Queensland takes the lead as State of Origin III kicks off – despite referees shooting down Billy Slater’s first try
- Queensland have taken an early lead in the final game of State of Origin series
- Retiring Maroons legend Billy Slater was denied a try in the early stages
- Winger Valentine Holmes nabbed an intercept and raced length of the field
Queensland have taken an early lead in the final game of this year’s State of Origin series.
Maroons winger Valentine Holmes nabbed an intercept and raced the length of the field to score against the run of play.
Holmes’s conversion gave Queensland a 6-0 lead in what has been a first half of few opportunities at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Queensland have taken an early lead in the final game of this year’s State of Origin series
Maroons winger Valentine Holmes nabbed an intercept and raced the length of the field to score against the run of play
Retiring Queensland legend Billy Slater was denied a try early in the game after he was ruled to have knocked the ball on while attempting to collect a Daly Cherry-Evans kick.
New South Wales were without playmaker James Maloney for the last ten minutes of the first half after the five-eighth was sin-binned.
He was sent from the field for taking out Slater off the ball as they tried to chase down a grubber kick.
Queensland’s successful penalty goal extended their lead to 8-0 at the end of the first half.
New South Wales struck back with an intercept of their own close to half time.
Tom Trbojevic picked off Cameron Munster’s cut-out pass to score the Blues first try.
Nathan Cleary converted the try to reduce Queensland’s lead to just two points.
Holmes’s conversion gave Queensland a 6-0 lead in what has been a first half of few opportunities at Brisbane ‘s Suncorp Stadium (Pictured: David Klemmer runs at Queensland’s Andrew McCullough)
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