New South Wales snatch a dramatic last-minute 18-14 victory to send retiring skipper Paul Gallen out an Origin winner and deny the Maroons a series clean sweep.
It was the first time the Blues had won a Game Three in Sydney after trailing 2-0 in a series.
Josh Morris, Josh Jackson and David Klemmer all featured throughout the 2016 series with Klemmer and Jackson playing in all three, while Morris only featured in game one with injury ruling him out of game two.
Below is a breakdown of each game, including their player ratings and match stats.
Game 1: QLD 6 ( Gagai try: Thurston goal) NSW 4 (Cordner try)
Summary: An exhausted Maroons outfit has held on in a scoreless second half to edge out a dour State of Origin series opener 6-4 at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night.
Both sides failed to convert their only try, meaning a Johnathan Thurston penalty goal was the final difference on the score sheet.
Bulldogs Player Ratings + Stats:
18. Josh Morris
Looked to have scored a crucial try with 15 minutes to go but was denied by the bunker instead. Kept Greg Inglis very quiet all night but knocked on from a penalty tap in a moment he'd like to have over. 6.5/10
Stats: 9 runs | 75 run metres | 1 tackle bust | 15 tackles
12. Josh Jackson
Didn't let anyone down with 60 metres and 36 tackles. 7/10
Stats: 7 runs | 60 run metres | 35 tackles | 1 offload
16. David Klemmer
Only played 32 minutes but still ran for 85 damaging metres. Sent Michael Morgan reeling with a trademark charge 10 minutes into the second half. 7/10
Stats: 9 runs | 84 run metres | 1 tackle bust | 22 tackles | 1 offload
Game 2: QLD 26 (Gagai 3, Oates tries: Thurston 5 goals) NSW 16 (Frizell, Maloney tries: Reynolds 3, Maloney goals)
Summary: Queensland won the 2016 Holden State of Origin Series with a pulsating 26-16 victory over New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Blues had the better of the first half and kept fighting their way back into the contest but they were unable to muster the resilience that has been the hallmark of this champion Queensland team when repeated errors turned the Origin blowtorch onto the NSW defence.
Bulldogs Player Ratings + Stats:
12. Josh Jackson
Led the Blues with 47 tackles and was rock-solid on the right edge for the entire 80 minutes. Provided plenty of support for Walker and Reynolds in defence and can hold his head high after another impressive showing for his state. 7.5/10
Stats: 7 runs | 63 run metres | 46 tackles
16. David Klemmer
Was solid in his 29-minute stint off the bench, but the Blues needed him to be more than that. Has shown what he is capable of at Origin level but was well handled by the Maroons. 5/10
Stats: 7 runs | 64 run metres | 17 tackles
Game 3: NSW 18 (Frizell, Fifita, Jennings tries: Maloney 2, Gallen goals) QLD 14 (Copper, Inglis, Boyd tries: Thurston goal)
Summary: A try in the final minute to centre Michael Jennings helped New South Wales snatch a dramatic last minute victory to send retiring skipper Paul Gallen out an Origin winner.
Gallen produced two try assists in the Blues' 18-14 win over Queensland.
Down 2-0 in the Origin series, NSW were able to avoid a clean sweep for the first time ever in Sydney when Jennings's 79th minute try pipped the Maroons at the post.
Bulldogs Player Ratings + Stats:
12. Josh Jackson
Did everything that was expected of him with 115 metres and 29 tackles in another efficient 80-minute showing for his state. 6.5/10
Stats: 12 runs | 99 run metres | 1 tackle bust | 28 tackles 1 line break
16. David Klemmer
Definitely his best game of the series with the Bulldogs big man producing the sort of numbers he's been delivering at club level in 2016. Klemmer carted it forward 12 times for 103 metres and added a couple of offloads. 6/10
Stats: 12 runs | 103 run metres | 2 tackle bust | 24 tackles | 1 offload
