Queensland got what they deserved from Laurie's Losers

Laurie Daley’s NSW Blues overcame heavy doubt to win an Origin decider at Lang Park in Brisbane, defeating Queensland by 18 points after a strong first-half surge. The match arrived with the Blues dismissed in the lead-up, yet they delivered an unusually balanced performance described as control plus intensity. Mitchell Moses’s kicking game featured a succession of 60-metre punts that helped NSW force errors and accumulate an early possession advantage. Reece Robson, playing at dummy-half, provided fast and accurate passes, while Addin Fonua-Blake created attacking disruption after coming on. The decisive edge was linked in part to the most contentious selection question in Daley’s lineup, which contributed to the first-half lead. Nathan Cleary, starting the decider under pressure, scored twice—opening the scoring in the 14th minute and adding another 12 minutes later—and kicked high to win territory. A long-range penalty goal 10 minutes from full-time iced the victory. The article also notes Queensland’s error count and that NSW had players returning from injury lay-offs for first starts in the series.