ANZ Stadium, Homebush Bay, Sydney.

As is usual with State of Origin matches, the fanfare and exhuberance on show for the build up is nerve jangling, not only for the players but the masses congregated at what is the new south welshman’s home of Rugby League at the ANZ stadium in Sydney Australia for it’s 24th hosting of the event.

Advance Australia fair rings out, the teams lined up, the gladiators tuned and ready to go, the last few words they have for each other have been said, mate against mate, state against state.

IT’S ON………The rest of this story contains spoilers.

Captains NWS Paul Gallan QLD Cameron Smith Origin Match 106

A damp track usually boxes up a low scoring match on the old Olympic stadium pitch, kick off by Queensland and the opening exchanges are neither cautious nor couragious. All players psyched up for the early scuffles but under orders not to make any errors.

An early penalty for QLD after an upending tackle on Nate Myles provided early advances for the away team but New South Wales are set to repeal the advances with a first class defencive line.

Testing and teasing, the attackers play out their sets of six, there is a little give and take for the first 13 minutes, The chess game continued unabated, the arm wrestle in this match is tough, no one wants to give an inch.

With New South wales spending too much time at the wrong end of the field and some sloppy defending enabled Queensland to gain a penalty after a loose tackle by Tamau. Leading points scorer in origin history Jonathan Thurston steps up to take the 2 points, and Queensland are in front 2-0 on 15 minutes.

A kick by Queensland on 60 metres is allowed to bounce by the New South Wales ends in a drop out for the Blues, The New South Welshmen are spending too much time in their own half.

Finally getting some great field position NSW get into the QLD 20, Debutant Moylan forcing a drop out on 20 minutes. The attack fizzles out with a knock by QLD, but NSW retained posession and continued the attack forcing another drop out.

25 minutes gone and it’s all NSW with Boyd Cordner scoring with a great pass from Maloney and NSW are 4-2 up, not converted by debutant Adam Reynolds.

30 minutes gone and the arm wrestle continues, NSW bringing the ball out of the own half, possession has swung to 50-50 now, NSW have upped their game. Now playing the game in the QLD half, NSW are pressing for a mistake from the northerners.

35 on the clock, leaves the score at 4-2, NSW defence standing tough until a last tackle run from Thurston, shapign to kick he passes out making Dane Gagai on the wing and in his second Origin game put the ball down out wide. 6-4 to QLD, Thurston misses the conversion.

6-4 HALFTIME.

2nd Half underway of the Holden State Of Origin, early strength from QLD force a knock on and srcum results, Boyd takes Qld to within 5 metres however Gagai is pushed into touch. With pressure swinging to and fro, the NSW forwards force a QLD drop out on 45minutes.

50 minutes up and stalemate, with both teams searching for space out wide, the game is wide open.

57 minutes and NSW were pushing all the time, QLD struggling to get any field position they finally get a NSW drop out after a kick from Thurston is pushed out by the blues. After many many minutes of defence the maroons are on the attack, but great defense holds them back.

TRY dissallowed for NSW as the ball never reached the line, despite the ref giving a TRY on field. The board confirms the decsision NO TRY on 65 minutes.

11 minutes to go and all the players especially the queensland ones are feeling this. QLD finally get a bit of attacked and make it to the NSW half ending up knocking on from a cross field kick.

8 minutes left for NSW to find something, it will need some surpreme desire to make the special contribution for NSW to win this, QLD end up with posession on their own line on 73 minutes.

76 minutes and NSW are trapped in their own half and out of petrol. They need to make special ground, and they kick on halfway, Darius Boyd in his first run out at Full Back for the Maroons takes it well.

Into the final 3 minutes and NSW are out of gas with Cooper Cronk for QLD pushing the kick into the corner for a NSW Scrum.

NSW Walker pushes the ball onto Cameron Smith and claims a penalty, but the ref’s say it’s a knock on. QLD get a repeat set on the NSW line and QLD drop the ball on the NSW line, too late now for NSW, the game is over.

FINAL SCORE QLD 6-4 NSW