BLUES PLAYER RATINGS FOR THE STATE OF ORIGIN DECIDER:

1. JAMES TEDESCO – Shining light among the Blues’ backs. A gallant effort but lacked support to damage the Maroons. 7

2. BLAKE FERGUSON – Ran aggressively but didn’t get his hands on the football enough. 6

3. JOSH DUGAN – Scored the Blues’ only try with a superb aerial contest. Struggled to have a major impact outside of that and made a couple of rudimentary errors. 6.5

4. JARRYD HAYNE – Went missing in the first half and failed to pass when NSW had a chance to score in the second. Didn’t show enough in defence. 5.5

5. BRETT MORRIS – Brilliant try-saving tackle on Cooper Cronk helped the Blues to be closer than they should have been at halftime. Workmanlike in defence, but limited opportunities in attack. 6.5

6. JAMES MALONEY – Set up Dugan’s try with a high kick but an otherwise quiet night in attack. Made up for missed tackles with a try-saving effort on Tim Glasby as he loped towards the line. 7

7. MITCHELL PEARCE – Couldn’t get control. Failed to hurt the Maroons with his kicking in a largely forgettable night. 5

8. AARON WOODS – Showed glimpses early but one of the many key Blues’ players who couldn’t fight the Maroons’ tide. 6

9. NATHAN PEATS – Worked hard in defence and hard to fault his distribution. Has shown he is a worthy Origin player. 7

10. ANDREW FIFITA – Failed to have the impact which broke apart game one. 5

11. JOSH JACKSON – Didn’t play a major part with Queensland’s pack on top of the NSW forwards. 5

12. BOYD CORDNER (capt) – Patchy performance. Finished with almost 140 metres but made costly errors. 6.5

13. TYSON FRIZELL – Was good when the momentum swung back to NSW early in the second half, but well held overall. 6

INTERCHANGE:

14. DAVID KLEMMER – Best of the Blues’ big men. Ran for more than 160 metres and had more impact through the middle than starting props Woods and Fifita. 7.5

15. WADE GRAHAM – Gave away a penalty at a crucial time in the second half which led to the Maroons regaining momentum. 5

16. JAKE TRBOJEVIC – Good performance in a losing cause, proving he will be an Origin mainstay in years to come. 7

17. JACK BIRD – Came off the bench and showed glimpses but limited minutes. 6