Tiny detail on Queensland jerseys should terrify NSW Blues
NSW fans, consider yourselves warned.
Queensland have forced a series decider and are somehow 80 minutes away from a third shield in four years despite being outplayed for much of the past four Origin games.
The Maroons held on to claim a thrilling 26-24 victory in Game 2 in Perth on Wednesday night to keep the series alive.
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They were aided by a lopsided penalty count as referee Ashley Klein came under fire, while Nathan Cleary's groin injury was a concern for NSW, who have been urged to make changes to their forward pack.
But the story of the game was the return of Queensland's fighting spirit. Following a dismal display in Game 1, the Maroons came out firing in the first half to take a 26-6 halftime lead that proved insurmountable.
New Queensland captain Cameron Munster rallied behind Billy Slater after the game, declaring the team lifted for him after the coach was called a 'grub' by former NSW forward Aaron Woods in the lead-up.
And his words after the victory should send give Queenslanders plenty of hope, and send shivers down the spine of NSW fans desperate for rare back-to-back series wins.
After dedicating the win to Slater, Munster invoked the memory of Queensland's 1995 team that famously claimed the most unlikely of series wins 30 years ago.
While he was speaking, a tiny detail on his right shoulder became apparent. Emblazoned on the white trimming on Queensland's jerseys was '1995', with the four digits clearly a theme inside the Maroons' camp.
It's an extra touch to Queensland's jerseys, which also feature each player's local postcode on their shoulder in the style of the XXXX beer logo.
'We had a really good first half. Second half we just shot ourselves in the foot — you can't afford to give a team like that so much ball,' Munster told Nine immediately after the game.
'But we had that mentality, like the '95 Nobodies team and just kept working and turning up for each other and we ended up getting the chocolates.'
In 1995, a flame-haired Paul Vautin coached a Queensland team dubbed the 'Neville Nobodies', featuring a teenage Ben Ikin, to a shock 3-0 clean sweep.
'It's just a pleasure playing with these boys,' Munster added.
'I know we didn't deliver in Game 1, but I felt like our preparation was really good and we built it on that in game two.
'I love playing with this group. It was a never-say-die attitude tonight; our back was against the wall and that's what we love about it. Queenslanders love being underdogs and we still are.
'But in Game 3, we need to be a lot better in certain positions and we can't afford to give them piggy backs.'
Maroons hooker Harry Grant echoed Munster's sentiment, and emphasised the importance the 30-year anniversary of the 1995 triumph was having on the current team.
'We've made reference to 1995 Queensland Maroons and the grit they showed in defence,' Grant told Fox Sports News.
'To be honest, that was going through my head and it was probably going through everyone else's heads — those little reminders and communication plays a big part.
'We just wanted to show up and keep turning up.'
History shows the Maroons relish being underdogs — the 2020 team was infamously described by one pundit as the worst ever Maroons side — the Wayne Bennett coached team went on to beat NSW 2-1.
Munster was named man of the match in Perth on Wednesday and after taking over Daly Cherry-Evans as captain, he rose to the occasion not just through his performance, but his words post-game.
The 30-year-old, playing his 20th game for Queensland, paid tribute to his former Storm teammate Slater in an emotional address in their post-match press conference.
'I played with Bill, he is a champion player and a champion coach and I have had a great relationship with him and still do. We are really close mates,' Munster said.
'When you have someone jabbing him like that, it really hurts. It hurts me personally and I never tell him that. I will tell him now, I love him.
'I just want to do the best thing for him and the best thing for Queensland. He's not doing this for him, he's doing this for Queensland and he loves Queensland.
'That's the reason why he's so passionate and when you have someone like that at the top, you want to play for him. At the end of the day … he's the reason I want to play.'
'That's the nicest thing he has ever said to me,' Slater said.
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