Key events
26 mins: Queensland have a full set in attacking territory but make little impact. On the last Walker kicks to the Hammer who does well in the air but the ball lands kindly for NSW a couple of metres from the try line. The Blues run out of defence and invite Moses to kick 65m on the fly to Cobbo. Daley’s tactics are all paying off so far.
25 mins: Cobbo gets away with an awful defensive decision to step out of his line and jam in, only to be bypassed by NSW like he’s not there. Munster bails him out with a superb tackle that dislodges the pill from Staggs’ grasp in the process. The Maroons are only just holding on here.
24 mins: Queensland need to find something here, and soon. NSW are winning the battle up front and they are playing well within themselves – Penrith-like – for the time being.
That earlier interchange for Tino was a an HIA it turns out. I’ll keep you updated.
Conversion! NSW 12-2 Queensland (Cleary, 23)
From the right sideline Cleary makes kicking for goal look simple.
TRY! NSW10-2 Queensland (Nawaqanitawase, 21)
NSW are getting the upper hand in the arm-wrestle and that becomes a position of dominance with a set restart on halfway – then another on the 30. The Blues draw bodies to the middle of the field then Moses and Tedesco show quick hands to try and release Koula on the left. He cuts back inside to set up A1 field position for Cleary to fashion an attack to the right. The halfback spots a gap and kicks early in the set, a grubber that Munster tries to drag in but can’t secure cleanly under pressure from Lucas. Cleary follows up to accept the crumbs and hurls a long pass out wide to the unstoppable Nawaqanitawase who crashes over in the corner.
19 mins: Ponga defuses a Moses bomb like it’s a training exercise, but his side has no go-forward at the moment with the Blues forwards on top. Collins is also on the field, that’s two interchanges used already by Slater, and no sign of Reece Walsh.
18 mins: NSW remain conservative with ball in hand, probing gently down the left then hitting hard down the right with the dynamic Staggs again impressive. The Blues look drilled to avoid the errors that ruined their opening half in Sydney. Queensland make little ground in reply but Munster buys them metres with a mighty wobbling floater that Tedesco does well to mark.
16 mins: Queensland get a full set inside 30m. They look dangerous on the left through Tabiso-Fidow. Loiero comes off the interchange to make an impact. But then on the last Walker grubbers much too deep and NSW are donated a seven tackle relieving set.
15 mins: Queensland get a set restart for offside on their own 30 which gives Grant confidence to direct play through hands to the right. Walker then goes for a dance – until he’s rag-dolled by Young, a little high. Nikora steps in to defend his little halfback and there’s a minor set-to, nothing to write home about.
14 mins: Koula earns some tough metres after contact to drive his side out of their defensive 20. A ruck infringement on the 40 gifts the Blues six again and for the first time tonight they can set up attacking territory. Staggs runs a good angle, Yeo makes a good step, and Barnett takes them to the 20. Moses kicks high to the right corner for the leaping Nawaqanitawase but the former Wallaby can only knock on after showing springheels.
13 mins: Grant and Munster control things for Queensland as they drive conservatively inside the rede zone. On the last Walker kicks high to the right corner where To’o looks vulnerable in the aerial contest with Fifita. The ball comes to ground – off the Titan, into the Panther – and it’s a let-off for the Blues.
12 mins: To’o deals with his first bomb of the night before Tedesco cuts and darts his way for a brief line-break. NSW try to expand behind it to the right but Staggs overruns the pass and the ball dribbles out of play. Queensland will take the handover 30m out.
10 mins: NSW make no mistakes from their restart. They kick to Fifita on the last as the Maroons rumble to attacking 40 behind some good metres from Tino.
Conversion! NSW 6-2 Queensland (Cleary, 10)
Cleary clips over the extras from 10m in from the right touchline. He must be barely able to believe his luck.
8 mins: From the kick-off Flegler receives the offload and just shells it. The onrushing Nawaqanitawase picks it up off his boot laces, accepts three tacklers and still manages to offload inside where the ball beats Cleary, but not Staggs, who gathers and muscles his way over the line. Absolute calamity for Queensland.
TRY! NSW 4-2 Queensland (Staggs, 8)
What on earth!?
Penalty! NSW 0-2 Queensland (Walker, 7)
From just to the left of the uprights the Roosters halfback gets the scoreboard moving.
6 mins: Finally there’s some creativity and it’s the Maroons going through hands to the left to allow Cobbo some space to gallop into. There’s an offload that clips the legs of Nawaqanitawase, gifting Queensland six again in attacking territory. Munster sharks, the Maroons are building up a head of steam, but just as Grant begins to scheme from under the posts Cleary reaches out and swipes the Steeden from his clutches at dummy-half. A clear penalty and a simple two points for Sam Walker, you’d expect.
4 mins: Safe and sound again from Queensland, who again elect to kick towards Nawaqanitawase, not To’o, despite the latter struggling under the high ball last time out. No risks from NSW either who look to find room down the left before belting long to Ponga. Neither side taking any chances early.
2 mins: It’s a high hanging kick-off from Moses that Flegler runs to the ten metre line. His forward colleagues shove the Maroons as far as the 40 before Munster kicks long to Nawaqanitawase – who slips – before regaining momentum and hitting the line hard. Tedesco is lively as NSW complete a steady set, one that ends with a Cleary bomb that Ponga takes spectacularly under intense aerial pressure from Moses.
Kick-off!
Will the Blues seal the series? Can the Maroons fight back? Origin II is under way…
Prematch formalities taken care of, the 137th Origin fixture is just seconds from kick-off.
Now it’s over to NSW, led by Isaah Yeo. His team are wearing sky blue tops with navy shorts. There’s even more of a racket as they come out, with plenty of boos offered in their direction. There is no love lost between Victoria and NSW.
Here come the Queenslanders, top to toe in Maroon, led out by hometown hero Cameron Munster. It is noisy in the G.
It’s dry and relatively mild tonight in Melbourne. There is a stiff northerly breeze which may become a factor as it swirls around capriciously in the vast MCG.
NSW proved in Origin I that representative footy isn’t won in the opening half but the Blues must be concerned that they have bee outscored a combined 66-12 in the first periods of their past three matches.
With the MCG only barely illuminated, Cathy Freeman is spotlit as she delivers the match ball to the centre spot.
The current Origin record crowd stands at 91,513 when the Blues beat the Maroons at the G in 2015. Hopes are high for a new benchmark tonight.
The MCG has been a happy hunting ground for NSW, who have won five of the six matches played at the home of Australian Rules footy.
Tonight’s referee is Ashley Klein, but there have been calls the NRL should have found a replacement. Klein took centre stage in Origin I for his decision to send off Kalyn Ponga, and he has since been the subject of media stories due to his historic gambling activities. His performance will be scrutinised like no whistleblower before.
Laurie Daley is delighted to have Payne Haas back in his XIII: “the best front row in the game”, according to the NSW coach, and he’s relieved to be able to call upon the game management and kicking prowess of Mitchell Moses.
His pregame message: “No excuses.”
There is only one Bronco in the Queensland squad, Reece Walsh, and he is no guarantee to see much game time. These are curious times at the reigning premiers.
Billy Slater has a simple message to his team tonight:
Have confidence to chase your game. Don’t be fearful.
QLD Team News:
Billy Slater makes just the one change to his run-on side following 60 minutes of dominance in Sydney.
Briton Nikora and Max Plath trade places with the Kiwi international playing on an edge allowing Reuben Cotter to move to loose forward. On the bench Pat Carrigan (ankle) is replaced by debutant Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and the wounded and out-of-form pair of Ezra Mam and Gehamet Shibasaki are upgraded to Reece Walsh and Murray Taulagi, Walsh returning to the fold after his curious injury-cum-form exclusion from the first camp.
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will play tonight following the death of his father Fereti, a former first-grade footballer, on Saturday.
NSW Team News:
Form and fitness has pressed Laurie Daley into six changes from the side that crept over the line in Origin I.
There’s a new pair of centres with Casey McLean injured (thigh) and Stephen Crichton (form & fitness). Tolu Koula moves in off the wing, replaced by newcomer Mark Nawaqanitawase, and Kotoni Staggs comes off the interchange with Jack Bostock becoming the utility back on the pine.
Mitch Moses has proven his fitness to start at five-eighth, while Payne Haas makes a welcome return in the front row, relegating Ethan Strange and Addin Fonua-Blake to the bench. The in-form Dylan Lucas is preferred to Haumole Olakau’atu in the second row, with the Manly man having to settle for the no 20 jersey.
Jacob Saifiti, Matt Burton, (dropped) and Blayke Brailey (broken arm) were in the 19 for Origin I but miss out tonight with Api Koroisau the second hooker at Daley’s disposal.
Queensland XIII
QLD: 1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Selwyn Cobbo, 3. Robert Toia, 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, 5. Jojo Fifita, 6. Cameron Munster, 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, Lindsay Collins, 16, Pat Carrigan, 17, Trent Loiero, 18. Reece Walsh, 19. Murray Taulagi,
Reserve: 20. Heilum Luki
NSW XIII
NSW: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Brian To’o, 3. Tolu Koula, 4. Kotoni Staggs, 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase, 6. Mitch Moses, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. Payne Haas, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Mitch Barnett, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Dylan Lucas, 13. Isaah Yeo (capt).
Interchange: 14. Cameron Murray, 15. Victor Radley, 16. Addin Fonua-Blake, 17. Api Koroisau, 18. Ethan Strange, 19 Jack Bostock.
Reserve: 20. Haumole Olakau’atu
The G has welcomed Origin footy six times before, with NSW winning on five occasions. Victory tonight would give the Blues the shield and set them up for a crack at a first series sweep since 2000.
These sides first met in Melbourne in 1990, and most recently in 2024. On that occasion Mitch Moses guided the Blues to a 34-0 half-time lead on his way to the player of the match award.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of men’s State of Origin Game 2. Kick-off between New South Wales and Queensland at the MCG is scheduled for 8.05pm AEST.
Origin I didn’t disappoint, living up to its billing as the pinnacle of Australian sport with a thrilling climax in Sydney.
Origin II has a lot to live up to, but a record crowd in excess of 90,000 is expected at the MCG, making it impossible for the contest not to be noteworthy.
The Maroons are playing catch-up, despite bossing the opening match until they were reduced to 12 men, so Billy Slater’s charges will feel they have a score to settle.
The Blues are much changed after a troubling opening hour of the series and look more formidable with the returning Payne Haas packing down in the front row.
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.
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