Fatigue and a rampaging NSW team were the two sides of a State of Origin vice that crushed Queensland at Optus Stadium in Perth, with the Blues winning 44-12 to set up a series-deciding showdown at Suncorp Stadium on July 13.

Queensland were brave, but sheer exhaustion caused by a mountain of defensive work meant they were powerless to stop the Blues, capping an awful weekend for Maroons fans.

On Thursday, Queensland’s Under 19 Origin team was hammered 32-4 in Sydney.

On Friday, the Queensland Women’s team had their hearts broken with a gut-wrenching 20-14 loss in Canberra.

Finally, on a bloody Sunday in Perth, the Maroons were torn apart by a Blues team that scored five unanswered tries in the second half, ripping the scab off the 2021 series nightmare and proving that wound is still some way from healing for Queenslanders.

The long flight home from the west would have given coach Billy Slater plenty of time to start the homework required to rebuild, regroup and re-arm his squad for their assignment at Suncorp Stadium, and snatch a series they had at their mercy after Origin I.

Queensland simply ran out of gas in the second half in Perth, with the sin-binning of Felise Kaufusi 75 seconds before halftime proving a seismic shift in the Maroons’ fortunes.

Until that point, Queensland had looked composed and comfortable and – with two well-constructed tries to Kaufusi and Cameron Munster – in control with a 12-8 lead over the Blues.

But in the final minutes before the break, NSW were allowed to set up camp in Queensland’s end, courtesy of a string of six-again calls that required all of the Maroons’ courage and energy reserves to keep the Blues at bay.

Just as it appeared Queensland had done enough to keep their line intact before the break, Kaufusi was marched for holding down in the ruck.

The Blues were good enough to make the most of the extra number, driving a play down the absent Kaufusi’s right edge to score in the corner through Brian To’o.

It was a massive swing in momentum.

In one minute, NSW had taken Queensland’s lead, momentum and upper-hand, knowing they would have an extra man for the first nine minutes of the second half.

While the Blues did not score again in that time, they laid the platform for the war of attrition that was to follow, grinding the Maroons into submission and suffocating them out of the contest.

The Maroons did not help their own cause however, choking on a flood of errors that gifted NSW possession and field position, enabling them to keep a blue foot on Queensland’s throat.

The Maroons missed 60 tackles in the match, but silly errors – dropped and uncontested high kicks, knock-ons at dummy-half, being stripped of possession multiple times and generally lacking respect for the ball – were the biggest factor in a Blue wave becoming a tsunami.

Despite copping another 32-point kicking at Optus Stadium – the same margin as the last time they played there in 2019 – there were bright spots for the Maroons.

The two tries were brilliantly constructed, and were sparked by Harry Grant coming off the bench to push Ben Hunt into a floating playmaker role.

It paid dividends firstly on the right side, with Hunt combining with Daly Cherry-Evans and Kalyn Ponga to put Kaufusi through, then on the right with Hunt, Munster, Ponga and Valentine Holmes breaking the Blues apart for Munster to score with his second touch in the play.

And Queensland’s scrambling defence, until they drowned under the sheer fatigue of the excessive workload, was first rate.

The ingredients are all still there, and the brilliance of their performance in Origin I should not be forgotten.

And now, coming home to a series decider in front of a full-house of passionate Queenslanders in Brisbane, the Maroons have all the motivation they need to pick up the pieces and finish the job they started.

NSW 44 (Cleary 2, Burton, To’o, Tupou, Luai, Crichton tries; Cleary 8 goals) d QLD 12 (Kaufusi, Munster tries; Holmes 2 goals) at Optus Stadium, Perth. Crowd: 59,368. Halftime: NSW 14-12.

In the women’s Origin match on Friday, Queensland looked to have produced a traditional Maroon miracle four minutes from fulltime when Shenae Ciesiolka scored to give the delirious Maroons the lead at GIO Stadium.

Ciesiolka finished off an amazing piece of play after winger Julia Robinson brilliantly latched onto a bomb from skipper Ali Brigginshaw, tearing the Sky Blues’ defence apart before setting Ciesiolka off for the line.

But when the try was sent to the video referee for review, it showed the two Queensland outside backs had been offside from the kick, and the try was denied, handing the lead back to NSW again.

The Sky Blues made the most of their escape act, regrouping and sealing the win with a try to Isabelle Kelly to bank their 20-14 victory.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Queenslanders, who defended so brilliantly in the opening stages before Destiny Brill scored in the 8^th minute to give the Maroons the lead.

The Blues counter-punched with back-to-back tries in the 13^th and 15^th minute to kick clear, but Maroons five-eighth Tarryn Aiken grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck with a brilliant individual try in the 21^st minute to drag Queensland back into the contest.

Old-timers might have had a flashback to a famous try scored by another Queensland No.6 more than 30 years earlier – King Wally Lewis’ effort in Game 2 of the 1989 Origin series – as Aiken sold a couple of dummies to keep defenders at bay on her way to the line.

Her try had Queensland within striking distance at 14-10 down at halftime, but the Sky Blues were given a bit of extra breathing room with a penalty goal in the 41^st minute.

It proved to be a crucial buffer.

In the 56^th minute, the Maroons surged again – scoring down a skinny left blindside through Evania Pelite.

But Lauren Brown’s kick from the sideline hit the post, ensuring NSW kept the lead with enough in the tank to survive the frantic final moments and win the game.

NSW 20 (E Tonegato, K Dibb, I Kelly tries; R Person 4 goals) d QLD 14 (D Brill, T Aiken, E Pelite tries; A Brigginsahw goal) at GIO Stadium, Canberra. Crowd: 11,321. Halftime: NSW 14-10