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State of Origin 2025 Game 3 live: NSW Blues v Qld Maroons

State of Origin 2025 Game 3 live: NSW Blues v Qld Maroons

The Guardian09-07-2025
Update:
Date: 2025-07-09T09:02:41.000Z
Title: Preamble
Content: Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of State of Origin Game 3. Kick-off in the series decider between New South Wales and Queensland at Sydney's Accor Stadium is scheduled for 8:05pm AEST.
It all comes down to this. A peculiar, error-strewn and injury-affected Origin series will be decided this evening over 80 minutes in the heart of New South Wales. For the third time this year the Blues will run out hot favourites. For the second time in 2025 the Maroons will hope to upset the odds and celebrate Queensland's latest shield heist.
Billy Slater's side have only dominated around half-an-hour of the series so far, but they used that time to maximum effect. Between minutes 12 and 38 of game 2 in Perth they converted rare ascendancy into a match-winning 26 points to keep the series alive.
The Blues have been on the front foot for most of the other couple of hours of representative footy, without looking especially fluent. Even so, they ran the Maroons to within two points in Perth despite a 10-2 penalty count against them and kicking just 2/5 conversions.
The star of Queensland's series-saving victory was Cameron Munster, who shone as his state's captain for the first time following the axing of Daly Cherry-Evans.
And Munster has been the focus of the build-up to the decider following the news of the death of his father.
Will the Maroons rally around their skipper and produce a result for the ages? Will the Blues belatedly convert their ascendancy into a coherent 80 minute performance? One of the most dramatic nights in Australian sport awaits.
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