Loz cause: Queensland produce another Origin boilover to stun Daley's Blues
Another controversial selection, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the No.1 jersey, also proved a masterstroke. Chosen ahead of Broncos poster boy Reece Walsh, he proved dangerous in broken play and a rock in defence on his try line. In a rare moment of broken-field action, 'The Hammer' kept moving when the Blues had given up on the play, giving Dearden a saloon passage to glory. Later, when the Blues began the second half with purpose, he produced two try-savers in the one set.
Everyone in maroon was playing above themselves. Valentine Holmes, whose goal-kicking ensured his side kept going up in increments of six, produced a bell-ringer in defence. Nobody has previously stopped Brian To'o from close range, and yet Dearden somehow managed it. But nothing would have hurt the Blues more than watching Harry Grant burrowing over just before the break, a case of his desire to score stronger than that of the defence to stop him.
It was wave after wave of Maroon and the Blues could do nothing to stop it. Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai have produced so many magnificent moments on this very stage, but just couldn't get their game together.
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Not that their forwards gave them much to play off. This was another occasion where Daley's loyalty was not rewarded. He stuck with Stefano Utoikamanu and Max King, at a time when Terrell May and Keaon Koloamatangi were making compelling cases. Would they have made a difference? We'll never know. But it only adds to the belief that the series was won before a ball was kicked, at the selection table.
It will be remembered as a boilover, the Blues again unable to finish what they started. But can it really be a boilover when it keeps happening?
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Bayley Fritsch got the Demons back within a kick with the first major of the final term, and the tight contest wasn't over until well after Charlie Curnow's long bomb gave Carlton breathing space with less than three minutes to play. Blues spearhead Curnow ended his four-week goal drought with three majors, finishing with 15 disposals and eight marks opposed to May. Cripps had 29 disposals and eight clearances for Carlton, and was at the centre of a half-time melee after a confrontation with rival skipper Max Gawn. Pickett was outstanding for Melbourne with two first-quarter goals and a pair of brilliant snaps - one from each pocket - in the third term. He finished with five goals from 23 touches, while Demons midfielder Clayton Oliver had 26 disposals and seven clearances in his 200th AFL game. Melbourne's loss left them in 13th place with a 6-12 record.
