League: Lockyer goes out on top

Darren Lockyer farewells the crowd after his final State of Origin match. Photo / Getty Images

Maroons 34 Blues 24

Queensland sent veteran skipper Darren Lockyer' into State of Origin retirement last night by clinching a sixth consecutive interstate series with a classic Maroons victory.

Making his record 36th and last appearance for Queensland, Lockyer was outshone by his brilliant teammates as they ran in six tries to NSW's four.

Greg Inglis collected a double, including the clincher 11 minutes from time.

Billy Slater, Petero Civoniceva and man-of-the-match and series Cameron Smith also starred as Queensland clinched their first series-decider at their Suncorp Stadium spiritual home in 20 years.

But while he wasn't the star, this was undoubtedly Lockyer's night.

His teammates raced to embrace the champion five-eighth on the stroke of fulltime, Johnathan Thurston joining the celebrations in a wheelchair after suffering a suspected season-ending knee injury.

For all the dominance of Queensland's five-year reign as Origin champions, they have never produced an opening like last night's.

Spurred on by a record-equalling 52,498 crowd, they refused to let the Blues into the game. Ferocious running backed up a precise kicking game which forced NSW five-eighth Jamie Soward to come up with five line dropouts in the opening quarter.

The effort was rewarded in the 16th minute when Inglis touched down after a deft Thurston kick.

Slater provided the offload to instigate the opening four-pointer, and he produced the final pass for the second - Sam Thaiday almost running out of the stadium as he charged over.

For a moment it looked like Lockyer would grab his moment in the sun as he set off downfield, but he had to settle for providing the impetus for Smith to crash over from dummy half two plays later.

By the time a Lockyer kick ricocheted off the legs of Anthony Minichiello into the path of Jharal Yow Yeh to make it 24-0 after 33 minutes, even the most ardent of Blues supporters were fearing the worst.

"It's like watching a game of tennis where one player forgot his racquet," former Blues coach Phil Gould quipped.

But a fluffed Soward kick was fumbled by four different Maroons before Luke Lewis picked up the scraps to send Minichiello over for a confidence-boosting try.

Chancing their arm, the Blues found another on the stroke of halftime when Mark Gasnier got on the outside of Thurston to send Akuila Uate in for his first Origin four-pointer.

The Blues started the second half strongly, but they could not come up with the crucial final play, and not even Thurston being taken off on the medicab helped.

Instead it was the home side who iced the game.

A beautifully worked play between Lockyer and Thaiday sent Slater across, before Inglis kick-started the party with his second.

Jarryd Hayne collected a consolation prize with an eight-point try which landed Smith on report for coming in late with his knees, and Greg Bird got another just before fulltime.

- AAP