Blues blown off MCG in a Maroons masterclass

Everyone, save for these clad in Blue, left the Melbourne Cricket Ground happy.

There was a record State of Origin crowd of 91,671, who witnesses a rugby league master class. There were the suited NRL executives, who have their dream decider at a time when they are attempting to broker a monster television deal.

And we even had cause for Reece Walsh to enter the arena, this time when Kalyn Ponga was the victim of a high shot. The rugby league scriptwriters have outdone themselves this time.

This result – a thumping 44-24 after a tepid start – will raise more questions about the composition of the NSW team that allowed it to happen. This is Laurie Daley’s 12th Origin loss with the clipboard, a result that takes him beyond Wayne Bennett for most coaching defeats. Somehow, he must muster a turnaround at that other famous cauldron, Suncorp Stadium.

There was nothing to suggest such a scoreline at the halfway point. At that juncture NSW led 12-8, but they never looked likely after the resumption.

Just about everyone was reverting to type. Cameron Munster was making it up as he went along. Harry Grant was making dummies out of markers at dummy half. And in the space of 60 seconds, Victor Radley flirted with the sin bin after twice making contact with the head of an opponent.

The Maroons, all up, scored seven tries. Some of them were as spectacular as witnessed in the interstate arena. Three of them went the way of Selwyn Cobbo, considered a contentious selection when initially chosen. The Dolphin has never looked more at home. The same can’t be said of NSW, at what was once a happy hunting ground.

In the past three games, NSW has done its best Gout Gout impersonation. Slow out of the blocks – the cumulative score in the past three first-halves was 66-12 against them – they have left their run late.

It looked like they would again leave themselves considerable ground to make up after conceding an early penalty goal. And then, the rarest of Origin gifts.

From the kick-off, Tom Flegler took a back-fence carry. Paying more attention to the rushing defence than the football, he spilled it cold. Mark Nawaqanitawase scooped it up, threw a speculative pass that hit the ground and then Kotoni Staggs, who muscled his way into the line.

It was not only a try but the end of a sequence of poor starts. The Blues, accused of being too conservative coming out of yardage, opened the shoulders. They were rewarded with cheap metres and a string of six-agains that released the pressure. But then the balance went askew.

Nawaqanitawase was in everything. A target for both NSW and Queensland kickers, the cross-code star then crossed for the second try of the game. On one of the few occasions a Nathan Cleary didn’t find the mark, it still eventually found its target. Cleary grabbed his grubber after a ricochet from Cameron Munster and a perfect spiral pass found “Marky Mark”.

A second, even more spectacular, Nawaqanitawase try was only millimetres away from being green-lighted, if only his put-down hit green grass before white paint. That was as good as it got.

That Queensland has such a poor record at the MCG is a surprise. It’s been dubbed a neutral venue, but Melburnians’ love for their own city is outweighed only by their hatred of Sydney. The Maroons had the majority of crowd support in a timely reminder that Queensland really is everywhere.

For the best part of half an hour, they had precious little to cheer about. And then the Maroons produced something from the very top shelf. It featured a short-side raid from Harry Grant and an overhead pass from Cameron Munster, who copped a head knock – and a head-injury assessment – after delivering it. Two Maroons forwards finished off the stunning sequence and a game that seemed well in hand quickly slipped through NSW hands.

Queensland’s second try was even better than the first. It featured two kicks – this is the MCG, after all – including the pinpoint variety from Cameron Munster to find Cobbo. This is further proof that the second game of the interstate series is often the best spectacle.

From there it was a downhill ski for the Queenslanders. With Munster, Kalyn Ponga, Harry Grant and Sam Walker – the latter’s odds of winning the Wally Lewis medal are shortening – all dominating, NSW had to get everything right.

Instead, Staggs found himself in the sin bin and the bleeding wouldn’t stop. There were six Maroons tries in the second half alone and Walker converted each and every one of them.

A week is a long time in football. The Blues have three to regroup. Based on what just transpired, it may not be long enough.