NSW have broken Queensland’s stranglehold on rugby league’s State of Origin with a 14-4 triumph in the decider to seal the series in Brisbane for the first time since 2005.
Michael Maguire’s Blues broke open the decider when Jarome Luai put Bradman Best through for the first try of the match in the 64th minute.
NSW then made the most of a costly Queensland penalty from the kick-off with Mitchell Moses all but sealing victory when he scored from first receiver just four minutes after Best’s try.
The Maroons were almost dead and buried when a short kick-off fell into the hands of the Blues, who piled on the pressure after a six-again call.
NSW star Angus Crichton won the Wally Lewis Medal as the player of the series.
Mitchell Moses, the star halfback ended the match on the bench with a suspected torn bicep, but he took part in the celebrations while holding his arm carefully against his body.
The victory marked only the NSW Blues’ third win in a decider in Brisbane from 13 attempts, with the class of 2024 joining the teams from 1994 and 2005.