The Blues have mugged the Maroons at Suncorp Stadium to wrap up the 2021 State of Origin series with one match to play, winning Game Two 26-0.
For a second straight game in Queensland, the NSW side was far too good, leaving the Maroons with plenty of soul searching to do leading into Game Three at ANZ Stadium.
Who shone brightest for the Blues and who could be in danger of losing their spot?
There's nowhere to hide in The Mole's player ratings.
NEW SOUTH WALES
1. James Tedesco: Beat man after man when given any room to move in a real captain's knock.
Rating: 8
2. Brian To'o: Was seen by Queensland as a potential weak link and tested time and again, passing with flying colours.
Rating: 8
3. Latrell Mitchell: Stunning performance – came up with four big plays in the first half to put the Blues on course to victory.
Rating: 9
4. Tom Trbojevic: Brilliant again – scored a fine try but his biggest play was saving a try when he hit Coates' arm over the line.
Rating: 8
5. Josh Addo-Carr: After a frustrating time in Game One, saw more ball and revelled, scoring two tries and laying on one for Turbo.
Rating: 8
6. Jarome Luai: Not as prominent as in his debut but did his job and did it well enough to justify his selection.
Rating: 7
7. Nathan Cleary: The Blues' general was dangerous throughout and his kicking game kept Queensland back-pedalling.
Rating: 8
8. Daniel Saifiti: Strong up the middle, made more metres than any Blues forward – will be the rock of the Blues' pack for years to come.
Rating: 8
9. Damien Cook: Didn't run the ball as much as in Game One – but he didn't have to and his smart service got the Blues going up field.
Rating: 7
10. Junior Paulo: Relatively quiet but didn't make any mistakes with the ball, which he has done occasionally in the past.
Rating: 6
11. Cameron Murray: The Blues' energiser bunny, always chasing the ball in attack and defence.
Rating: 7
12. Tariq Sims: The wild man of the Blues pack was always intimidating and stung plenty of Queenslanders in defence.
Rating: 7
13. Isaah Yeo: Cool under pressure, didn't do a lot with the ball but ruthless in defence.
Rating: 7
14. Jack Wighton: Didn't get much game time and failed to make any real impression.
Rating: 5
15. Angus Crichton: Did his job from the bench, adding enthusiasm and drive.
Rating: 6
16. Payne Haas: Like Crichton, lifted the Blues when he came on, using his size and strength to good effect.
Rating: 7
17. Liam Martin: Solid without doing anything spectacular when given his chance.
Rating: 5
QUEENSLAND
1. Valentine Holmes: Didn't have a happy night, throwing an intercept for a try and injuring his knee early.
Rating: 5
2. Xavier Coates: Brought in late, gave a fair display but dived with the ball in the wrong hand when Trbojevic jarred it loose in a key moment.
Rating: 4
3. Kurt Capewell: More of a back-rower than a centre, he struggled to contain Turbo Tom in a massive mis-match. Tried hard though and made more yards than any Maroon.
Rating: 6
4. Dane Gagai: Had few chances and was given a tough night by Latrell, but ran for over 100 metres.
Rating: 5
5. Kyle Feldt: Hadn't been in great for coming into the game and did little, bombing several half chances.
Rating: 4
6. Cameron Munster: Tried to spark the Maroons with his dynamic running ability but was well contained by the Blue defensive wall.
Rating: 6
7. Daly Cherry-Evans: Like Munster, had a frustrating night with the Blues restricting his time and space.
Rating: 6
8. Christian Welch: Produced a busy game but never managed to bend back the Blues' defence.
Rating: 6
9. Andrew McCullough: Did plenty of defence but way too slow at dummy-half – couldn't get his team going forward and has to go for Game Three.
Rating: 4
10. Josh Papali'i: Queensland needed a huge game from him to be a chance – he didn't deliver.
Rating: 5
11. Jai Arrow: Solid in defence but like many of his team-mates, ineffective with the ball.
Rating: 4
12. Felise Kaufusi: Needs Craig Bellamy riding him from the coach's box – very quiet.
Rating: 4
13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui: The big man barely dented the Blues in a disappointing performance.
Rating: 5
14. Ben Hunt: Tried to spark the Maroons when he was thrown into the fray but the game was already lost.
Rating: 5
15. Moeaki Fotuaika: Did very little and will be one of many Maroons who could be watching game three from home.
Rating: 5
16. David Fifita: Barely noticeable for a man with such strength and ability. Major disappointment.
Rating: 3
17. Francis Molo: Tried hard in defence but in attack, was just swamped by the Blue wall.
Rating: 4
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.