Gerringong's Tariq Sims makes a run for the Blues in Sunday's victory at Suncorp Stadium. Photo: Bradley Kanaris

WELL, at least we had the build-up.

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It's fair to say State of Origin Two didn't quite live up to its billing, but it's hard to see any game matching the the lead-in to Sunday's clash in the theatrical stakes. For drama, the game was always going to run second.

In the end, you could say the same about Queensland, who've lost both games and the series by a combined margin of 76-6.

It went to script in a way nothing else did in the lead-up. The Blues, headlined by Gerringong's Tariq Sims, naturally thought they were being sold a classic Origin-week dummy when talk of rookie sensation Reece Walsh breaking down at captain's run filtered through.

As it turned out, Tommy Turbo no longer possessed the most scrutinised hamstring in rugby league.

That was drama enough, until his replacement Ronaldo Mulitalo was sensationally rubbed out after it was discovered he hadn't moved to Queensland from New Zealand until he was 14, the discrepancy revealed by - wait for it - a story on the QRL's own website.

That, and the razor-sharp observations of Twitter sleuths, made it a melodrama for the modern age. When Xavier Coates, dropped after game one, was called back up you could almost hear the roar of punters flocking to their betting apps to back him in for the first try. It was just too juicy.

With all of that thrown in, the game itself shaped as the most underwhelming sequel since Godfather III. Just like Al Pacino couldn't salvage that flick, there was no salvaging this series for the Maroons.

The hosts started like a team that got embarrassed in game one, with Daniel Saifiti levelled on the first carry of the game. It was a sign of intent, but it was all Paul Green's side seemed capable of.

The Blues had some intent of their own and, crucially, the ability to follow through as they did after Latrell Mitchell snatched the ball away from Kyle Feldt one-on-one to open the door for Josh Addo-Carr's 11^{^th}minute try.

Mitchell pulled it from Queensland's grasp again, this time at the other end, when he plucked a Valentine Holmes long ball out of the air and raced 80 metres for his side's second.

When centre partner Trbojevic crossed on the opposite edge eight minutes before halftime, what was left of the contest seemingly went through the posts with Cleary's third conversion.

It gave the Blues an 18-nil lead despite Queensland having just about emptied the tank. Brad Fittler's side was just moving through the gears.

Trbojevic was denied a double minutes into the second half after officials pinged Cameron Murray for featuring in a three-pass shift after starting the play in front of the play-the-ball.

Daly Cherry-Evans was fortunate not to be binned when he felled Tariq Sims in pursuit of a grubber from Cleary. A penalty was deemed to suffice but it allowed Cleary to extend the lead to 20-nil and beyond three converted tries with still 31 minutes to play.

Isiah Yeo was perhaps equally lucky not to be binned after he yanked back Holmes, checking his support run on a Cameron Munster break.

Queensland had a glut of possession in the passage that followed but never really looked like constructing points, Xavier Coates coming closest only to be denied by the long arm of Trbojevic as he looked to finish in the corner.

Addo-Carr grabbed his second try with 10 minutes to play, an exclamation point on one of the most dominant series wins in the history of the interstate rivalry.

The only sour note is a COVID-19 lockdown that may yet prevent the Blues celebrating the series victory in Sydney, though it's unlikely that call will be made until the dust has settled.

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