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Queensland defeated New South Wales 18-16 in State of Origin II at ANZ Stadium to send the series into a decider. 

Here are the Queensland player ratings. 

1. Billy Slater

Did not miss a beat after a two-year Origin hiatus, causing headaches for the Blues from the get-go. One of Queensland's best. 8.5/10.  

2. Valentine Holmes 

Mixed night. Had a nervy start making a mistake with his first carry in the opening minutes, but he made up for it in the 9th minute with a spectacular try. Another mistake before half-time undid his good work. 5.5/10  

3. Will Chambers

Tackled into touch during Queensland's first attacking raid and then caught out of position to give NSW their first points. Worked hard carrying the ball out of his own end all night. Had great awareness to put Gagai over. Always involved.  7/10

4. Darius Boyd 

Slotted into centre seamlessly, setting up Queensland's first try with a classy draw and pass. Did not put a foot wrong. 7/10   

5. Dane Gagai 

Tackled into touch with his side on the attack. Tried hard all night and jagged a try to keep his side in it during the second half. Led his side by running for the most metres then scored the match-winning try. What a player he is becoming. 9/10

6. Johnathan Thurston

Proved there was no issues with his shoulder with a try-saving tackle on Tyson Frizell in the first half. Uncharacteristically kicked out on the full before injuring his shoulder. Excellent goal-kicking helped the Maroons to the win. Brave effort playing through injury. 6/10

7. Cooper Cronk 

Did not have his usual impact, with the strongest part of his game, his kicking, hardly seen. The Maroons looked unorganised at times and in need of some inspiration. Late line break almost broke the game open. 6/10

8. Dylan Napa 

Ran for just 23 metres in the first 20 minutes before going off. Made an impact in his second stint and was always looking for the big play. Really lifted when his side needed it.  8/10

9. Cameron Smith 

Did nothing wrong. Hardly noticed which is a good sign for a hooker. Plenty of tackles and a couple of very smart decisions with the boot. 7.5/10

10. Jarrod Wallace 

Only two runs in his first 20-minute stint. Struggled with the speed of the game, blowing his lungs out when he came off. As a starting prop he needed to do more in the opening stanza. Did not return. 3/10 

11. Gavin Cooper

Solid without being brilliant. Tackled his heart out and put in an 80-minute performance. Can hold his head high. 8.5/10

12. Matt Gillett 

Plenty of tackles but not much of a threat in attack. Workmanlike performance from one of the best second-row forwards in the game. Costly error late in the match. 6/10

13. Josh McGuire 

Huge work rate in defence, making 24 tackles in the first half alone. Set up Queensland's second with a barnstorming run and finished with 49 tackles. 9/10

14. Michael Morgan 

Made a poor start, knocking on with the try line in sight with his first carry. Only had four runs in a 25-minute stint. Came back on and threw a superb flick pass to put Gagai over for the match-winning try. 6/10 

15. Coen Hess 

Limited opportunity on debut. Can't fault his performance and hard to be critical of the young forward. Bright future. 4/10

16. Tim Glasby 

Was on the field for only a few seconds before missing a tackle on James Maloney that led to NSW's second try of the night. Bad read minutes later helped the Blues score again. Worked hard up the middle to try and make up for it but the damage had been done. 4/10

17. Josh Papalii

The Maroons' best bench forward. Bent the Blues' line back on many occasions and took it upon himself to put in the hard yards. Two runs in the first set after half-time typified this. 7/10

This article first appeared on NRL.COM

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