3 minute read
Ahead of Wednesday night's game at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, here are the top five State of Origin deciders.
TOP FIVE STATE OF ORIGIN DECIDERS
*2004, NSW beat Queensland 36-14 at Telstra Stadium
Long before he was saving State of Origin for the Blues as a coach, Brad Fittler was winning series as a player. He answered an SOS from then-coach Phil Gould and came out of retirement for the final two games of the 2004 series and stood up in the decider in Sydney. Charging down a kick from Darren Lockyer he scored a late try to clinch the win 36-14 and the series in his final game for the Blues.
*1999, Queensland drew NSW 10-all at Suncorp Stadium
With Queensland leading 10-6 with just over 10 minutes to go, the last man you'd want with his hands on the ball is a prop. However, Blues front-rower Rodney Howe put in a kick any halfback would be proud of for winger Matt Geyer to race ahead and level the game. Ryan Girdler's missed conversion from the sideline kept the scores tied, and Queensland defended until the siren to hold onto the shield.
*2006, Queensland beat NSW 16-14 at Telstra Dome, Melbourne
It was the night the dynasty began for Queensland. After three years of defeat at the hands of NSW and question marks about the viability of the State of Origin concept, the Maroons finally turned the tide in the 2006 decider. The Blues led 14-10 with seven minutes to go when Darren Lockyer pounced on a loose pass from dummy half and scored under the posts. It would be another eight years before the Blues would win another Origin series.
*2001, Queensland beat NSW 40-14 at ANZ Stadium, Brisbane
It will remain one of the most famous matches in State of Origin history. Allan Langer's comeback for the Maroons inspired a rousing 40-14 win in Brisbane after he answered a plea to fill the No.7 jersey from coach Wayne Bennett. Despite playing for Warrington for the past two seasons, Langer jumped on a plane from England shrouded in secrecy to suit up for the decider, scoring a try and laying on another for the series win.
*2012, Queensland beat NSW 21-20 at Suncorp Stadium
After six years of heartache NSW went agonisingly close to claiming a series win at Suncorp Stadium in 2012. They had levelled the series with a 16-12 win in Sydney the week and travelled to Brisbane with the weight of expectation on their shoulders to stop the dynasty. Level 20-all with 10 minutes to play, Maroons halfback Cooper Cronk iced a long-range field goal in the 75th minute to go ahead by one. And when Mitchell Pearce's effort with 20 seconds to go fell short, Queensland celebrated their seventh-straight series win.
