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The Blues have set up a State of Origin decider with a 38-18 trouncing of the Maroons in front of 90,084 spectators at the MCG.
Mitchell Moses steered the pack around the MCG like a dream and Zac Lomax flew high in AFL heartland.
Here are five quick hits from State of Origin II.
1. Blues rewarded after making blistering start
You could safely argue the Blues would have underperformed in the first half had they not entered the break with a sizeable lead.
A 34-0 advantage on the back of six tries may have been beyond the dreams of the most optimistic Blues fan, but they deserved to be well in front after dominating possession and territory in the opening 40 minutes.
They had 68 per cent of the ball and completed 21 of 22 sets, while their post-contact metres tally was a whopping 333 metres to the Maroons’ 147.
The Maroons were forced to make 203 tackles to the Blues’ 108, their defensive load doing much to blunt their attack in the 12 sets when they did have possession.
2. Moses vindicates Blues selection
Anyone who questioned whether Mitchell Moses was the right choice as Blues halfback was left in no doubt before the first half had even finished.
Moses looked completely at ease next to Jarome Luai in the Blues’ halves, in stark contrast to Nicho Hynes’s disjointed performance in the series opener.
Alongside Luai, player-of-the-match Moses superbly drove the Blues’ attack, with his final pass in Dylan Edwards's second-half try prominent among his highlights reel.
Moses’s kicking game was also on song, as illustrated by his role in Zac Lomax’s first try.
The Blues still need to win the series decider to lift the Origin shield for the first time since 2021, but Moses has helped put them in a position to do so.
3. Mitchell returns to Origin with a bang
Latrell Mitchell’s recall to the Blues squad was a pre-match talking point and he repaid the faith shown by coach Michael Maguire.
Playing his first Origin match since 2021, Mitchell was solid on both sides of the ball, giving the Blues a dose of confidence that they lacked in in the first match of the series.
He produced a neat flick pass to put Brian To'o over for the Blues winger's first try and finished off an outstanding attacking movement down the left edge to score himself in the 32nd minute.
Mitchell showed aggression in defence with a brutal tackle on Reece Walsh during the second half, although he was placed on report for an earlier effort on Xavier Coates but escaped suspension.
The South Sydney hero has previously starred in the Origin arena and his presence in Game III – should he be fit and available – will be crucial if the Blues are to claim a series victory.
4. Lomax takes a ‘speccy’ at AFL’s spiritual home
MCG crowds are used to seeing spectacular marks and while Lomax didn’t reach the heights soared by AFL stars, his aerial ability to score the Blues’ third try was impressive.
On the final tackle of a Blues set in the 23rd minute, Moses sent a cross-field bomb to the right flank, creating a one-on-one contest between Lomax and his opposite number, Murray Taulagi.
Inside the Maroons’ in-goal area, Taulagi was all at sea as Lomax sprinted through and leapt in the air to take possession and touch down to score his first try.
Lomax scored an identical four-pointer in State of Origin I and has so far illustrated he belongs at this level.
5. Maroons show heart in second half
The Maroons were never in the contest but to their credit they didn’t give up after being on the wrong side of the biggest half-time lead in State of Origin history.
Converted tries to Jeremiah Nanai, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Taulagi got the Maroons on the board in the second half and they even outscored the Blues 18-4 after the break.
The Maroons’ spirit took a hit when they lost 50-6 in 2021’s Origin I and 56-16 in the 2000 series finale, and a similar scoreline looked possible in Melbourne.
But their second-half response will give their fans a degree of hope that they can bounce back at Lang Park in Game III next month.
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