At the end of the game, it should have been a jubilant moment for Queensland – a two-point thriller that saved the Maroons and kept the series alive.

But as the full-time siren sounded, their coach Billy Slater just sat there in the coaches’ box, virtually expressionless. He muttered what appeared to be “f–k me” to himself before getting up and walking out.

The smiles and excitement that were there in the first half when Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored his second to give the Queenslanders the lead for the first time in the series had vanished.

Maybe it was relief about only just getting over the line when their lead was threatened in the end, or the fact that the job is not done yet… or perhaps it was a pressure release after a tough couple of weeks.

Slater knows that the Maroons were given one massive fight in the second half, forced to dig deep by a “bloody good” side. Straighter goal kicking from NSW winger Zac Lomax and the result would have been different.

“Good win… it was a heartstopper,” Slater said.

“We didn’t help ourselves in the second half, but boy, there was a whole heap of courage and character, effort and spirit.

“I thought that last 10 minutes to defend our tryline when NSW were coming to get us, they’re a bloody good team and got some strike.

“Huge credit to our fellas for turning up. That’s the pride that I feel for our team.

“The coach in me sees the hurt that we put on ourselves in the second half, and I look to that pretty quick.”

But, while Slater will say he doesn’t pay attention to outside distractions, it was a tough fortnight for him personally.

He came under fire for dropping skipper Daly Cherry-Evans in favour of Tom Dearden after a disappointing defeat in game 1. Then he was labelled a ‘grub’ by broadcaster Aaron Woods, and also had to defend his response after bringing the late Paul Green’s name into the war of words just 24 hours before the game.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scores his second try. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The players could sense their leader was under fire, and although he had not captained his Origin team, Cameron Munster took charge.

He not only stepped up with his personal performance, but he led his players by example, which he said after the game was all in the coach’s honour.

 “When you have jabs or blokes in the media having a go at your coach… at the end of the day, he’s your coach,” Munster said.

“We didn’t perform for him in game 1, and he got a lot of slack for it in the media, and he didn’t deserve it.

“I played with Bill, and he’s a champion player and champion coach, and I have a great relationship with him, we’re really close mates. When you have someone jabbing at him like that – it really hurts.

“It hurts me personally. I have never told him until now, but I love him and I want to do the best thing for Queensland and the best thing for him.

“He’s passionate. When you have someone like that at the top of the helm, you just want to play for him.”

Munster added that his teammates felt the same way, saying that he didn’t need to get everyone together for a formal meeting to inspire the response that they delivered in Origin II.

“The boys would have seen on their phones in the media and at the end of the day, when someone’s having a jab at someone from your own backyard, you stand up and want to fight,” the Maroons skipper said.

“When you have guys nitpicking and jabbing at your coach, it’s not him, it’s the players that go out there – he’s given us a great game plan and we didn’t execute in game 1.

“I am so proud of us as a group to be able to play for him.”

Cameron Munster. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Slater briefly lightened the mood by revealing that those comments were the nicest thing Munster had said to him before being humble and taking a philosophical approach to his negative attention.

“It hasn’t changed the way that I look at myself and who I am as a person… I am comfortable with who I am,” the coach said.

“I also know who these guys are, and there has been a sense of togetherness about the group.”

Munster produced a Man of the Match performance, with the five-eighth leading the team with the most yardage off the boot and in the hands – 17 runs for 131 metres, while kicking-wise, he had 10 for 296 metres.

But it was his leadership that most impressed his coach.

“Even without being the captain, Cameron Munster has really led this footy team,” Slater said.

“He led it as a kid, when I was still playing in 2017.

“He led it with his actions, and that’s what he did again tonight.

“He’s been a leader right from the start, and it’s a pleasure having him in this footy team.”

His halves partner Tom Dearden, who was playing his first game in the role, had one try assist, even though he was involved in a few more, and had just three kicks for 101 metres.

There is no looking back for Slater, who has declared this is “Tom’s time”, promising that he will have a lot more time in the jersey in future years.

But he was full of praise for his side for coping with the positional adjustments made after the game 1 shellacking, which even had Maroons greats stunned by the lack of effort.

“We analyse our game and look at our players and we try to build Queensland’s best footy team,” he said.

“If that’s changing people around and people have to work with the footy team and put the team first, then that’s what happens.

“The players have had a great attitude this week, and whether a player has moved from the starting team to the bench or switched sides or positions, there hasn’t been one whinge – we are playing for Queensland.”

The series is now headed for a decider in Sydney on Wednesday, July 9.