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Blues Hammer Maroons in State of Origin 2019 Game 2, Square Series at 1-1
June 23, 2019
The New South Wales Blues squared the State of Origin 2019 series at 1-1 on Sunday, producing a dominant performance to hammer the Queensland Maroons 38-6.
In inclement weather at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia, the Blues were outstanding, with Tom Trbojevic scoring a tremendous hat-trick. Tyson Frizell also went over for New South Wales, while Josh Addo-Carr scored twice in the second half; the Maroons were awarded a penalty try in the first period.
The deciding clash will be played in Sydney at the ANZ Stadium on July 10.
In the first half, New South Wales were the stronger side, and from the off they applied pressure to the Queensland defence. Within eight minutes they were ahead, as Trbojevic leaped highest to claim a steep kick and touch down:
The best spell the Maroons had in the match came immediately after they fell behind, as they managed to finally build some momentum and push into their opponents' half.
The Blues looked a little jaded in defence when pushed back, and their desperation ultimately resulted in the concession of a penalty try. Chambers was deemed to have been tripped by Jack Wighton as he sprinted after a grubber kick.
Darren Walton of the Associated Press wasn't enjoying Wighton's display:
However, he and the Blues were able to rally, and as the rain tipped down they laid siege to the Queensland try line before half time.
Their advantage was restored by Frizell, who finished well after some excellent work from James Maloney:
After squandering a chance to extend their lead further when Addo-Carr was deemed to have latched onto a forward pass, New South Wales did eventually get their third try of the day, with Trbojevic notching a second:
Per Nick Campton of the Daily Telegraph, James Tedesco produced some brilliant play in the buildup, helping his side go in 18-6 ahead at the break:
In Game 1, the Maroons produced a stirring fightback in the second half to win the game. This time, New South Wales shut the match down expertly.
Maloney kicked two penalties to extend their advantage to 16 points, before the Blues went through the gears. And once again, Trbojevic proved to be too hot for the Maroons to handle:
Per the Fox Sports Lab, it's been a long time since a New South Wales player scored an Origin hat-trick:
At this point, Queensland heads had dropped and the Blues continued to pile on the misery. Another slick passage of play saw Addo-Carr scamper behind the Maroons defence to finish, and while Maloney missed the conversion, at 32-6 the game was effectively over on the hour mark.
While the final stages fizzled out, there was still time for New South Wales to underline their stranglehold on the game, as Addo-Carr was on hand to finish an exceptional counter-attack from the Blues.
The final game in Sydney is set to be a cracker, and for the first time in the series, the New South Wales players will have the backing of a home crowd.
The Blues are the defending champions, having won Origin 12 months ago for just the second time in 13 years.