Wildlings north of the wall rumoured to sacrifice both offspring and livestock to ensure victory in battle kept alive their hopes of securing a historic eighth consecutive Origin series win by systematically dismantling The Enemy in a 26-6 demolition job at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane last night. The defence held true, nigh impenetrable all night, and the attack was marshaled with efficiency, urgency and purpose by stellar QLD halves combination Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk.
Both tallied up two try assists each and orchestrated a commanding all-star backline (particularly going left), but it was the more experienced Thurston who provided a performance worthy of Origin folklore. Battling a stomach virus in hospital just 24 hours before kickoff, the champion Queensland pivot called upon the spirits of the Michael Jordan flu game and played through severe stomach cramps to steer his side to victory.
But it was Thurston’s offsider who started it. A Cooper Cronk short ball putting a rampaging Sam Thaiday over for the first try of the night.
A few minutes later Thurston’s boot extended the lead to 8 when Queensland were gifted with a shot at goal for a ruck infringement.
The second try of the night came from a 100% silk Thurston dummy and cut out ball which put Darius Boyd outside his man and over the line for his fifth Origin try in as many matches.
The duo connected again in the second half when a surgical Thurston movement cut out one decoy runner and two other Queensland receivers to put a rampaging Boyd outside an advancing Blues defence and over for his second try of the night.
And just like that it was 18-0. And with 50,000 plus Queenslanders getting loud and cocky and The Blues clearly frustrated by their inability to establish consistency in pressure, continuity or territory – this happened.
And thus emerged a convenient game two talking point: Is the one-punch rule egregiously unAustralian, especially in the context of the glass cage of emotion that is State of Origin football? Probably. Two men from each side were sin binned for the infringement, including a hapless Brent Tate who was seemingly punished for headbutting Trent Merrin in the fist.
Queensland made it 24-0 when Cronk’s swirling cross field bomb found Greg Inglis. (Left side, again).
A Brett Morris consolation try put the Blues on the scoreboard in the 69th. But the game was well and truly over and the series delivered again to equilibrium. And now we look to game three.
Can Queensland make history (again)? Can people in Brisbane finally print obnoxious celebratory t-shirts saying ST8 AGAINST ST8, M8 AGAINST M8 (patent pending)? Can we all just stop fighting and get along? All will be revealed July 17th at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium. Australia will be watching.
