The Queensland rugby league team beat New South Wales 24-14 in Sydney to claim an unprecedented fourth straight State of Origin series triumph.
In front of 80,000 fans, the Maroons pounced on a series of rookie mistakes from the fledgling Blues outfit to take an 18-0 lead after 25 minutes and for all money a rout looked on the cards.
To their credit though the Blues dug in deep and fought their way back to 18-14 with 18 minutes left , however Queensland sealed the win with a late try to Cameron Smith.
The Maroons' success was made all the more meritorious by the fact they had five players plagued by a stomach bug before kick-off and another four injured during the clash.
Maroons captain Darren Lockyer, criticised for his defence heading in but who did not miss a single tackle, hailed the tenacity of his champion side.
The Maroons will attempt a clean sweep in game three in Brisbane in three weeks, but for now their immediate focus is on their injury concerns.
