Maroons force Blues to sit through horror movie they’ve seen too many times before

June 17, 2026 — 8:52pm

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Momentum is a funny thing in State of Origin. One thing, however, is clear: Queensland seem to operate under a different set of rules.

Just when it appeared NSW had the Maroons exactly where they wanted them – a game down in the series, trailing 12-8 at half-time and without the benefit of home-ground advantage – Queensland reached into the bag of tricks that has tormented their rivals for the best part of two decades and somehow wrestled back control of the narrative to triumph 44-24.

It is one of the great frustrations for NSW supporters. The Blues can dominate the headlines, win the selection debates and enter a series as favourites, yet Queensland have an uncanny knack of making life difficult for those in a sky-blue jersey. Or in this instance, Blues coach Laurie Daley, whose own legacy in charge of this team will come under fire if game three on July 8 ends in a similar whimper.

Queensland did it again on Wednesday night. In front of 91,671 fans at the MCG – the largest Origin crowd in history – the Maroons not only levelled the........

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