State of Origin player ratings: See who starred and who flopped as NSW blew Queensland away to take the series to a decider in Brisbane
NSW destroyed Queensland in Origin II Series has gone to a decider in Brisbane Daily Mail Australia rates and slates the players
NSW have sent the State of Origin series to a decider, claiming game two by demolishing Queensland in a 38-18 bloodbath.
In front of 90,084 fans at Melbourne's MCG, Mitchell Moses led the Blues to victory with four try assists, squaring the series heading into the July 17 decider in Brisbane.
NSW have not won a decider in Brisbane since 2005 but they will go to Suncorp Stadium brimming with confidence after bullying the Maroons off the park.
Queensland whizz Reece Walsh was barely sighted as the Blues cruised to a 34-0 halftime lead with Brian To'o and fellow winger Zac Lomax scoring two tries each.
The Maroons showed a semblance of a second-half fightback but they were unable to reel in a dominant NSW side.
Here, Daily Mail Australia's Shayne Bugden provides his player ratings after the big match.
Brian To'o scored two tries in the rout and was mistake-free - but NSW played so well that he wasn't close to being man of the match
New South Wales
1. Dylan Edwards - 8
He couldn't have imagined a better debut than that. Scored a try, put Latrell Mitchell over for another, was rock solid under the high ball except for one blemish, and clocked up 176 metres with the ball.
2. Brian To'o - 8
Two tries, a massive help to his forwards with strong runs as the Blues came out of their own end, broke tackles with regularity, and helped set the tone early when he forced a dropout with some excellent defence.
3. Stephen Crichton - 8
On another Origin night, his spectacular juggling intercept and 70-metre burst off it would have been a match-turner, but the game was already over by then. A constant threat with and without the ball, he cemented his status as one of the best big-game players in the comp.
Latrell Mitchell sent a strong message to his critics as he excelled in his Origin return
4. Latrell Mitchell - 8
Plenty of Souths fans will be asking, where the hell has that been? He was committed and incredibly strong from the first tackle he took, dynamite in defence, crossed the stripe and his flick pass to set up a To'o try was a thing of beauty. He could be in strife with the judiciary, though.
5. Zac Lomax - 7
Good mix of brains and brawn from the Dragon, who scored a double - one with a fine take of a bomb - and made a smart play to force a penalty from a Maroons kickoff.
6. Jarome Luai - 8
Terrorised the Maroons with some precise and aggressive play at the line, combined with pinpoint kicks in their red zone, forcing extra sets, and setting up tries with vision and passing. The sort of game that will leave Wests fans excited about next year.
7. Mitchell Moses - 9
Thoroughly deserved man of the match - and the plaudits that came his way from Andrew Johns, who was rapt with his kicking, communication and organisation. He was nearly faultless with the boot, and even showed great aggression while running the ball or putting on a big shot in defence. An absolute Origin masterclass.
8. Jake Trbojevic - 6
That score would be higher if he hadn't seen just 34 minutes of action, to go with the very short time he was on the field in game one. Turned in his usual staunch front-on defence as the Blues won the contact battle right out of the gate.
Outstanding as they were, none of the other Blues could quite compare to Mitchell Moses, who made life very easy for the judges of the man of the match award
9. Reece Robson - 7
No incredible darting runs from dummy half, but he got through a huge amount of work in defence and his passing was crisp and had great width when the situation called for it.
10. Payne Haas - 7
He still hasn't turned in the game that stamps him as an absolute Origin force, but this was a better effort than we've seen from him for a while. Did a great job of getting sets rolling early in the tackle count, and the value of that shouldn't be underestimated.
11. Liam Martin - 7
Smart running to score his try and get the Blues on the scoreboard and his aggressive defence helped set the tone, as per usual - but he went a bit over the line, getting sin-binned and placed on report twice.
12. Angus Crichton - 8
Easily his best Origin game. He was the pick of the forwards not just for his intense physicality - as showcased by his belting of Val Holmes in the second half - but also his metre-eating and an amazing offload to play a major role in Mitchell's try.
13. Cameron Murray - 7
If you were asked to pick which Blues star was coming back after six weeks out with injury, you would never have chosen Murray. He put in 63 minutes of quality, always doing the little things just right and getting his trademark lightning-fast play the balls going.
Angus Crichton was the best forward on the park as he produced the best offload of the game and smashed holes in Queensland with and without the ball
14. Connor Watson - 4
Only 15 minutes for the debutant, but he caught the eye with strong running when he finally made it onto the field.
15. Isaah Yeo - 5
Didn't make it onto the field until 30 minutes of the match were gone and didn't have his usual big influence on the direction of the attack by playing like a giant five-eighth - but was still solid as a safe door.
16. Haumole Olakau'atu - 4
Didn't get enough time to show what he's really capable of - a shame, as seeing him taking on a beaten pack of Maroons would have been a sight to behold.
17. Spencer Leniu - 6
Only 28 minutes of game time, but he once again showed he is - cliche alert - made for Origin as he pulled out a series of barnstorming runs and looked to flatten ball carriers at every opportunity.
MAROONS
1. Reece Walsh - 4
Made several mistakes, getting caught in goal and hammered in defence, but also gave the Maroons a few highlights as he helped break the NSW line open down the Blues' right-hand side.
2. Xavier Coates - 4
Not a happy night in defence for the Storm flanker, who missed three tackles and couldn't stop Brian To'o.
3. Valentine Holmes - 5
Got stuck with the job of marking Latrell Mitchell and was under-qualified for it. Really picked up his game in the second half to be one of the Maroons' better stars but will probably wake up with bone bruising courtesy of Angus Crichton.
Reece Walsh (left) came nowhere near living up to his billing as the Maroons' trump card with the ball, but showed the odd flash as he found weaknesses in the NSW line
4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - 5
Has now scored at least one try every time he has played for the Maroons. Spent time off the field with a shoulder injury but returned to help set up Taulagi's try and was a handful for the right of the Blues line.
5. Murray Taulagi - 5
Like Walsh and the Hammer, he formed easily the most effective part of Queensland's attack, and his kick to set up Tabuai-Fidow's try was the best moment of the match for the Maroons. Couldn't stop Lomax's tries, though.
6. Tom Dearden - 5
Thoroughly outplayed by his opposite number, Jarome Luai, badly missed Liam Martin when he scored, but never gave up and ran hard in the second half.
7. Daly Cherry-Evans - 6
The pick of the bunch for the Maroons. Like the rest of the team, had a first half he'd prefer was never raised again in conversation, but turned it on in the second. One of the few in the side who can hold his head up when they look at their defence in the video session in camp for game three.
8. Reuben Cotter - 5
Cotter joins Cherry-Evans as one of Queensland's few effective defenders, but his job was to stop NSW rolling through the middle of the ruck. Didn't happen.
He was the Maroons' best, but Daly Cherry-Evans - like the rest of his teammates - was blown off the park in that historic first half
9. Ben Hunt - 4
One of the quietest games he's had in a long, long time. Didn't catch the eye once - which is highly unusual for a player of his quality.
10. Lindsay Collins - 4
Paled in comparison to Haas, Leniu, Trbojevic and Angus Crichton when it came to aggression and impact in the middle.
11. Jaydn Su'A - 4
That line break early in the first half was as good as it got for him. Struggled in defence at times, falling off tackles including one attempt he'd love to have back when Liam Martin crossed.
12. Jeremiah Nanai - 4
Made 39 tackles and scored the Maroons' first try, but was quiet as the grave in the first half.
13. Patrick Carrigan - 5
The pick of the Queensland pack with 154 run metres and a lot of work in defence, with effective tackling. Another star who won't be freaking out about getting picked apart in the team's next video session.
14. Harry Grant - 4
About the only time you heard his name called was when his forehead got split open from some friendly fire while defending in the first half.
15. Moeaki Fotuaika 4
Had some decent runs in his 36 minutes off the bench but NSW did some good work whenever they ran the ball at him.
16. Felise Kaufusi 3
Only 11 minutes of game time, and he didn't do much with it.
17. Kurt Capewell - 4
You want your bench players to make an impact, and he didn't. Was able to fill in for Tabuai-Fidow in the centres when he was off hurt.