State of Origin: slow and steady wins the race for Billy Slater’s Queensland in contrast to kamikaze NSW | Nick Tedeschi

Slater has re-instilled the Maroons’ famed State of Origin resilience but there are some tough questions about Blues coach Brad Fittler

Queensland’s back-to-back State of Origin series wins – their first since 2017 – thanks to a dominant 32-6 Game Two win at Suncorp in front of a delirious home crowd will only add to Maroons lore. Yet for New South Wales, it was a humiliating and self-inflicted defeat, which has taken the Blues to a crossroads at which some difficult decisions need to be made.

The tortoise and the hare is an appropriate parable for both this series and the Billy Slater-Brad Fittler coaching rivalry. For two years, Slater has been deliberate and methodical in his approach – in planning and preparation, team selection and interchange rotation, and how to deal with game plans and players who missed being picked. All contingencies have been prepared for. There has been nothing sexy about Slater’s approach but Queensland have just gone into every game confident they were ready and would not be let down by those off the field.