Michael Maguire insists NSW won’t be overawed by the daunting task of attempting to pull off a generational State of Origin upset by winning the series decider in Brisbane.
Spearheaded by the influential Mitchell Moses and powered by Broncos prop Payne Haas, Maguire’s Blues squared the series at the MCG on Wednesday with a 38-18 win over the directionless Maroons.
NSW’s emphatic victory ensures the shield will be on the line in game three at Suncorp Stadium on July 17.
History, and the entire state of Queensland, will be against the Blues, who have only won two deciding games (1994 and 2005) in Brisbane since the inter-state series began.
But Maguire is downplaying the significance of the challenge, relishing the chance for the Blues of 2024 to write their way into Origin folklore.
“One thing about this group is they don’t really look into any of that,” said Maguire, whose side charged out to a 34-0 halftime lead in Melbourne.
“They just work hard on helping each other out and working for each other.
“Wherever you go and play, you’ve got to play and this group, they’re looking internally rather than looking externally.
“At the end of the day, it’s the same field you have got to play and they found their game tonight.
“It can be done,” he said of the possibility of a comeback series triumph.
“If this group gets together like they did for this game, there’s no reason why things can’t happen.”
Captain Jake Trboejvic said the challenge of winning at Suncorp Stadium was an opportunity his side would give a “red-hot crack”.
As the Blues emerged through the win unscathed, and with the returning Latrell Mitchell and Liam Martin cleared of suspension, Queensland were left to ponder a squandered opportunity.
Billy Slater’s men never really got going in Melbourne and their discipline gave the Blues the platform to march to victory.
Fullback Reece Walsh was quiet and Slater may have to ponder changes to deal with the threat of Mitchell and NSW’s dominant forward pack.
Home advantage will give the Maroons an upper hand but Slater was eager to point out that won’t be enough to clinch a third-straight series.
“We know Suncorp is a great venue and it brings a great atmosphere,” Slater said.
“It’s a decider and they’re great games to be a part of.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of those sorts of games but that doesn’t mean anything unless we address what happened in the first half.
“We’re all looking at each other and ourselves to see how we can be better and take our best performance to Suncorp.”