The Maroons have a 1-0 lead coming into this one after winning an attritional opening match of the series 6-4.
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A defiant Daley said on Thursday afternoon that the retiring Gallen would play his final Origin game in the dead rubber.
But the Maroons again found something in front of 52,293 fans to ensure rookie coach Kevin Walters savoured victory in his first series at the helm.
QUEENSLAND captain Cameron Smith has implored his players not to fall into the trap of 12 months ago, and to wrap up the 2016 Holden State of Origin Series on home soil rather than risk a decider in Sydney. “We were criticised I suppose for our attack, but we scored the same amount of tries as Queensland, and they’re a great side”.
“If you look at Queensland from 2001 onwards there was a hard core of players that were always in your team”, Bennett said. “Devastating that we lost but there’s still one more game to go”.
Gould has long called for Gallen to be excluded from the Blues and indicated he felt Farah’s time was done too.
“Both teams will improve on game one, how much each team has will determine the result”, he said. Along with definitely the best hooker I have ever seen and a five-eighth who will probably be the best we’ll ever see to date.
All of the Far North are behind the Maroons, especially you Corey Parker for your last game for Queensland at Suncorp Stadium.
Queensland now chase their fifth series clean sweep after achieving the feat in 1988, 1989, 1995 and 2010.
Aaron Woods was among the Blues’ best in a bruising encounter.
But unlike the last time they met in Brisbane, NSW refused to say die.
Frizell forced his way over to bring the visitors back into the game and, even after Gagai completed his hat-trick on 62 minutes, touching down Thurston’s grubber kick, the Blues grabbed a try through James Maloney to keep their hopes alive and it needed a late score from winger Corey Oates seven minutes from the end to seal their fate.
Not everything went to plan.
Maroons forward Sam Thaiday is on report for a spear tackle on NSW Blues captain Paul Gallen in Origin II.
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And with South Sydney halfback Adam Reynolds likely to miss game three with a shoulder injury, Flanagan said Bird could do a job from the start in the halves.
