NSW prop Andrew Fifita is the most important player in State of Origin III. He doesn't have to repeat his phenomenal performance from Origin I and it would be unfair to ask him to, because displays like that are rare, but if he can just get somewhere close it will signal the end for Queensland.

The statistics for the other big NSW forwards were consistent through games one and two of the series, but while the Maroons couldn't stop Fifita in game one, which the Blues won 28-4 at Suncorp Stadium, they did a good job on him in game two, when Queensland grabbed a late, 18-16 win.

Andrew Fifita Jason O'Brien/Getty Images

NSW should still have won that second game, at ANZ Stadium, but they blew it with a series of stupid penalties and wrong options in the second half.

So if they can regain their discipline and Fifita can become more dominant again in the decider at Suncorp next Wednesday it will create a massive challenge for the Maroons, and one they don't look capable of meeting as long as NSW don't clock off.

The Blues won't be bothered about having to go to Brisbane to play, that's one thing for sure. It's a much drier and faster track than in Sydney in the middle of winter and that's a big part of the reason game one was played at such a quick tempo, that NSW clearly enjoy.

Fifita ran 18 times for 183 metres in his 48 minutes in game one, and 16 times for 93 metres in 44 minutes in game two. By comparison, fellow Blues prop Aaron Woods went 36 minutes, 15 runs and 136 metres in game one and 41-15-132 in game two.

The figures for the other props were: David Klemmer, 44-20-172 and 40-16-174, and Jake Trbojevic 45-10-87 and 43-11-114.

David Klemmer Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Another Blues big man, second-rower and captain Boyd Cordner, went 80-17-151 and 77-18-153.

The forward effort from NSW in game one was so dominant it resulted in four older Queensland forwards - Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday, Jacob Lillyman and Aiden Guerra - being dropped for game two. Their Origin careers had ended on the spot.

The Blues basically retired them from this level of the game, as former NSW great Bradley Clyde suggested pre-series they were capable of doing to a number of older Queensland players, as the Blues had done to some Maroons veterans in the early 1990s.

There is no doubt Queensland were better in the forwards in game two, but still none of their big men up front - Dylan Napa, Jarrod Wallace, Josh McGuire, Josh Papalii and Tim Glasby - had figures like the best of the Blues forwards in that match.

Josh McGuire Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Even in a game Queensland won, and in which, as a team overall, they had 1608 metres from 189 runs and NSW had 1518 from 184.

All aspects of the game taken into account, McGuire was the best of the quintet. He worked hard and was also important in the lead-up to a crucial try, but he still needed 63 minutes to get out his 13 runs for 117 metres.

There has been a lot of talk ahead of this match about who Queensland would play at five-eighth - it is now confirmed as Cameron Munster - and how Daly Cherry-Evans was left out of their squad altogether, but the forward packs are still the key in this series.

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And NSW have got not only clearly the better starting forward pack, but also the better set of forwards to come off the interchange bench.

That hasn't changed at any stage of this series, but you still have to play smart football and the Blues played dumb football for the last 30 minutes of game two.

They're still capable of winning game three even if Fifita has an average game at best, but if he can monster Queensland again, if he can somehow find a way to have a big impact - it doesn't have to be as great as in game one, but still leading the way - it will surely be curtains for the Maroons.

NSW would have enormous potential to feed off that and become irresistible, just as they were on opening night.