Victory in Brisbane will "go down in history" for a NSW team intent on making plenty more, new coach Michael Maguire says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Blues' 14-4 win at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday was just their third in a decider at the venue, and first in 19 years.
Halves Jarome Luai and Mitchell Moses delivered the match-winning plays to set up and score tries in a three-minute period after 65 minutes had passed without a four-pointer.
NSW's win was remarkable given they suffered their biggest ever loss to Queensland in Sydney's Origin I, after Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was sent off early in the 38-10 defeat.
They thrashed the Maroons 38-18 to level the series and then held their nerve in a classic decider where teams battered each other relentlessly in a first half that finished 2-0 to the hosts.
"We didn't talk about the enormity of what's happened in the game, because it's a new group," Maguire said after stopping a third-straight Queensland series win.
"It's something there this group wants to build themselves.
"And that'll go down in history."
First-year coach Maguire lauded the impact of surprise captain Jake Trbojevic, who played only 23 minutes on Wednesday but was one of the men the mentor wanted to build his side around.
"The belief of what this group is capable of; something there is really special," he said.
"They really believe in each other.
"It's the glue; it's the special parts of what goes on around the team that others don't get to see, but I do.
"You're picking certain characters for what you want."
The coach also praised the impacts of his playmakers, Moses unable to finish the game and likely out for the season with a ruptured biceps in a blow for Parramatta.
"When you've got the best players in the game it's subtly different," the 2014 South Sydney premiership coach said of the differences to coaching in the NRL.
"You've got players that know exactly what they need to do and those conversations are just at a different level.
"I didn't do a whole lot of coaching towards the back end of this campaign because the players take over ... that's what I believe you need to do at this level."
Australian Associated Press
