Key events
10 mins: The Blues play to the right behind the scrum but Nawaqanitawase has no room to manoeuvre. NSW then get to work under the posts. Martin is busy, drawing tacklers in. There’s a quick ruck, NSW go through hands to the left, Moses is sharp, Best is brilliant, but Bostock can’t hold on and the simple jog into the corner is spilled! Massive opportunity.
9 mins: NSW cross halfway in possession for the first time and Cleary can launch an attacking kick. He goes to the left corner where Bostock leaps with Fifita and the rookie forces the knock-on and a 10m scrum.
8 mins: NSW still can’t make any yardage, despite the wriggling and jinking of Tedesco. They are very relieved to have the superboot of Mitch Moses at halfback, kicking them out of danger for the fourth set in a row. Queensland execute a simple set and then have the Blues under pressure inside their own 30 – until Cotter is harshly punished for holding on and he concedes a six-again.
6 mins: Queensland kick to the right then get to work infield inside the 30m line. Capewell almost busts the defensive line on the left edge but the Blues scramble well. They hold up Nikora on the last to delay the play-the-ball and the Maroons can only invite Tabuai-Fidow to accept a tackle on the last and hand the ball over.
4 mins: NSW make no ground coming off their own line so Moses kicks from 20 to 20. Ponga and Cobbo get their hands on the ball as Queensland reach halfway, setting up the first play through hands of the night, to the right, with Toia gaining good metres. The kick on the last is deep to the right corner, where To’o is no longer posted. Bostock deals with the danger.
Again NSW go nowhere coming from a standing start but another huge kick releases the pressure. That is until Young concedes the first penalty of the night, lifting Fifita off his feet. It looked worse than it was and the Raider made sure he placed his opponent down safely. A chance for the home side nonetheless.
2 mins: Queensland kick off and Barnett takes the first hit up. Young, Yeo, and Haas take their turns, before Tedesco is crunched. The Blues kick long, Queensland run it back for four tackles then Munster belts a beautiful kick that bobbles in-goal, turning Tedesco around and putting NSW on the back foot.
Kick-off!
The 2026 State of Origin decider is under way …
Formalities taken care of, kick-off is imminent.
The atmosphere flips as Cameron Munster jogs into the cauldron. He leads Queensland, top to toe in maroon, and the crowd rises in acclaim.
Here come the Blues! The roof nearly comes off Suncorp Stadium as a deafening rumble of boos shakes the venue to its foundations. In case you were unaware, NSW are wearing sky blue jerseys and navy shorts.
Jai Arrow, wearing his Queensland jersey, fights back the tears as he brings the State of Origin shield on to the pitch.
As the two sets of players finalise their preparations, a quick recap on the team news:
Queensland’s starting XIII is unchanged, following just the one tweak ahead of game two. There are a couple of switches on the interchange with Pat Carrigan and Lindsay Collins swapping places in the sick bay, and the in-form Jeremiah Nanai forcing his way onto the bench ahead of Kulikefu Finefeuiaki.
NSW selection remains a free for all. Jack Bostock and Bradman Best have been handed their first run-ons of the series, and Stephen Crichton has been recalled, leaving James Tedesco as the only outside back to start all three matches. Mitchell Moses retains his place alongside Nathan Cleary in the halves despite a quiet showing in game two and Ethan Strange excelling as his understudy in game one. The forward pack is comparatively stable, but it still includes Hudson Young’s third second row partner this winter, with the roulette wheel stopping on Liam Martin.
It is cool and dry and still under the Lang Park lights, but Andrew Johns suggests it’s a little slippery underfoot.
Ashley Klein is the man in the middle once more. He was crucial on opening night, he’ll be hoping he has less to do in the decider.
Billy Slater matches with: “It’s been a great prep”.
Tactically: “Be confident and go and get your game… Chase your game, go and get it.”
“The boys are really dialled in,” enthuses Laurie Daley. “They know what they need to do. They just have to do it.”
Tactically: “Expect some different interchange plans”.
The two five eighths have said a few words on their ways into Suncorp Stadium.
“Don’t go chasing points or opportunities,” was Cameron Munster’s insight. “Win the little moments that can build into big moments.”
Nathan Cleary’s mantra: “Control”.
Speaking of Channel 9, this is the kind of night they would have previously looked to roll out Karl Stefanovic. Not any more.
Andrew Abdo has just been on Channel Nine spruiking the NRL’s new massive broadcast deal.
Nine Entertainment and Foxtel have retained the media rights to the NRL in a $5.3bn deal which will see the games aired on the free-to-air network and the global streaming company DAZN until 2034.
The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) chair Peter V’landys said the seven-year agreement from 2028 marked “a defining moment for rugby league”…
V’landys claimed the NRL was “the most viewed program in Australia and in the Pacific”.
“Don’t listen to what other people tell you, especially down south, we are the No 1-viewed sport in Australia,” he said. “The deal future-proofs the game for everybody … our ambition is to grow the game globally.”
NSW XIII
NSW: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Jack Bostock, 3. Bradman Best, 4. Stephen Crichton, 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase, 6. Mitchell Moses, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. Payne Haas, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Mitch Barnett, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Liam Martin, 13. Isaah Yeo (c).
Interchange: 14. Cameron Murray, 15. Addin Fonua-Blake, 16. Haumole Olakau’atu, 17. Blayke Brailey, 18. Ethan Strange, 19 Tolutau Koula.
Reserve: 20. Victor Radley
Queensland XIII
QLD: 1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Selwyn Cobbo, 3. Robert Toia, 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, 5. Jojo Fifita, 6. Cameron Munster (c), 7. Sam Walker, 8. Thomas Flegler, 9. Harry Grant, 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Reuben Cotter.
Interchange: 14. Max Plath, 15. Pat Carrigan, 16. Jeremiah Nanai, 17. Trent Loiero, 18. Reece Walsh, 19. Murray Taulagi.
Reserve: 20. Corey Horsburgh
Since the beginning of the three-game Origin series in 1982, there have been 10 deciders played in Queensland; seven have been won by the home state, three by NSW and a sole draw in 1999.
This series’ game three looks to be an uphill battle for the Blues after they were battered in front of a Queensland-centric crowd at the MCG in game two. In Brisbane, it will be a different story again, and there are doubts about whether the Blues can win the decider against a loud and proud Maroons crowd at home.
If Martin brings the mayhem, Cleary plays a blinder and Best finds room to gallop, NSW can give their longsuffering coach a sweet goodbye. But if Queensland pick up where they left off in Melbourne and snap NSW’s spirit with an early points blitz, the Suncorp earth might open up and swallow the men in Blue as it has so many others.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of men’s State of Origin Game 3. Kick-off between Queensland and New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium is scheduled for 8.05pm AEST.
This midwinter Wednesday has already treated us to a Lionel Messi miracle, a Novak Djokovic Centre Court epic, and 40C temperatures in Le Tour, but trust me, the best is yet to come. Hubristic? Not a chance. This is a rivalry and spectacle that never fails to deliver.
For the third year in a row and the 25th occasion in Origin history Queensland and New South Wales require a deciding game to establish which heavyweight will take ownership of the shield.
The Maroons start as favourites. They have home advantage, a settled squad, a superior coach, and the wind in their sails following a comprehensive victory in Melbourne three weeks ago. The series would already be in the bag were it not for Kalyn Ponga’s indiscretion and James Tedesco’s brilliance in Sydney.
Laurie Daley is under the pump and his latest team selection does little to suggest that his latest stint as Blues coach has been spent following a meticulously prepared masterplan. Billy Slater, by contrast has made only one change to his starting XIII all series.
I’ll be back with final team lists and more shortly. Please send me your emails and keep me company throughout the evening. The address is jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
