The Blues still needed to land the conversion to secure the win, with Cleary in charge of goal-kicking duties.<\/p>\n
After the clock stopped with five seconds left, Cleary sent the crowd into a frenzy when he coolly landed the decisive two points<\/a>.<\/p>\n It capped off a remarkable comeback, with the Blues trailing 20-6 as late as the 62nd minute.<\/p>\n Tedesco was a contentious selection, with Blues coach Laurie Daley opting for the Roosters custodian over incumbent Dylan Edwards.<\/p>\n 2. Ponga given marching orders<\/p>\n Holding a 14-point lead, 17 minutes into the second half, it appeared the Maroons were headed for a comfortable win.<\/p>\n That was when the match turned on its head.<\/p>\n Blues winger Tolutau Koula was steaming down the left touchline, with Kalyn Ponga coming across in cover defence.<\/p>\n Ponga helped Sam Walker stop Koula in his tracks, but his shoulder made contact with the head of the Blues debutant.<\/p>\n Kalyn Ponga (left) is sent from the field by referee Ashley Klein. (AAP: Mark Evans)<\/p>\n A scuffle between the two teams ensued but once the dust settled, referee Ashley Klein called out Ponga and delivered the news no Maroons supporter wanted to hear.<\/a><\/p>\n “It’s a shoulder charge, you’re off,” Klein told a bewildered Ponga, who attempted to plead his case.<\/p>\n Ponga’s send-off was judged extreme by the Nine TV commentary team.<\/p>\n “It’s a sin-bin,” Andrew Johns said.<\/p>\n Koula did not appear again in the match, having left the field before failing an HIA.<\/p>\n The Maroons were forced to finish the match with 12 players, allowing the Blues to launch their fightback.<\/p>\n 3. Bunker denies Blues try<\/p>\n Were the Blues robbed in the first half?<\/p>\n In the 36th minute, Cameron Murray appeared to have scored a try after chasing through on Reece Robson’s kick, which had bounced off the posts into the in-goal area.<\/p>\n Murray beat Kurt Capewell to the ball but almost lost control it before grounding for what would have been the Blues’ second try.<\/p>\n Cameron Murray (right) was penalised for interfering with Kurt Capewell. (Nine Network)<\/p>\n Klein, however, referred the play to the bunker, who claimed Murray was “playing the man”<\/a>, that being Capewell, and gave the Maroons a penalty.<\/p>\n “There’s not much in it but as soon as he places hands on Capewell’s back, that’s what they look for,” Maroons great Cameron Smith said on Nine’s coverage.<\/p>\n Murray was ready to celebrate, as was the parochial Blues crowd.<\/p>\n It would have been a regulation conversion attempt had the try been awarded, given the proximity to the posts, which would have set up a 20-12 scoreline in the Maroons’ advantage.<\/p>\n Instead, the Maroons took a 20-6 lead into the half-time break.<\/p>\n 4. Solid Origin debuts<\/p>\n Several players were making their Origin debuts, but Ethan Strange was perhaps the most impressive.<\/p>\n A late inclusion for the Blues following Mitchell Moses’s injury, Strange stood tall, scoring the try that kick-started the host’s fightback following Ponga’s send-off.<\/p>\n He was penalised late in the match when the Blues were on the attack, but it was an otherwise blemish-free debut from the Canberra Raiders star.<\/p>\n For the Maroons, any fears Sam Walker would be feeling nerves in his Origin debut abated early in the first half.<\/p>\n In one of his first touches, Walker set up Robert Toia for the opening try of the match in the 10th minute<\/a>.<\/p>\n Deep inside Blues’ territory, the Maroons went right from dummy half through Harry Grant, who found Walker at first receiver.<\/p>\n The Maroons halfback took the ball to the line and stabbed a kick behind the oncoming Blues defenders, as Toia sprinted through to touch down for his try.<\/p>\n Only four minutes later, Walker threw the final pass to Tom Flegler for the Maroons’ second try of the match.<\/p>\n 5. Maroons honour ‘brother’ Arrow Jai\u00a0Arrow travelled with the Maroons squad to Stadium Australia. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)<\/p>\n The news Jai Arrow had been diagnosed with MND<\/a> rocked the rugby league world last week.<\/p>\n ABC Sport Daily podcast<\/a><\/p>\n ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that’s making headlines.<\/p>\n Arrow made 12 Origin appearances for the Maroons during his career, which was tragically cut short following his diagnosis.<\/p>\n The 30-year-old spent time with the Maroons in camp before Origin I and travelled with the squad on their bus to Stadium Australia on Wednesday evening<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow was named the Maroons’ honorary 21st man, with a jersey bearing his name hanging up in the sheds before the match.<\/p>\n “Tonight we play for our brother,” a Maroons’ Instagram post read.<\/p>\n Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n The Maroons’ touching gesture is the latest example of the NRL community uniting behind Arrow.<\/p>\n![\"Kalyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/88e7957eef37ae26ce1161ada03368ab.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f66895b0c61ef8ef0ea69c31080e71eb.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Jai](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d0036c6c9d8278aa54d028e78c205413.jpeg\")
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