He’s had two wins from nine starts so does the Roosters’ No.7 deserve another chance? Phil Rothfield and Paul Crawley debate all the big issues to come out of Origin 3.

DRAW the curtains, pull the covers over, Queensland have won again.

It is now official; purgatory lasts at least seven years, and counting.



Cooper Cronk's field goal in the 75th minute was all that separated NSW and Queensland last night.



One lousy point.



Naturally some will say the gap is diminishing, but such is the depth of the Maroons that they barely missed Billy Slater, whom many are now shoehorning into the debate for the greatest fullback ever - but whose absence hardly slowed Queensland.



The emotions are still raw as the plaudits begin rushing in. Was this the greatest series ever? There is an argument, given all that was at stake: Queensland's unprecedented streak and the Blues' ability to get so close.



The quality was good and while the ball handling might not belong on the top shelf, a great part of that has to be attributed to the savage hitting through all three games. To be sure, the collisions were ferocious.



As good as they were, the Blues are still a small way off. Their attack lacked the menace of the first two encounters. At times too much football was played sideways and before the line, and failed to test Queensland's defence.What kept them in the match was their courage, which never dimmed.



It is the only way to explain Josh Morris's try 11 minutes from the end when the Blues trailed 20-14, and the iron nerves of Todd Carney to convert from the sideline to level the scores.



"I was confident I was going to kick it and it paid off," Carney said.

Match centre: Game details and stats, plus vote for man of the match

It spurred the Blues on, right up until Cronk's field goal.



NSW started so strongly too, as they have done all series.



They won the early yardage, received an early penalty goal, and pushed ahead to 8-0 when Brett Morris scooted out of dummy-half and wrestled over.



It was all going to plan.



Then an incident, seemingly small in its making, turned the rest of the half in favour of the Maroons. Nate Myles knocked out Robbie Farah when the hooker ran the ball up. The argument will start today whether the action of Myles was deliberate.



The naysayers will claim such accidents happen all the time in the game. Those who disagree have a little more forensic science on their side.



For starters, Myles led with his head, which is some noggin.



Most damning is the fact that Myles made an identical tackle on Farah seven minutes earlier but failed to land it flush.



It did land solidly enough to prompt Farah to chase Myles after the tackle.



Farah had no doubt about the legality of both tackles, at least the one when he remained conscious.

Gallery: Top snaps from the match



The dropped ball gave Queensland possession in NSW territory and they turned it into another sustained period of dominance, which they do so well. Repeat sets, near chances and Darius Boyd scoring in the corner to make it 8-4.



The match failed to settled down, even though almost a quarter of it was gone and the players were now waiting for their second winds.



Spot fights kept breaking out, and with each one the fear for Blues fans was the emotional energy being burned up.



The evidence was in their attack, which was bunched. And in their defence, where arms hung out when shoulders should have jammed in.



That is the language of fatigue, and it took its toll.



Justin Hodges broke the Blues apart, nearly scored, and all those who scrambled back just in time had been involved in a fight upfield.



The Maroons were only marking time, though.



When Darren Lockyer later asked Mal Meninga about the Queensland crowd on Channel 9 - the old "How good is it?" - Meninga gave one of the great answers.



"It picks you up," he said. "I could hear it, even through the box. When you're struggling a little bit and you hear 'Queenslander' ... "



The Blues didn't have the same advantage and became leg weary and in search of something. The game slipped away from them in the latter part of the first half when they went from 8-0 up to 16-8 down.



Johnathan Thurston scored after Boyd to push Queensland ahead 10-8 and then Hodges followed suit shortly before the break in what some claimed was a controversial obstruction. But it was scored as much through tired defence as any illegality.



So well done Queensland. They are a wonderful football team.

Queensland 21 (D Boyd, J Hodges, J Thurston tries; J Thurston 4 goals; C Cronk field goal) NSW 20 (J Morris, B Morris, B Stewart tries; T Carney 4 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: Tony Archer, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 52,437.

************

How game unfolded:

75th min: Cooper Cronk lands a long-range field goal to put Queensland in front 21-20.

70th min: Josh Morris miraculously latches onto a Robbie Farah cross kick to score in the corner. Todd Carney converts. 20-all.

62nd minute: Johnathan Thurston slots a penalty after Tony Williams is penalised for a high shot on a falling Cooper Cronk. Maroons 20-14.

50th min: The Blues concede a penalty in front of the posts for holding down Nate Myles. Thurston plots the penalty to make it 18-14.

45th min: Brett Stewart pounces on deft Robbie Farah grubber to score under the posts. Carney converts to make it 16-14 to the Maroons.

35th min: Justin Hodges awarded controversial try after running behind his own player in what appeared to be a shepherd. Thurston converts to make it 16-8 to the Maroons.

32nd min: Johnathan Thurston starts and finishes a brilliant try, making a break from his own half before crossing off the next play. Thurston converts to make it 10-8 to the Maroons.

19th min: Darius Boyd crosses in the corner for the Maroons following a sweeping backline play. Thurston misses conversion. Blues lead 8-4.

13th min: Brett Morris barges over from dummy half, despite a valiant attempt from Sam Thaiday to hold him up. Carney converts to make it 8-0.



6th min: A long break by Brett Morris scatters the Maroons, who are penalised for off-side on the ensuing play. Todd Carney kicks the penalty goal to make it 2-0.



2nd min: Greg Bird and Brent Tate set the scene for a fiery encounter with an early biff.

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