QLD show their spirit as they claim series

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New South Wales v Queensland

The Queensland Maroons have claimed the 2025 State of Origin series with a 24-12 victory over the NSW Blues, led by inspirational captain Cam Munster and man of the match Tom Dearden.

The circumstances for Munster to play in this game given the tragic passing of his father Steve this week would've been nearly impossible for most out there, but he handled the environment with class and professionalism. Despite both sides having numerous chances and coming up empty. The Maroons opened the scoring after 17 minutes after a contentious penalty against Reece Robson. Some nice sweeping play saw the ball in the arms of Gehamat Shibasaki who beat Zac Lomax who was jamming in, before finding Xavier Coates for the opening try of the decider after 17 minutes.

NSW were struggling to get into the game and the Maroons were warming into the contest. A shift to their right edge saw Rob Toia throw a desperation offload from the grasp of Latrell Mitchell and Brian To'o. It landed in the arms of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who got away from two defenders before finding Tom Dearden to run under the posts and put QLD three scores up. Right on half-time, Harry Grant burrowed over four defenders including three Panthers to crash through and score to give the Maroons a 20-0 lead. For the second successive game, the Blues would have to overcome a hefty margin.

Off the back of three straight penalties to start the second half. NSW simply had to be next to score and they were. Off the back of some quick sweeping passes out to the right edge, Stephen Crichton simply had to outpace Lindsay Collins and the Bulldogs centre goes across for the first try of the second half. With the game on the line, NSW had their fair share of chances on the Maroons goal-line and they couldn't execute. The Maroons were working them over relentlessly until they couldn't hang on any longer. A Dearden show and go fooled Jarome Luai on the outside and sealed QLD's third Origin shield in the last four years. For the second time in his Origin career (decider in 2022), Dearden managed the game terrifically when it mattered in a decider, through his defence with several try-savers and the management of the side around the park. 

The Blues did manage a consolation try when Brian To'o placed it down following a grubber kick from Jarome Luai. Simply put it, QLD just wanted it more than the Blues tonight. Their effort areas across the park far outweighed what NSW dished up across the board. The Maroons didn't make an error until the 68th minute, while the Blues were rushed and panicked to deliver a result in this game. Pressure now builds on embattled coach Laurie Daley, whose future will be under review after blowing a 1-0 lead in emphatic fashion across Game 2 and Game 3.