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In years to come, New South Welshmen will no doubt look back at the 2024 State of Origin series as one of their greatest-ever wins.
After being thrashed 38-10 in Sydney in game one, the way they bounced back in Melbourne before overcoming Queensland in a brutal decider in Brisbane was arguably the greatest comeback in the state’s history.
While coming back from 1-0 down is an extraordinary feat in and of itself, the number of comebacks by New South Wales players in 2024 intertwines perfectly with the series as a whole.
Nobody exemplifies this better than the player of the series, Angus Crichton.
After his disastrous personal year in 2023, headlined by his mental health struggles, his return in 2024 has been incredible.
He started the year playing in the Roosters NSW Cup team. It didn’t take him long to return to first grade, with his stunning form catapulting him back into the State of Origin arena.
To be acknowledged as the player of the series is a tribute to the never-give-up nature of the man.
Another comeback of a different kind was that of five-eighth Jarome Luai.
The Panther has spent the majority of his career playing second fiddle to Nathan Cleary, with plenty of punters accusing him of being carried by his halves partner.
With Cleary unavailable for Penrith due to injury for a large part of 2024, Luai has stepped up, finding career-best fom.
After consecutive series losses in 2022 and 2023, it looked as though his Origin career was over after being sent off at the end of the second game in 2023.
The injuries to Cleary and Mitchell Moses opened the door for Luai to return to the Origin arena, where he has put in his best performances in the blue jersey.
The third game in particular, where he dominated Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans, came up with a couple of crucial drop outs and set up Bradman Best’s try.
Some comebacks have simply been off the back of injuries.
Connor Watson missed the entire 2023 season with a serious knee injury. Like Crichton, he had to win his back into first grade via NSW Cup, playing the best footy of his career.
Another short-term injury cost him a debut in Origin I, however, he got his chance in Origin II, providing a crucial attacking spark off the bench.
Zac Lomax. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
In Origin III, he came on with less than 20 minutes remaining, immediately finding tired defenders around the ruck.
It’s no coincidence that the Blues scored the only two tries of the match within four minutes of Watson’s arrival on the field.
Mitchell Moses is another who came back from injury to play a key role in the Blues comeback. At the beginning of the season, he was favoured to play five-eighth, partnering Cleary.
After missing the first game through injury, Moses replaced Nicho Hynes, immediately changing New South Wales’s attack.
In the decider, Moses’ kicking game put Queensland under pressure at the beginning of every set.
He kicked NSW out of trouble, regularly finding the grass with his kicks, even despite the heavy fire he came under from the defence.
His solo try to wrap up the game also allowed him to join only Ricky Stuart and Andrew Johns as New South Wales halfbacks to win deciders in Brisbane.
Dylan Edwards continued his incredible rise after missing game one debut through injury.
Blues debutants Cameron McInnes, Haumole Olakau’atu, Zac Lomax, Spencer Leniu, Dylan Edwards and Joseph Suaalii. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The nightmare he had against Melbourne in 2019 that looked like derailing his career seems crazy now.
He’s got three premierships, a Kangaroos jersey, a Clive Churchill Medal, a Merv Cartwright Medal and now an Origin series victory and Player of the Match award.
His work at the back, getting NSW on the front foot in every set was Herculean given the defence.
As for those that only got one game, Latrell Mitchell and Bradman Best dominated out wide.
Without them taking on that left-centre position, the results in the last two games could have been very different.
In the middle, Isaah Yeo and Payne Haas shrugged off criticism about past performances to put in their best efforts in blue jerseys.
Series debutants like Zac Lomax, Spencer Leniu and Mitch Barnett gave their all and provided heart, soul and spark for the team.
Old favourites like Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton and Liam Martin came back and turned it on again as they always do.
But everyone already knew they were reliable. This New South Wales story was a story of comebacks.
Together, they pulled off arguably their greatest comeback of all.
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