*Early mistakes prove costly
A dropped high ball from Kalyn Ponga and a brain implosion penalty against Cameron Munster for a shove meant Queensland had to defend for an extended period near their try line in the early minutes of the match. The dam wall finally broke, with Jarome Luai's grubber opening the door for Brian To'o to score.
*Flying high magic earned after a piece of grunt work
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow's second try was a piece of magic - with the Queensland winger jumping high to reel in a skied kick before maintaining his composure to touch down. But it was a play a minute earlier that paved the way for the moment - Maroons enforcer Valentine Holmes laying a huge hit on Liam Martin to force the turnover.
*Elbow your way in
With the rain tumbling down, NSW's Zac Lomax let his frustrations get the better of him when he elbowed Trent Loiero. Lomax had just been tackled to the ground when he threw his left elbow back to collect Loiero in the face. The subsequent penalty gave Queensland a 14-6 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
*Get out of my way
At 20-6 down NSW were in desperate need of a try, and star halfback Nathan Cleary delivered by twisting and turning his way through Queensland's defence. But the Blues' joy soon turned to despair when the try was ruled for an obstruction. Rubbing salt into the wound, Kurt Capewell touched down less than two minutes later to give Queensland a dominant 26-6 lead at half-time.
*When the bounce ain't right
With Queensland clinging on to a 26-14 lead with 18 minutes to go, Tabuai-Fidow tried to trap a tumbling kick with his foot. But he was left embarrassed when the ball bounced up, hit him on the arm and hip before deflecting in front of him. NSW made the most of the gift, with To'o scoring his third try two minutes later to reduce the margin to eight points.
*Dribble magic from Luai
With all the momentum going NSW's way, Jarome Luai ensured the try barrage continued with a beautiful dribble kick for Angus Crichton to run onto and touch down. The successful conversion made it a two-point game with just seven minutes to go, setting up a grandstand finish.
*Oh so close
With less than 90 seconds remaining and NSW pushing for the winning try, Blues prop Payne Haas lost the ball after being tackled by two Queensland players. It proved to be NSW's last chance, meaning they fell short of pulling off one of the great Origin comebacks.
