Leading into this third and final State Of Origin game, I was of the thinking that Queensland and New South Wales were reasonably equal. Whether it was their game plan, physicality, skill, athletic ability or desire, the two teams were equal, it's hard to argue that now however.

In some consolation, I read this morning that Corey Parker said that New South Wales made Queensland play that good because they had improved that much. It's some consolation to my belief that the teams are kind of (it's now kind of, they're clearly not equal) equal because we wouldn't have been graced with such a performance from the Maroons had New South Wales not been as good in the first two games or in 2014. It's also some consolation for New South Wales fans, your team is close.

The Maroons however showed that they have another gear and it's the sort of gear that you would only see if great, truly some of the greatest players to ever play the game, were pushed to this point. Jonathan Thurston and Cameron Smith stand alone, sure there are guys like Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Justin Hodges, Cooper Cronk, Nate Myles and Corey Parker who will have their own chapters in history, but when you push Thurston and Smith to this point, they produce and their greatness seeps out in the form of 52 fucking points.

Thurston's greatness was for all to see in the form of his goal-kicking. There aren't many kickers like him in either rugby league or rugby, there aren't many kickers who attempt to kick the ball as he does, let alone so accurately. But it's also no coincidence that six of the eight tries that the Maroons scored came down the left edge, where we have seen Thurston wave his wand around and produce the goods year after year.

It was a gorgeous pass to Josh Papalii that got things underway down that left edge. Papalii was used as a replacement prop, but was lurking out a bit wider, right where Mitchell Pearce was defending and Pearce mate, good luck stopping this...

Pearce was once again the target of a well designed play in which you would have to imagine Thurston had a major part in designing.

After hitting Papalii with a short ball, Thurston used Papalii and Aidan Guerra as decoys and hit Greg Inglis out the back, putting him outside Pearce and Pearce mate, good luck stopping this...

I wouldn't consider it a passing of the torch, but Thurston's greatness is evident in Michael Morgan who partners Thurston in the halves with the North Queensland Cowboys. You can bet your last dollar that Morgan held onto his spot on the bench because he and Thurston share that connection and Morgan had two moments of beauty in the 24 minutes he was on the field. First he got an inside ball from Guerra, another nicely designed play to score which was then flipped perfectly with Guerra used as the decoy with Morgan swooping around out the back and delivering a pass onto the chest of Darius Boyd.

With Cooper Cronk parked out on the right and Inglis not involved, you could forgive the Blues for not quite paying the threat of Morgan enough respect. But Morgan and Thurston already have that connection, which makes Morgan's job so much easier and that extra ball player proved to be an asset.

Not as much needs to be said to highlight Cameron Smith's greatness, especially considering the week he had leading up to last night. His stat line replicates a fine effort from a NRL battler, someone trying to get out of third gear - five runs for 38 metres and 24 tackles, but Smith's greatness is his subtlety and his control of the game.

Smith had six kicks for 165 metres, Thurston had two kicks and Pearce, the Blues halfback had the same number of kicks as Smith, Trent Hodkinson had two. Kicking out of dummy half is a highly underrated trait - pressure is taken off the halves and it's easier to find open pastures. The Blues and Beau Scott just couldn't resits trying to make a statement to Smith, which didn't turn out too well for them.

You would have to sit and watch the game a few times to really understand where Smith comes into his own. To put it concisely as possible - everything starts with Smith. Whether he's just flicking a crisp pass to the first receiver or whether he's ghosting in slow-motion sideways out of dummy half, confusing the close in defenders.

Shit, the Will Chambers try, where he took the slightest bit of space outside Josh Morris, started with a Queensland penalty 10 metres out, just right of the goal-posts.

Smith bumbles and fumbles around with the ball, but Queensland are already set up and Smith strolls up to the mark yet to tell the ref what he's doing (take the two vs tap). Between telling the ref that they'll take the tap and Cronk getting the ball are 2 seconds and boom, the ball is already with Chambers who is too big, quick and strong on the outside of Morris.

It's something so minute that I don't even know if it's important, but watching the game it just didn't look natural, which means it would have been a bitch to defend. Combine that with a freakish knowledge of what was going on - everything was set before Smith 'decided' to tap, everyone was in place and everyone knew the part they would play.

Before this game, a lot of the talk was about the forwards and you probably heard Thurston after the game in a cuddle with his comrades "too old aye!?". This is relevant for all of Queensland as Smith and Thurston were great, Hodges was awesome as well but the Maroon forwards were special and they were the weakest link in that old brigade. Myles, Parker and Matt Scott deserve plenty of XXXX, they combined for 377 metres against a bunch of forwards who are bigger and younger as well as the low-key-crucial-stat of game three in seven offloads (Parker had five).

Big ups big ups to Jacob Lillyman as well, the Bull pulled one of the better Origin bench performances you'll see with 135 metres in 31 minutes off 13 carries and with three tackle busts. Lillyman for mine epitomises the Queensland forwards who while not being small, were smaller than their opposition but relied on quicker feet to make an impact.

Don't sleep on the young players that the Maroons showcased in this Origin series. Morgan had his moments in the first and third game, Josh McGuire made his debut in game two, Gagai debuted last night, Chambers debuted in game one and was excellent all series, Guerra stepped up in game three and Papalii came in and did his job last night as well. This wasn't just all about the great veterans as they wouldn't have been in this position had younger blokes fitted seamlessly into the team and their systems.

As for New South Wales, well I'll need a few days to digest their effort.