Written off as the biggest underdogs in State of Origin history pre-series, Paul Vautin’s Super League-ravaged Maroons side completed only the fourth whitewash in the concept’s history in a glorious game three victory lap in Brisbane.
Following heroic boilovers in Sydney (2-0) and Melbourne (20-12), the ragtag Queensland squad’s motivation remained sky-high ahead of the 1995 dead-rubber in front of their home fans.
A chastened, star-studded NSW outfit, meanwhile, was determined to salvage something from the wreckage of a barely comprehendible series defeat.
The Blues made several changes – most notably dropping Andrew Johns in favour of Manly captain Geoff Toovey, while Mark Carroll returned for Dean Pay and Matthew Johns came back from injury. The Maroons named an unchanged squad and captain Trevor Gillmeister, on a drip suffering from a leg infection, inspired his troops by famously checking himself out of hospital and lining up.
“Playing was something I just had to do,” ‘The Axe’ revealed post-match.
“Something like this doesn’t’ happen every day and I wanted to be a part of it.”
The home side took the early ascendancy when Jason Smith powered through the tackles of Steve Menzies and Paul Harragon to score a 12th-minute try. The Blues responded as Paul McGregor bumped off Ben Ikin and offloaded for Tim Brasher to cross out wide, before claiming their first lead of the series when Brad Fittler combined with Brasher to send Rod Wishart over five minutes before the break.
Queensland snatched back the advantage seconds before halftime when Danny Moore hit a hole off a Mark Coyne pass.
Fiery Maroons prop Tony Hearn was lucky to remain on the field earlier in the first half after launching a head-butt at Carroll, sparking a brawl. David Manson’s failure to dismiss the North Sydney enforcer solidified speculation referees would not send players off in Origin (Manson would create history in 1996 by marching Queensland’s Craig Greenhill in an Origin first) but Hearn paid the penalty post-match, incurring an eight-match suspension to cruel an almost certain Test call-up.
Fittler provided yet again with an inside ball for backrower Adam Muir to charge over in the first minute of the second half, pushing NSW 16-12 in front. But danger-man Smith thwarted the Blues once more, making a 20-metre dummy-half run before linking with Dallas – game two’s length-of-the-field hero – who sprinted 50 metres untouched for another memorable try.
A 24-16 result and improbable series whitewash was completed in the 77th minute when NSW replacement Matt Seers spilled a Lam bomb and 18-year-old Ikin picked up the scraps to dot down.
A proud but emotionally drained ‘Fatty’ Vautin was congratulated on the sideline by his beaming predecessor, Wally Lewis, before joining his team on the park in front of an adoring, appreciative Brisbane crowd.
Gillmeister was the sentimental hero, chaired from the field before returning to his hospital bed, while Lam was named man of the match. The often-prickly Phil Gould offered no excuses for the Blues’ failings, instead heaping praise on the victorious underdogs.
“I’ve had plenty of great moments through football and this is a sad one … but I guess you can’t win forever,” the Blues coach said.
Queensland’s iconic cleansweep was a classic sporting tale of emotion and desire trumping talent. Team manager Chris Close, man of the match in the 1980 and ’81 one-off Origin fixtures, credited Vautin’s address to the team at their initial meeting as the catalyst for one of rugby league’s great boilovers.
“Within five minutes he had them in his hands,” ‘Choppy’ Close said.
“It was a brilliant performance. Then ‘Fatty’ asked me to say a few words to the team.
“My bottom lip seized up … it was quivering away as I tried to say what I wanted to say, and I could barely get the words out.
“I just felt part of something special. We never really looked back after that first meeting … it just got better and better.”
The Maroons were rewarded by the Australian selectors, too, with eight of the triumphant squad – including the 31-year-old Gillmeister – winning immediate Test debuts for the series opener against New Zealand, while two more were selected in the second Test squad.
