It was dubbed the “unlosable” series for Queensland, but the NSW side rose from the ashes to pull off one of the greatest State of Origin upsets of all-time on Wednesday.
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Maroons coach Billy Slater has been praised for much of his time in charge of Queensland, but all of a sudden, his record is three series wins and two losses.
Game 3
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Laurie Daley is poised to leave his role as Blues coach, but Slater is expected to stay on, despite his “handshake” deal with the QRL that could see him quit at any point.
He’ll no doubt be hell-bent on revenge in 2027, but will he make drastic changes? History says no.
But he did drop captain Daly Cherry-Evans after Game I last year.
Is his current skipper, Cameron Munster, now in the firing line?
1.Kalyn Ponga (SAFE)
Many said Sam Walker was heading towards player of the match honours in Game I before Nathan Cleary and James Tedesco snatched victory in the final minute, but Ponga was arguably the best player on the ground before he got sent off. He wasn’t as effective in the decider, along with the rest of his backline, because of his team’s crucial errors and the fact that none of his forwards ran for more than 100m. He has Reece Walsh breathing down his neck, but Ponga is the more consistent player and should hold his spot next year.
2. Selwyn Cobbo (SAFE)
The hulking winger was one of Queensland’s best across the series. He’s clearly rejuvenated himself since leaving the Broncos for local rivals the Dolphins and is playing with a smile on his face. He made a couple of errors late on Wednesday night but still ran for a Maroons game-high of 174m, with five tackle breaks and a try. He’s got all the physical attributes and scored a hat-trick on Game II.
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“I don’t know HOW you miss this?!” | 05:50
3. Robert Toia (SAFE)
After bursting onto the scene last in last year’s series, the young Rooster was solid enough this time around but didn’t get many opportunities to shine. He missed a few tackles here and there but is still young and has a long career ahead of him. He has a great right-foot step but needs to make sure it doesn’t get too predictable.
4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (SAFE)
The hammer is closing in on the all-time Origin try-scoring record set by the great Greg Inglis, so he’s going nowhere next year. He scored a try in each match of the series and has scored 14 from 14 games overall. He’s four behind Inglis and will get the chance to break that record next season. His speed is the envy of every outside back in the world, and Slater knows he needs him.
5. Jojo Fifita (50/50)
One of the real finds for Slater this series. Fifita only came up with two errors all series so he was safe and classy with the ball. His highlight was the leaping try in Game II. In the decider he scored a try and ran for 104m. He didn’t play himself out of a Maroons jumper, but an injury-free Xavier Coates could threaten his spot in 2027.
6. Cameron Munster (SAFE)
Post-game, Munster has been open about understanding if Slater went in a different direction next year after he had one of his worst Origin games. Nemesis Liam Martin terrorised him all night as the five-eighth came up with a game-high 10 missed tackles. He also allowed Martin to get past him to help set up the Blues’ second try. He was ineffective in attack, but that wasn’t all his fault. Munster has got a lot of runs on the bank and dumping him on one bad performance won’t happen. The concerning thing, however, is that his club form hasn’t been crash hot this year either. He should bounce back.
‘You pathetic fools are the losers!’ | 00:25
7. Sam Walker (50/50)
His game was a perfect illustration of how tough it is for a halfback to shine when his forwards don’t lay a platform. Like Cleary in Game II, Walker was helpless as his big men got dominated in the middle and made crucial errors in their own end. He hardly got a chance to show his stuff. His series was good enough to say he belongs in the arena, but last year’s Wally Lewis Medallist Tom Dearden will be looking to get his jersey back in 2027 after missing the series with injury.
8. Tom Flegler (IN THE FIRING LINE)
He ran for just 146m for the entire series as a starting prop. Opponent Payne Haas ran for 137m in Game III alone. His try early in Game I was his only highlight. Was pulled after just 15 minutes in his first stint in the decider. Slater knows he can’t carry a prop next year who can’t even average 50 run metres per game. Lindsay Collins, who missed Game III, could take his spot next year.
9. Harry Grant (SAFE)
Grant will be there next year without a doubt. He killed NSW in Game II and tried his best to spark his side in the decider but had few quick play-the-balls to take advantage of and wasn’t as effective. He’s still easily the best hooker in the world
10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (SAFE)
He’s all heart, the big Titans prop. He only got 42 minutes in Game III, which was surprising and it’s not the only question regarding Slater’s bench rotation. He still ran for 94m, which was the best of the Queensland forwards. He only had two offloads for the series, which was unlike him, but he’s a warrior and one of the few Queensland forwards who could hold their head high after Wednesday night.
Nathan Cleary DOMINATES Origin Decider! | 01:17
11. Briton Nikora (IN THE FIRING LINE)
Forgive him for his stare down of an injured James Tedesco, it’s an emotional game and was in the heat of the moment. Nikora, at less than 95kg, failed to make his physical presence felt during the series, but did work hard with 49 tackles in the decider. He missed a crucial tackle on Bradman Best before he ran the length of the field for the try that sunk Queensland. The Blues backrowers of Martin and Young weren’t afraid of him and his future at Origin level must be in question.
12. Kurt Capwell (IN THE FIRING LINE)
What a fall from grace in such a short period of time. Capewell was great in Game I, but ended the series with a shocker. Came up with two basic errors early in the second half and missed Nathan Cleary as he stepped right past him to score the opener. Described his game as “s**t”. He’ll be 33 when next year’s series starts, and it might be time for Slater to find a more impactful forward. Capewell has been a fantastic servant, but he is hardly keeping his rival forwards awake at night.
13. Reuben Cotter (SAFE)
He plays above his weight and is a favourite of Slater’s and Australian coach Kevin Walters, but the former Wally Lewis Medallist dropped a simple pass early which set the tone for Queensland in the first half. While being a typical Origin-style player, he does lack ball-playing, which most locks in the modern game require. He should be in the side next year, but it might be from the bench.
“I’m just so happy for Loz!” | 01:16
14. Max Plath (SAFE)
What a good little player he is. It’s just a shame he was a step in front of Sam Walker’s kick which led to what would have been a crucial try in the 68th minute and probably would have got Queensland back to within six points. From there they would’ve been hard to hold out. Otherwise, he was very good in his first series and should challenge to be the starting lock in 2027.
16. Jeremiah Nanai (50/50)
He had limited impact off the bench. As a backrower, his strengths lie in his attacking and try-scoring ability so it wasn’t the ideal game for him as he got limited chances. He’s got a bit of X-factor about him, as we saw in his performance against Penrith a few weeks ago, so he’ll be in the mix next year. Slater needs backrowers like him, but he needs to hold his club form.
17. Trent Loiero (IN THE FIRING LINE)
It was surprising to see him get on in front of Test forward Pat Carrigan. He came up with three offloads but was largely ineffective against the likes of Martin, Young, Yeo and Murray. Murray also carried him over the line to score the Blues’ second try which wasn’t a great look at Origin level.
18. Reece Walsh (50/50)
What to do with him? You had to feel a little sorry for Walsh in Game III for two reasons. One, he was thrown into the game in the 44th minute when his side was down 18-4, with the expectation of sparking them, and that’s very hard to do right away. Secondly, his teammates seemed to have the attitude of “do something, Reece”. He wasn’t well supported by his other spine players and was left running one-out a lot, trying to create something from nothing. Can he get back into the No.1 jersey next year? It depends on what Walsh we see between now and then. If the 2025 finals series Walsh makes a return, he’s every chance. But he’s got to find some consistency.
Cleary & Blues react to Origin glory! | 10:38
POTENTIAL 2027 QUEENSLAND STATE OF ORIGIN TEAM
1.Kalyn Ponga
2. Selwyn Cobbo
3. Robert Toia
4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
5. Xavier Coates
6. Cameron Munster
7. Tom Dearden
8. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
9. Harry Grant
10. Lindsay Collins
11. Jeremiah Nanai
12. Reuben Cotter
13. Max Plath
14. Reece Walsh
15. Pat Carrigan
16. Tom Flegler
17. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki
18. Sam Walker
19. Jaxon Purdue
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