There's an old quote from British football manager Howard Wilkinson, which has rattled around since the 1990s, and it was a challenge he put to his Leeds United players; "Do you want to win?"
It made sense. It was simple, to the point, and dared the squad to do what was necessary to get over the line. They did.
And 34 years later, it was something every New South Welshman was asking their team with 23 minutes to go.
And for most of said minutes, the answer looked like it was a resounding 'no'. From Ethan Strange passing off the ground, to James Tedesco's pass to the right wing which slipped out of his hands, bombing a certain try, it looked like a golden opportunity was going to slip through sky blue fingers.
It was a night of miscues, until Tedesco flew through the air. It was another Origin loss for Nathan Cleary's complicated legacy at this level, until Tedesco flew through the air. It was a soul-crushing, confidence-sapping loss that would have been close to impossible to bounce back from, until Tedesco flew through the air.
It all comes down to that moment, as State of Origin games so often do. But you could scarcely catch your breath in the last quarter of the game as wave after wave of blue descended upon the Queensland tryline, reduced to 12 players after Kalyn Ponga's sending off.
After Ethan Strange's long-range try, ably assisted by Stephen Crichton (who had a very mixed night), it seemed almost inevitable that the Blues would run down the ten-point margin that stood in front of them. When Nathan Cleary kicked a 40/20 and then scored shortly after, it was a fate accompli.
But instead, Queensland knuckled down for the next seven or eight minutes and did what they always do so well - fight. THEY wanted to win. Until, as I mentioned earlier, Tedesco flew through the air.
What about the rest of the game? If not for the manic events of the final twenty, we'd be sitting here praising Queensland's spine play, the effort levels from unheralded players like Kurt Capewell, and strong showings from their outside backs. Harry Grant was scheming and conniving to the best of his abilities, Cam Munster and Sam Walker fantastic as well.
One of the main reasons the Walker selection would have been so appealing to Billy Slater is the young halfback's short kicking game. Points, so often at a premium, came very easily when he put a deft grubber kick in for Robert Toia after only eight minutes.
And from there, it was one-way traffic. But not in the way that NRL games have been for the most part in 2026, due to a bulk diet of six agains. There were clear concerns that the rule changes at club level this year would make for a lopsided Origin contest.
Those fears were put to bed in the first half; the few six agains that were called were largely inconsequential, and early in tackle counts. Instead, Queensland were running up the score the old-fashioned way; forcing errors, not taking their foot off the throttle, and taking clear advantage of their positional dominance.
It was more of the same in the second half as the game looked to be meandering to the finish line, with the Blues struggling to get past halfway, as had been the main problem before half time as well.
And then, everything flipped - a match ignited by Ponga's shoulder and head straight into a flying Tolu Koula.
Just as the series opener did at this ground two years ago, a reckless shot to the head was punished with a send off. Joseph Sua'ali'i's foul was far more egregious, but there could be little argument that this one was a send off as well.
What it means for Queensland's team selection for game two is one thing, but what losing this means for their confidence is a far more pressing question.