Queensland were missing their injured captain and playmaker Darren Lockyer but were spoilt for choice for fullbacks with Melbourne's Billy Slater and the Broncos' Karmichael Hunt in tremendous season form.

Thurston lifted in the second half and threatened with a number of well-paced grubber kicks in- behind but he was marked closely by the man-of-the-match Greg Bird and the vigilant defence of Ryan Hoffman who also kept Folau and Inglis well contained.

As predicted by the pre-match press,[citation needed] the Blues attack was aimed at Scott Prince wherever possible but he was ably assisted by Brent Tate, defending alongside him.

Queensland were strong across the park with Johnathan Thurston shining, Israel Folau showing his class and veterans Steve Price and Petero Civoniceva giving tireless service.

For New South Wales, the only flawless performances were by captain Danny Buderus and fullback Brett Stewart,[citation needed] who pulled off a number of solo try-saving tackles.

Blues' utility Kurt Gidley had been shuffled at the last minute into the starting line-up over Brett Stewart, resulting in formal pre-match protest from Queensland.

[9] In the fifth minute the Maroons were advancing on the Blues' line when Queensland halfback Scott Prince put a high kick up to the right corner which Bues winger Anthony Quinn failed to catch, allowing Israel Folau to grab the ball and simply fall over the try-line.

Folau, coming through at speed, leapt above his opposite number to grab the ball and as he fell awkwardly back down, managed to ground it one-handed behind his head in what was a remarkable effort.

A few minutes later, New South Wales hooker Danny Buderus ran from dummy half, catching the Maroons' defence off-side and gaining his team a penalty, which Fitzgibbon successfully kicked, giving the Blues a 10 – 8 lead.

Queensland forward Nate Myles was lucky not to be sent off (but was later suspended for 6 weeks) for a tackle in the forty-eighth minute which upended Ben Cross[16] and resulted in another minor scuffle and a penalty to the Blues, but the Maroons withstood NSW's attack.

A few minutes later the game was halted when Queensland forward Michael Crocker was knocked out as Mitchell Pearce's attempted clearing kick sent the ball into the back of his head.

[17] Just at the sixty-seven minute mark Thurston, from within his own half, got the ball at first-receiver and threw a dummy, slicing through the defensive line before passing to Billy Slater running through in support to score the match-winning try under the posts.

In the final minutes the Blues attacked the Maroons' line repeatedly but could not break through and Queensland had won their third series in a row,[19] replicating "three-peats" achieved in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987, 1988, 1989.