NSW are breathing a sigh of relief after Latrell Mitchell and Liam Martin were both cleared of suspension in a late-night match review statement following their thumping State of Origin II victory over Queensland.
Mitchell starred on his return to the representative arena while Martin scored the first try of the match and never let up in a strong all-round performance.
Both found themselves reported and in hot water, Mitchell in particular facing a nervous wait ahead of the decider in three weeks’ time, but they have escaped with fines from the NRL.
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Mitchell was slapped with a Grade 1 careless high tackle charge for a chase-down hit on Xavier Coates early in the second half, which will see him give up seven per cent of his match fee.
Martin will owe the same after a Grade 1 dangerous contact charge for a tackle on Daly Cherry-Evans later in the match.
The second-rower avoided any punishment from the NRL for a separate incident where he lifted and threw Reuben Cotter to the ground.
In another plus for coach Michael Maguire, the Blues emerged from the 38-18 win at the MCG on Wednesday night with no immediate injury concerns.
Queensland winger Valentine Holmes was fined seven per cent of his match fee for a Grade 1 careless high tackle on Payne Haas.
NSW’s emphatic victory ensured the shield will be on the line in the final game 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 interstate 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”.
Queensland were left to ponder a squandered opportunity, with Billy Slater’s men never really kicking off in Melbourne and their discipline giving 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.”
– with AAP
