Queensland found a way through at the MCG in Melbourne on a night when NSW had been on top, with Loiero striking in Game II after an early spell that left the Maroons chasing the contest. The try arrived at 27 mins, a sharp turn in a match that had already forced Queensland to lean on its bench and rethink its shape.
That matters because this was not a flowing Queensland spell. By 19 mins, Slater had already used two interchanges, there was no sign of Reece Walsh, and the Maroons were still trying to find a foothold while NSW looked stronger up front. Cleary had already kicked a goal from the right sideline and Nawaqanitawase had finished in the corner, so Queensland needed a reply fast. Loiero, who had come off the interchange at 16 mins, gave it to them.
The score was built on a brief opening that Queensland had worked hard to create. At 16 mins, the Maroons got a full set inside 30m, but Walker grubbered too deep on the last. They were still being squeezed at 18 mins, with NSW remaining conservative with ball in hand, and by 24 mins the message was plain: Queensland needed to find something soon. At 25 mins, Munster produced a superb tackle on Staggs to force the ball free, but even that did not change the broader picture. One minute later, Queensland had a full set in attacking territory and still made little impact.
Then the match twisted. Munster had his head slammed into the deck at 27 mins and was invited to take an HIA, with Cotter brought on as his replacement. Yet Queensland scored through Loiero almost immediately, and Walker converted from under the dot. It was the kind of response that can keep a side alive even when the numbers and territory are against it. The open question is whether Munster came back after the HIA; the update did not say, and in a game already shaped by earlier HIA concerns for Tino, that missing detail hangs over Queensland’s night.
There was still more work to do after the try. At 28 mins, Queensland made little ground from the restart before Koula was caught high by Walker for a penalty, and the Blues declined the two points and kicked to the left corner. For Queensland, Loiero’s try was more than a score. It was proof that in State Of Origin, one clean finish can briefly cut through a spell of pressure that otherwise looks ready to swallow a side whole.
