Nathan Cleary shines as NSW Blues defeat Queensland Maroons in Origin game two

The show must go on; New South Wales have made certain of that. Tables were turned and Nathan Cleary redeemed in a 34-10 rout that levels this State of Origin series but very much puts Queensland on the psychological back foot leading into next week’s finale.

Wednesday night was the epitome of the sporting post-loss rebound, of strength in conviction, and of vindication for a coach questioned for seven straight days since a game-one capitulation cast doubt on his dynasty just as it was starting to reign.

Brad Fittler was a man under pressure at ANZ Stadium, his Blues left reeling by a bunch of inexperienced – albeit talented – rookies from north of the border. But Wayne Bennett could not wave his magic wand this time, only watch as opposition protagonists rediscovered their individual attacking class.

There was teamwork, too, and Fittler’s recall of Cody Walker at the expense of Luke Keary appears a masterstroke given the former’s seamless halves partnership with Cleary, who nailed four conversions and one penalty in a man-of-the-match performance befitting this season’s overall form and at odds with recent suggestions otherwise.

As one-sided a contest as this was, it was Queensland who got off to a flyer – quite literally – inside eight minutes when Xavier Coates produced one of the more spectacular representative tries.

The 19-year-old, found on the right edge by the fast hands of Dane Gagai, leapt high. There he stayed, careering forward, legs above head, suspended in motion some four feet off the ground. Until he wasn’t, and his hand was on the ball and the ball deposited onto the closest blades of grass to the corner post.

Almost exactly 10 minutes later Cleary made a crucial break, one that split the Maroons defence and led to a repeat set for NSW. He zipped the ball to Cody Walker, who spun Kurt Capewell on a dime and burst over the line. Cleary converted and the Blues were ahead 6-4.

Queensland had, until that point, been in control. Possession and territory were theirs and early signs pointed to a series win within the hour. If any team had been guilty of ill discipline it was the Blues. But the moments preceding Walker’s try would have engendered vexation in Bennett as he watched his defensive structure disintegrate before his eyes.

To be fair, they had lost Cameron Munster within two minutes, the Melbourne Storm five-eighth suffering whiplash after a brutal high tackle from Tyson Frizell and failing a subsequent head injury assessment.

The NSW of game one might have let their guard down here, invited their opponents in and received the punishment such invitations generally entail. Instead they inched relentlessly towards the line, slowly but surely paving the way for stand-in captain James Tedesco to slip through a gap far too substantial for Queensland to have left unchecked.

With half-time approaching, the Maroons were not so much thriving but surviving. By the time they shuffled to the sheds, Josh Addo-Carr had lengthened the deficit further still via his seventh try in eight Origin games. Yet another conversion off the terrific boot of Cleary made it 18-4.

Fittler, in his half-time team talk, may well have warned what can come of Bennett’s own mid-match speeches, Exhibit A being last week’s remarkable second-half recovery. Had he indeed said such things, he need not have worried, for the Blues returned to the field with a potency and quickness of hand that turned a driving set into a Jack Wighton try with extras added.

Daniel Tupou, in excellent form all night, was rewarded with a maiden Origin try via a signature corner dive. This one came with no conversion, and neither did the next – Addo-Carr’s second off a Phil Sami error. Yet the tries alone still made for more than enough cushioning in hairy moments, such as the one which went down two minutes prior. A six-again on the NSW line allowed Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans to pass short and sweet to Josh Papalii. The Canberra Raiders big man swung in for the four points and Valentine Holmes made it six.

Still, it was 32-10 and starting to grate emotionally as Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui were sin-binned for coming to blows. The melee might have sparked something in Queensland. And though the Papalii try did hint at something stirring, a late penalty by Cleary ensured that was all she wrote.