2001 State of Origin series

Game I

Queensland stalwart coach Wayne Bennett made it a personal mission to regain the great loss of credibility suffered from the 2000 series whitewash and 40 point last game defeat and decided he wanted his old Maroon coaching job back after a two-year sojourn. bg = #eeeeee | date = Sunday, May 6, 2001 | team2 = [[File:New South Wales colours.svg|16px]] New South Wales | score = 34–16 | report = (Report) | team1 = Queensland [[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] | points1 = Darren Lockyer (14 - 1t,5g) Darren Smith (4 - 1t) John Buttigieg (4 - 1t) John Doyle (4 - 1t) Carl Webb (4 - 1t) Chis Walker (4 - 1t) | points2 = (4 - 2g) Michael De Vere (4 - 1t) Matthew Gidley (4 - 1t) Brad Fittler (4 - 1t) Trent Barrett | stadium = Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | attendance = 38,909 | referee= Bill Harrigan | manofmatch= Gorden Tallis }}

In game I Queensland blooded no less than ten new players{{cite news

Game II

Queensland went into game 2 without captain Gorden Tallis who was out with a neck injury. bg = #eeeeee | date = Sunday, June 10, 2001 | team1 = New South Wales [[File:New South Wales colours.svg|16px]] | score = 26–8 | report = (Report) | team2 = [[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] Queensland | points1 = Brad Fittler (8 - 2t) Ryan Girdler (6 - 3g) Jamie Ainscough (**4 **- 1t) Trent Barrett (4 - 1t) Luke Ricketson (4 - 1t) | points2 = (4 - 2g) Darren Lockyer (4 - 1t) Chris Walker | stadium = Telstra Stadium, Sydney | attendance = 70,249 | referee= Bill Harrigan | manofmatch= Trent Barrett }}

Played before 70,000 at Telstra Stadium, Blues skipper Brad Fittler scored two tries in what was to be his last match for NSW on home soil and inspired his side to a 26-8 victory. Man of the match was Trent Barrett playing halfback for the first time due to injuries to Brett Kimmorley and Andrew Johns. Debutante Mark O'Meley was particularly impressive, setting up Fittler's first try after 53 minutes with a smashing run that sent defenders skittling.

Game III

The lead up to Game III was dominated by emotion regarding Brad Fittler's pending retirement from representative football after 29 Origin appearances. But with the series tied at one game apiece Queensland needed some special emotion of their own to avoid a loss. Without inspirational captain Tallis and an established halves pairing, coach Bennett undertook furtive negotiations with Maroon's veteran Allan Langer, then in his second English season and captain of the Warrington Wolves, and the rumours were only confirmed after Langer had boarded a plane (under a false name) for the flight home, bound for his 31st career Origin appearance.{{cite news bg = #eeeeee | date = Sunday, 1 July 2001 | team2 = [[File:New South Wales colours.svg|16px]] New South Wales | score = 40–14 | report = (Report) | team1 = Queensland [[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] | points1 = Darren Lockyer (16 - 2t,4g) Chris Walker (**8 **- 2t) Paul Bowman (8 - 2t) Allan Langer (4 - 1t) Dane Carlaw (4 - 1t) | points2 = (14 - 2t,3g) Ryan Girdler | stadium = ANZ Stadium, Brisbane | attendance = 49,441 | referee= Bill Harrigan | manofmatch= Darren Lockyer }}

Despite NSW centre Ryan Girdler scoring the fastest try in Origin history after 39 seconds, Queensland took a 28-8 lead into the break with Langer heavily involved in three of the Maroons' first half tries. Alongside Darren Lockyer who created his own form of havoc, Langer tore New South Wales to shreds and capped his comeback in the 54th minute when he scored a trademark solo try from close range to sentence the Blues to a series-deciding loss and Fittler to his own bittersweet representative farewell (although he would make a comeback three years later and help his state to a victory in his final year before retirement).

Sydney's The Daily Telegraph reacted to the New South Wales team's Origin loss with this headline on the front of its paper on July 2, 2001: "BLOODY ALF".

New South Wales squad

Queensland squad

References

Sources

• Big League's 25 Years of Origin Collectors' Edition, News Magazines, Surry Hills, Sydney

References

1. Barrow, Tim. (6 July 2011). "State of Origin: The deciders". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
2. (23 May 2012). "The 30 greatest controversies in 30 years of State of Origin series". [[The Courier-Mail]].