Queensland overcame a controversial late Bunker call to force a decider with a 26-24 victory in an instant classic after NSW had threatened to create history with the biggest comeback ever in the State of Origin arena on Wednesday night.
The Maroons won in rain-soaked conditions in Perth despite losing the second half 18-0 and not getting the rub of the green in a contentious moment in the dying stages, in which fullback Kalyn Ponga was pinged for a knock-on despite appearing to drop a towering bomb backwards.
Even parochial NSW great Andrew Johns argued the referee, and then the Bunker official, got it wrong.
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The questionable call gave the Blues a chance to snatch the lead with three minutes left on the clock, but the Maroons kept them out with a period of plucky goal-line defence capped by a Kurt Capewell hit on Payne Haas that forced the ball loose.
After a Maroons set, the Blues had one final shot in attack as Dylan Edwards ran the ball back with 20-odd seconds remaining, but the fullback coughed the footy up.
Any hope of a miraculous NSW comeback was extinguished in that moment.
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Cameron Munster and Harry Grant celebrate Queensland’s win. Getty
Nine caller Mat Thompson had said minutes earlier: “If NSW win this, it’s the greatest comeback in Origin history”.
While the Bunker may have been wrong to penalise the Maroons late, Billy Slater’s men won the penalty count 10-2. They were leading the penalty count 8-0 at the break.
The series will be decided in Sydney on July 9, by which point Origin players will have banked another two NRL rounds.
NSW will be ruing their failure to crack the Queensland defence one more time on the back of the dubious Bunker decision, as well as the goal-kicking by Zac Lomax, whose radar was off.
The Blues winger took over the goal-kicking duties from Nathan Cleary, who had kicked zero from four conversions in game one but was to resume duties in Perth until that option was taken out of the Blues’ hands due to an upper-leg injury.
As Cleary’s replacement, Lomax only managed to slot two of five conversion attempts.
On the contrary, Valentine Holmes nailed all five of the shots he had at goal, including a penalty goal and a sweet strike from the right sideline.
Jarome Luai’s return to the Origin arena began in shaky fashion with the Blues five-eighth putting a kick out on the full in the opening minute.
But the Wests Tigers co-captain played a hand in the first try of the game shortly after, threading a grubber through the Queensland defence on the second tackle to set up the first try of a Brian To’o hat-trick.
Slater’s decision to shift Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow from left centre to the right wing for game two was scrutinised heavily, but the coach’s call paid off handsomely as the speedster crossed for two tries in less than 10 minutes.
The final 12 minutes of the first half couldn’t have gone much worse for the Blues, who conceded a penalty goal when Lomax elbowed Trent Loiero in the head, and then leaked two tries, scored by Cameron Munster and Capewell.
Cleary shot through a gap to score with four minutes remaining in the first half, but the Bunker overturned the try after determining Stefano Utoikamanu had obstructed Patrick Carrigan.
To’o bagged his second try five minutes into the second half before one of his former premiership-winning Penrith teammates, Stephen Crichton, brushed through a feeble Holmes tackle attempt on the right edge to score in the 57th minute.
To’o completed his hat-trick with a bulldozing run in the 65th minute before an Angus Crichton try with eight minutes to go continued the stunning fightback.
Lomax added the extras after the Angus Crichton try to cut the deficit to 26-24, kicking successfully for the first time since converting the first of the To’o four-pointers in the opening minutes.
But the Blues’ flurry of second-half points ended there, leaving Laurie Daley’s men ruing a missed opportunity to wrap up the series in the west.
Munster, Queensland’s newly appointed captain, now has a chance to lead his side to an against-the-odds series triumph in NSW territory.
