STATE OF ORIGIN: Daly Cherry-Evans and Jarome Luia scuffle leads to brawl and Nanai and Murray sin binning

The biggest Origin decider in a generation was billed as a kill or be killed duel and the players did not fail to deliver.

The first try was not scored until the 65th minute in a grinding Origin classic as NSW prevailed 14-4.

A scuffle between Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and NSW No.6 Jarome Luai at the 30-minute mark of the first half erupted into an all-in brawl that spilled into the Queensland bench.

Despite no punches being thrown MaroonJeremiah Nanai, who was the first man in, and Cameron Murray, who ran in off the Blues bench to involve himself, were both sinbinned.

Blues 19th man Haumole Olakau’atu - in dress shoes and formal attire - was also evicted from the playing field after he entered the fray.

Players came from all sides as television monitors and chairs were scattered by the flying bodies.

Confusingly for viewers and fans at the ground because Murray was not on the field when sinbinned NSW had to bring 30-year-old NSW debutant Mitchell Barnett onto the bench to reduce their on-field side to 12.

The TV coverage was also a talking point with the onscreen game clock not functioning for the first 10 minutes, which Channel 9 game caller Mat Thompson blamed on the “official clock” at Suncorp Stadium.

Emotions boiled over on Wednesday at a packed Suncorp Stadium after a tense, scoreless opening 20 minutes was dominated by huge defence.

Cherry-Evans and Luai exchanged pleasantries off the ball with some open palm face shoving to spark the melee, Nanai earning a 10-minute rest after he flew in and pushed the pair towards the sideline.

Murray, who had just been substituted, came from the bench and ended up at the bottom of a pile of players.

“That’s unacceptable, he needs to be sent,” Cherry-Evans said to referee Ashley Klein after he opted to sin-bin Murray rather than send him off.

An absorbing first half finished 2-0, Valentine Holmes slotting a penalty goal after the siren to break the deadlock.

Zac Lomax evened the score six minutes into the second half with a penalty goal before Holmes made it 4-2 to Queensland with his second penalty goal at the 59-minute mark.

Minutes later Bradman Best scored a watershed try for NSW after a Luai break down the left side. Lomax converted from the sideline to give NSW a 8-4 lead.

NSW halfback Mitchell Moses then broke through Queensland’s defence to race over from 20 metres out to score and extend the Blues’ lead to 14-4 with 10 minutes in the match remaining.

Queensland are chasing a 10th win from the last 11 deciders but, after being blown away in a game-two loss in Melbourne, were under the pump early against a fired-up NSW.

Five-eighth Tom Dearden kept the hosts intact though, cutting Blues forward Liam Martin in half with a perfect tackle on his tryline in the opening stages of the game.

Angus Crichton had a concussion scare in the first 10 minutes after an awkward blow to his head while tackling Reece Walsh but passed a mandatory 15-minute Head Injury Assessment.

Ben Hunt was sent for an Head Injury Assessment in the final 10 minutes of the first half but was cleared to resume duties in the second half.

The first two games were high scoring lop-sided affairs but Game III has been an Origin arm wrestle with both sides’ defence working extremely hard to deny their opponents.