away with a win of 22-12 and the series.

The courage shown by Queensland is a testament to their resilience. Not only that they were able to come from behind but the fact that they went down to 15 men after both Selwyn Cobbo and Lindsay Collins both failed their concussion tests.

Cameron Murray also failed his concussion test but the game quickly turned into a war of attrition.

High in confidence after a rout of the Maroons in Perth, the Blues were the overwhelming favourites to take out another series win.

After the stop-start beginning due to the three concussions, it would be the Maroons to open the scoring courtesy of Valentine Holmes.

Debutant Tom Dearden – who, it must be said, did not let the occasion faze him – went to the line and found Holmes to score; the Cowboys connection combining first.

Another club combination would combine soon after, this time one at the foot of the mountains from Penrith.

A Nathan Cleary grubber found Jarome Luai racing through to make it a try apiece.

Jacob Saifiti, a late call up to replace Jordan McLean, would then extend the lead for NSW.

He raced onto a short pass from Api Koroisau to extend the Blues lead. The Blues would have been happy with this lead at the break but it was not to be.

An error from Daniel Tupou with 90 seconds left in the first half gave the Maroons one final chance to score in the half. And they capitalised.

Harry Grant, who also had an impressive game for the Maroons, was the provider for that try and Kurt Capewell was the recipient.

Capewell was able to beat Blues winger Brian To’o to the ball and have the Maroons trailing by just two points at the break.

Always a fiery clash, tempers boiled over and both sides had a man sent to the sin-bin; Dane Gagai for Queensland and Matt Burton for the Maroons.

The attrition truly began and both sides slowly began to lose energy, a crazy error from Stephen Crichton saw the Blues put under sustained pressure.

After a probing run from Dearden threatened the Blues line, it would be Ponga who blitzed their defence.

With his quick feet and speed, he sliced through Crichton and Siosifa Talakai and had too much pizzazz for James Tedesco to score.

Although the Blues defence did well to hold on beyond that despite the sustained pressure, their attack faltered and they were too exhausted to mount any serious threat to the Maroons line.

The try that sealed the game then came from Ben Hunt who had a nice redemption. Cleary went to the line, kicked but Hunt plucked the ball from the air and ran away to score.

The bonus for the Maroons this series has been unearthing players that are ready for this arena like Pat Carrigan, Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter.

NRL News Player of the Game

3. Kalyn Ponga (QLD)

2. Daly Cherry-Evans (QLD)

1. Pat Carrigan (QLD)

Queensland captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans

By ricky

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