Pitting the best of New South Wales and Queensland has always had an edge to it. This is especially so for Queenslanders due to a belief they have been treated like the little brother over the years. Perhaps the feeling has lessened over time but it is still there.
One would have expected that over the years the larger NSW state would dominate, having as it does a larger player pool to pick from. What Queensland has lacked in that department, they have made up for with passion. Due to that, they have overachieved. This keeps the three-match series as popular as it is. Let's face it, no one wants to watch a lopsided series.
Game One: It was to be played at neutral Melbourne but the coronavirus flareup down there meant it had to be relocated. Queensland got an advantage when it was moved to the north Queensland city of Townsville. It gave the state two home games out of three. Few NSW blue jerseys could be seen among the sea of maroon ones (Queensland). 27,500 fans turned up for the event at a stadium with a stated capacity of 25,000. It must have been full.
The game itself was tryless for the first 17 minutes (just one penalty goal) but then in a brief bust, NSW racked up three converted tries. Queensland got one back but it was 20-6 at the break. Then after settling down in the second half another burst of scoring had NSW rattling up thirty unanswered points. The last ten minutes were scoreless but it was well and truly over by then. Final score 50-6.
After the match, the NSW coach talked down the result as just a 1-0 lead and nothing was decided yet. Each series NSW has had a great game in them, but going to Brisbane for the second is a challenge considering the poor results the team has had there of late. The Queensland coach said they just hadn't prepared well enough and didn't execute.
Picture source and more on the game, go to the NRL website.
Game Two: This was held in Brisbane, Queensland so two games in a row at home was a great advantage to the team from the Sunshine State. Could they turn the tide with this opportunity? It didn't go well before kick off with a late replacement player ruled ineligible to play for the Maroons.
As for the game, in a fiercely fought first half, the Blues got in early (12th minute) to lead 6-0. Then a length of the field effort from an intercept try and by half time it was unsurprisingly 18-0 to NSW. It wasn't done and dusted but just about. The Blues had to dig deep defensively at times but they did just that and came out 26-0 victors. It was the first time a Queensland side has been nilled in fortress-like Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
Game Three: Now the only question to answer was would NSW make it a clean sweep? The last time that happened was 2010, in Queensland's favour. The last time NSW did it was the year 2000! Brisbane improved greatly from game one and with a bit more luck game two would have been a close contest. 3-0 was not a given.
The series came back to what it is known for, a close contest. It was moved to Queensland due to Covid issues in NSW so all three matches in one state. A tight first half went 2-0, 2-6, 8-6 to the locals. The second half went 8-12, 14-12, 20-12, 20-18. NSW missed a penalty kick at the end that would have tied the match but that was unsuccessful.
So another 2-1 result, a sweet series win for NSW but some disappointment about the third game. Has the side from the north learn from this series and take the next edition? Will all three ties be played outside of Queensland to make up for this year? To the first question, who knows? As for the second one surely not.
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