New South Wales 28
Queensland 16
BRISBANE - Backrower Ben Creagh scored twice as New South Wales won a brutal encounter 28-16 tonight to deny Queensland its first State-of-Origin series sweep since 1995.
Queensland won the first two matches in Melbourne and Sydney by 10 points each to clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive series win.
The Queenslanders were hot favorites on home soil to make it 3-0 but the Blues dominated most of the match, getting plenty of impetus in attack and defence from lock Anthony Watmough.
The hosts consistently turned over possession with uncharacteristic handling errors in slippery conditions. Punishing tackling by both sides also contributed to a sloppy first half.
New South Wales turned a 14-6 halftime lead - including the first eight-point try in Origin history - into a 12-point win.
The match ended in a disallowed try for New South Wales after a fight erupted on one of the last plays, leaving Queensland prop Steve Price immobile on the ground.
Price, captain of the New Zealand Warriors, was carried off in a neck brace and Blues secondrower Trent Waterhouse was sent off with a minute remaining.
Commentators later reported that Price was "under observation".
The pushing and shoving continued into the final seconds and Creagh was sent to the sin-bin along with Queensland secondrower Sam Thaiday, leaving a 12 vs. 11 match.
Queensland scored first via lock Dallas Johnson in the 12th minute but Creagh replied in the 18th off a short ball from Watmough close to the line.
Queensland's Justin Hodges had a somersaulting effort disallowed deep in the right corner of the in-goal, and the Blues almost scored from the resulting set, but a short infield kick hit the upright and kept the ball in play.
Two tackles later, on another short kick, New South Wales winger David Williams was awarded a try in the 34th minute by the video referee after he juggled a ball in-goal. The Blues were awarded an eight-point try - with Kurt Gidley taking two successful conversion kicks - because Johnathan Thurston was reported for leading into a tackle at Williams with his boot.
The Maroons cut the deficit to 14-10 four minutes into the second half, as Hodges beat four tacklers wide on the right to barge over.
But his opposite number Josh Morris scored minutes later after good leadup work from Trent Barrett to restore the New South Wales lead and Gidley converted to make it 20-10.
Slater reduced the gap again to four points when he won a race to the ball after Greg Inglis got around a defender on the left touchline, fended off another and put in a downfield kick.
But Creagh's second try from a quick play-the-ball virtually sealed it in the 66th minute.
- AP
