History was against them. The majority of the 50,000-plus fans at Suncorp Stadium were against them.

But the NSW Blues have won the State of Origin shield for the first time since 2021 after a stunning three-minute blitz sealed a hard-fought 14-4 win over the Queensland Maroons on Wednesday night.

The Blues were made to work for every metre they got in the decider, which made the way Jarome Luai and Mitchell Moses broke the game open to take the shield back down south all the more incredible.

 

The Blues had dominated possession in the first half and had 26 tackles in Queensland’s 20 compared to just three for the Maroons, but it was the hosts who led a low-scoring game at the break courtesy of a Valentine Holmes penalty goal.

New South Wales then tied it up early in the second half through Zac Lomax before a high shot from Reece Robson gifted Holmes another easy penalty goal to put the Maroons ahead.

But Luai produced something out of nothing as he scooped up the ball, beating Jeremiah Nanai and turning Dane Gagai inside out before racing away and linking with Bradman Best who powered his way over.

Lomax then added the extras from the sidelines and the Blues quickly made it two tries as Mitchell Moses produced a brilliant individual effort, beating multiple defenders to the line.

With the win, New South Wales became just the third Blues team to win a decider at Suncorp, following the 1994 and 2005 sides.