Queensland 23
New South Wales 18
Queensland have capped an unprecedented era of State of Origin dominance, completing a series clean-sweep for the first time in their five-year reign with a tense victory over New South Wales in game three late last night.
The Blues appeared to have salvaged something for the future leading 18-13 with 10 minutes left but, as the Maroons predicted, it was a moment of Blues niggle that proved the turning point.
A penalty against hooker Michael Ennis after a scuffle with Nate Myles resulted in Maroons fullback Billy Slater slicing through to score with six minutes left, Johnathan Thurston adding the extras to make it 19-18.
Willie Tonga iced the cake - which coach Mal Meninga could also use for his 50th birthday today - with a minute left on the clock as the Maroons won a series 3-0 for the first time since 1995.
It was a record fourth time for either side to have swept the series and rectified the only panel missing from a great Maroons side which had admitted it partied too hard before game three last year.
The Maroons didn't get it all their own way in a much improved performance from Craig Bellamy's vanquished side.
Led by retiring captain Trent Barrett, the man he deposed, Kurt Gidley, and reformed bad boy Greg Bird, they had overcome a 13-6 halftime deficit, scoring the first two tries of the second half with 61,259 fans willing them on.
But about to face their own version of the Spanish Inquisition in the form of a sweeping review of their set-up, New South Wales made too many fundamental errors.
Winger Brett Morris dropped the ball with the line wide open in the 62nd minute, and forward Anthony Watmough was miraculously held up by Slater three minutes later in a period which swung the match Queensland's way.
The Maroons got on the board first when Darius Boyd completed a classy backline move in the 20th minute and a Thurston conversion from the sideline made it 6-0.
Myles crossed for the simplest of tries running onto a Cameron Smith pass and it looked ominous for the Blues at 12-0.
NSW gave themselves some hope when Paul Gallen crashed over after collecting a clever inside ball from replacement dummy half Gidley.
Darren Lockyer, though, stretched the lead to seven with a majestic 45m field goal that would have still earned a point had the posts been another 10m back.
The Blues fightback continued after the break, despite a first-tackle error from Bird after the lock had won a penalty and deposed captain Gidley was in the thick of it again, completing some hot-potato ball movement in the 47th minute with a gutsy charge to the line.
Queensland 23 (D. Boyd. N. Myles, B. Slater, W. Tonga tries; J. Thurston 3 goals; D. Lockyer field goal)
New South Wales 18 (G. Bird, P. Gallen, K. Gidley tries; M. Gordon 3 goals)
Series: Queensland win 3-0.
- AAP
