New South Wales delivered one of their best performances in State of Origin history with a record-breaking victory on Wednesday night that has sent the series to decider.

But the Blues will need to make even more history if they’re to deny Queensland a threepeat on home soil next month.

Suncorp Stadium has been a graveyard for NSW sides over the past two decades, but rookie Origin coach Michael Maguire believes history beckons for his men.

MADGE’S MIND GAMES PAY OFF

Michael Maguire made a bold move in the lead up to Game 2, especially for a rookie Origin coach who’d just been spanked in his first game in charge.

The NSW coach publicly sledged one of the most respected figures in rugby league history in his Queensland counterpart Billy Slater.

Maguire called out Slater for “living in glass houses” after the Maroons camp accused the Blues of targeting Reece Walsh with illegal play in Game 1.

It was an apparent reference to Slater’s chequered history as a player as the legendary fullback was cited throughout his 16-year career.

It was clearly a tactic by Maguire to deflect attention away from the five changes he’d made, which included headline selections in Mitchell Moses and Latrell Mitchell.

Nevertheless it was the type of behaviour that would have got Maguire torn to shreds by the critics if NSW had lost Game 2.

But lose, they did not.

Instead, it will now be remembered as a mind games masterstroke from the rookie Blues coach.

“Look, I just called out what I saw,” Maguire said after Game 2 about his glass houses comments.

“We’ve got a really tight group within us and I felt there were probably a few things (from Queensland) in a certain way (that I didn’t like). I just called it out. That’s what I did.

“That’s something there, the team supports each other and looks after each other. You saw that out there.

“At the end of the day I was just stating the fact that a few things were said about one of my players. We’re a tight group. I’m going to support that.”

Maguire believes his men can now become just the third Blues side in Origin history to win a decider in Brisbane.

“What you saw in the first half is what I believe this group is capable of and we’ve just got to replicate that now moving forward,” he said.

“The way the groups come together… they’ve shown me what they’re hungry for and I think that performance in the first half is definitely something… this group is really keen.

“Obviously it was a bit of an interesting first game (in the series), but to see the boys perform the way they did, I knew that was in them.

“The way the players sort of carried (themselves) throughout the week, talked about the way they wanted to play and they did that in the first half. We make sure we take that forward.

“I can’t wait (to go to Suncorp). I’ve talked to a lot of the old boys that have achieved that (winning a decider in Brisbane). It’s something we can now do, go up there and create history.”

GUS’ THEORY ON QUEENSLAND CAPITULATION

Billy Slater’s side breezed to victory in the series opener on NSW’s home soil, putting the Queenslanders in a dominant position heading into Game II.

From there, the Maroons were left with two chances to secure a series victory.

They either lifted the trophy at the MCG with back-to-back wins, or win a decider in front of a raucous Queensland crowd at Suncorp Stadium.

While Slater’s outfit were sitting in a dominant position, rugby league supremo Phil Gould believes the fact they knew they could lose Game II and still win the series made them “soft”.

Their mentality then led to a shock capitulation, conceding the most first half points by a team in Origin and also the biggest first half lead ever.

“Queensland, when they are one up in the series and particularly when they know they’ve got Queensland up their sleeve Game III, can be soft in Game II,” Gould said on Channel 9.

“They came here with a soft mentality. They came here knowing they were one up in the series, decider was still to come.

“You aim that up with an improvement from the NSW side, which looked a much better team on paper tonight.”

For Gould, the reason behind Queensland’s ugly performance was simple. They didn’t show up, while their NSW counterparts were up for the occasion.

“That was emphatic,” Gould said.

“Queensland weren’t ready for that. NSW were obviously up for it. If you’re not ready at this level, you get exactly what you deserve.

“I can’t take any positives out of the second half for Queensland. They’ve got the regroup, rethink their football, and rethink their attitude.”

HISTORY ON THE LINE IN DECIDER

It’s a game that players and fans alike can only dream of ahead of an Origin series, but ladies and gentlemen we officially have a decider.

Michael Maguire’s side stunned Queensland with a record-breaking performance at the MCG, steamrolling their opponents on neutral territory.

But now the Blues face an even bigger task, attempting to break their Suncorp Stadium hoodoo in front of the most volatile crowd in the game.

It’s a cauldron that NSW have rarely found success in, winning only two of 13 deciders on Queensland’s home soil.

What’s more is NSW have only three times been able to come back from a 1-0 series deficit, lifting the trophy after losing the first game of the series in 1994, 2005 and 2019.

If the Blues win at Suncorp Stadium it will be only their fifth series win since 2006, and they also have a chance to stop Queensland winning three-straight Origin series.

While NSW now have all momentum, the Blues most successful coach in history, Phil Gould, issued a stark warning.

“What I will say is regardless of what’s happened in Game I or Game II, it’s a completely different animal when we get to Queensland for a decider,” he said.

“Completely different animal. Certainly NSW need to be wary about coming off the back of this and expecting just to roll into Game III and do the same. It won’t be.

“The decider in Queensland has been NSW achilles heel for four decades.”

However, he equally explained that Queensland can’t rely on the boost Suncorp Stadium gives them to inspire a victory and response after a Game II massacre.

“For the Queenslanders, Suncorp is not going to do it for them. They have to change what they did tonight. It was really poor,” Gould said.

“They were never in that game. Talk about taking positives out of the second half, there were no positives in that second half. They were absolutely manhandled here tonight.”

Queensland legend Darren Lockyer, who has won a staggering seven Origin series, echoed the sentiment.

“We can’t use Suncorp as a saviour. When you get to Suncorp, as a NSW player, it hits your face, and it does,” Lockyer said.

“They will be semi-embarrassed after tonight. They will go there tail between their legs.

“They will go there with a different attitude. They will play for the crowd, but the crowd’s not going to get them there on their own.”

Queensland coach Billy Slater said: “It’s a great venue. It brings a great atmosphere. It’s a decider. They’re great games to be a part of.

They’re wonderful games to be a part of. There was one there a couple of years ago. That doesn’t mean anything unless we address what happened in the first half.”

MOSES’ SENSATIONAL ORIGIN RETURN

Mitchell Moses’ return to the Origin arena was a wild success, and his performance at the MCG has gone down in the history books.

The Eels gun tallied four try assists, equalling Brad Fittler’s record for the most in an Origin clash.

He also kicked for 431 metres and earnt man of the match honours, returning to the team in place of Nicho Hynes after he was sidelined for the series opener due to a foot injury.

Michael Maguire desperately needed his outfit to stand up sending out an SOS to Moses, and he answered the call, leading from the front in the No.7 jersey.

“Outstanding. (He’s) been outstanding all week. (He) spoke really well and the boys laid the platform. He’s clinical,” Dylan Edwards said post-match.

But the biggest praise came from the eighth Immortal Andrew Johns, who knows exactly what it takes to deliver in the Origin arena.

“This is the best game I’ve seen Mitchell Moses ever play,” Johns said on Channel 9.

Moses’ commanding presence after Dylan Edwards’ 61st minute try also caught the eye of Johns, who said the four-pointer was too easy.

“Look at Moses. Look at him demanding. Look at him talking, communicating,” Johns said.

“As a halfback, he does the thinking for everyone. He tells them where to run and what to do. He’s had a game.”

For Moses himself, his playmaking masterclass simply came down to Maguire’s game plan.

He also revealed he’d spoken to AFL players who regularly deliver on the MCG, hoping to better understand how to deliver effective kicks with the swirling winds.

“I felt we just had a simple game plan, we stuck to it, got to our spots, kicked to the corners and played simple footy,” Moses said post-match.

“It was a bit of silly stuff in the second half that probably hurt us. (We) probably should have went away with the game a bit more. We’ll learn from that, take it into Game III.

“I asked a couple of the AFL boys before I came out here just what it’s like to kick. It’s a big swirl around here. (I) just had to come out early and get a feel of my surroundings.

“The second half was a bit tougher, but, yeah, we just had to get the job done and that’s what we did. It’s a good feeling. I thought it was a team performance.

“I’m not going to be able to do the things that I did on the field without the forwards laying an outstanding platform. Our back five were unbelievable. It was a team performance.”

Meanwhile, a potential return from a hamstring injury in time for the series decider is unlikely for Nathan Cleary.

But if the Panthers superstar is good to go, Johns is confident Moses and Cleary would be a dangerous partnership.

“I don’t know how they would play together, Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary. They’re both first receivers and both very dominant players,” Johns said.

“I’m sure they could make it work. Yeah, I’d see them both as first receivers. It’s competition. “It’s really good not only for NSW and Australia, but for their clubs. They’ll be working so hard to get in front of each other.”

LATRELL IS BACK, BABY

Latrell Mitchell was the most talked about player in the lead up to Origin Game II and he delivered on the hype with a mammoth performance at the MCG.

The Rabbitohs superstar scored one try and set up another in a dangerous partnership with winger Brian To’o on the left edge.

After a high shot on Murray Taulagi, there were fears he would sit out due to suspension but was cleared late on Wednesday night, with NSW and Rabbitohs officials breathing a sigh of relief.

His rap sheet meant a medium charge could see him sidelined, but luckily he was handed only a grade one careless high tackle charge.

Queensland players were consistently asked about Mitchell’s return prior to Game II, and veteran Ben Hunt said: “He hasn’t got into our heads at all”.

But Mitchell’s lethal attacking abilities could haunt the Maroons heading into the decider, with former Blues coach Brad Fittler heaping praise on the South Sydney superstar.

“(He) lived up to the hype, and was outstanding,” he said.

Meanwhile, rugby league legend Darren Lockyer added: “I don’t think he overplayed his hand. I think he just came to do his hand.

“I think he just came to do his job and when you do that, you’ll come up with some big plays, like he did tonight. I think he was really good.”

Mitchell’s last Origin appearance came in 2021, when NSW won the series. A calf injury kept him sidelined for the entire 2023 series, while he ruled himself in 2022 after returning from a hamstring.

But now it’s clear the gun centre is here to stay, and Michael Maguire is unlikely to change a winning formula even with Game I centre Joseph Suaalii available after serving his four-game suspension.

LOMAX’S NIGHT OUT

It’s fair to say Zac Lomax wasn’t happy when Shane Flanagan shifted him one position out and plonked him on the Dragons’ wing this season.

But the experienced coach knew it was the right move, and Lomax delivered arguably his best performance to date in NSW’s big Game II victory.

The 24-year-old, playing on the wing, scored a double, broke five tackles and the defensive line once in an outside backs masterclass.

The highlight of his performance came in the first half, soaring high to take a mark AFL stars would be jealous of on the hallowed MCG turf.

Lomax requested a release from the Dragons, taking up an opportunity with the Eels after being granted an early release for the 2025 season.

However, whichever coach takes over at Parramatta will almost certainly be considering playing the Blues superstar on the wing next season.

NSW coach Michael Maguire heaped praise on Lomax post-match, saying: “His maturity and what he wants to achieve around his footy is great.”

Lomax was also handed the kicking duties, beating out Latrell Mitchell and Mitchell Moses who are considered some of the game’s genuine sharpshooters.

The pressure was on in the first half, with Lomax finding himself placed on the sideline on four occasions. He kicked four goals from out wide and finished with 18 points.

For Maguire, his ability to deliver off the tee proves he’s has killer instincts.

“It just goes to show that these big games are what he goes after. Like all of them,” he said.

There was a time last season when Lomax’s credentials as a kicker were being questioned and he was dropped from first grade by Anthony Griffin in May, 2023.

Prior to the 2023 season he’d kicked at a healthy rate of around 78 per cent, but his numbers leading into his axing fell to just 60.35 per cent.

Lomax went on to kick five from seven in his first game as the Blues’ conversion kicker, with most coming from the sideline, showing his mentality has shifted in 2024.

CRICHTON’S COMEBACK

Who doesn’t love a comeback story? Angus Crichton overcame a rocky 18 months to produce a game that many would agree was the best of his decorated career in Origin II.

Rewind to the start of 2023 and Crichton’s future in the game was up in the air. He was granted indefinite personal leave by the Roosters to focus on his mental health and when the 28-year-old was ready to return to the field he did so via New South Wales Cup.

Crichton had featured for the Blues in every Origin series since his debut in 2018 but was left out last year.

12 months on and he’s started in the second row for the first two games of the series while in arguably career-best form.

Crichton finished Wednesday’s game with a linebreak assist, two offloads, five tackle busts, 131 running metres and 20 tackles – two misses.

It’s a far cry from when he was overlooked for selection by Roosters coach Trent Robinson for the first two rounds of the season.

Crichton’s blistering form couldn’t have come at a better time too given he’s coming off contract at the end of the season.

He learnt the hard way where he sat on the Roosters’ priority list when the club tabled a four-year deal at $850,000 a season to David Fifita to play in Crichton’s preferred left-edge back row position.

But when Fifita backflipped on his initial agreement to join the glamour club, the ball ended up in Crichton’s club.

According to reports the Bulldogs and Dragons are said to be interested in Crichton’s services, while the Roosters hope to retain him.

After delivering a quality performance in the toughest of arenas on Wednesday night, Crichton couldn’t possibly be in a better position when it comes time to negotiate his future.