State of Origin: Blues avoid Origin whitewash with Sydney win
Last Updated: 13/07/16 4:33pm
A 79th-minute try from Michael Jennings gave New South Wales an 18-14 win as they avoided a State of Origin whitewash.
The Blues led 12-10 late in the game before Darius Boyd appeared to have stolen the game for Queensland in sensational fashion with a try five minutes from time, handing the Maroons a 14-12 lead.
But a James Tedesco break in the 79th minute took the Blues to the opposition tryline before the ball was sent left where Jennings stepped inside the cover defence to crash over and claim a thrilling win in Sydney.
The Maroons had already sealed their 10th series win in 11 years after a 6-4 win in the opener in Sydney which they followed up with a 26-16 success in Brisbane last month, but the Blues will be relieved to have avoided the whitewash as they sent retiring captain Paul Gallen out in style.
"I'd give the goal back to have won the first two games," said Gallen.
The match was not short of controversy, with Queensland half-back Cooper Cronk sent to the sin bin for obstruction and Blues forward Andrew Fifita yellow-carded for charging at a Queensland huddle after Gavin Cooper scored a 53rd-minute try and threw the ball at Matt Moylan.
The Queenslanders started where they left off in game two when centre Greg Inglis crashed over in just the fifth minute, but NSW soon began to take control as they dominated possession and territory.
The home side hit the front when Tyson Frizell steamed onto a Gallen pass and touched down close to the posts, with James Maloney converting for a 6-4 lead.
The Blues threw everything at Queensland but the Maroons held them out until half-time thanks to desperate defence that continued to frustrate New South Wales.
Two minutes after the restart the Blues were in again, Andrew Fifita chasing a kick ahead and beating the Queensland defence to score a try that put his side six points ahead.
Maloney's conversion pushed the lead further ahead by two points to make it 12-4 and the increasingly tiring Queenslanders looked to be struggling for a way back in.
However, they struck back when Cooper scored on debut then took the lead with only five minutes to go when NSW winger Josh Mansour slipped while attempting to gather in a high ball right on his tryline and Boyd was on hand to grab the ball and dot down for the score.
It looked to be all over but in a thrilling finish New South Wales raced the length of the field as the clock wound down and, though full-back James Tedeschi was pulled down centimetres from the line, the Blues moved the ball quickly and Jennings outpaced the defence to score the winning try.
Fifita was later charged with "contrary conduct" while South Sydney centre Greg Inglis, who had opened the scoring for the Maroons, is facing up to four matches on the sidelines after being charged with a grade two shoulder charge.
Brisbane Broncos' retiring forward Corey Parker was also cited for making dangerous contact on James Tamou while Queensland captain Cameron Smith and coach Kevin Walters slammed the NSW players for turning their back on the skipper's speech during the after-match presentation.
Television cameras panned to show Gallen receiving adulation from the crowd while Smith was making his final remarks on stage and, asked if he noticed the Blues players walk away, Smith said: "I did."
Pressed for his reaction, Smith mused: "It's something our team wouldn't do. I'll decide tomorrow (what I think), I'll have a look at it."
Walters was a little more expansive, saying: "It's extremely disrespectful, I would have thought."
Gallen played down the controversy, saying: "I didn't even notice (we walked away). We did what we had to do and then thanked the fans."
Meanwhile, NSW centre Josh Dugan, who missed games one and two with an elbow injury, could be set for another stint on the sidelines after suffering a jaw injury.
