The greatness of Cameron Smith and Jonathan Thurston played a crucial role in Queensland's game two success, however there was obviously far more to this game that the contributions of those two. Here's whatever else crossed my mind from last night...

Josh Papalii was the best forward from this game, a game which included Matt Scott, Corey Parker, Paul Gallen, James Tamou and Aaron Woods. Papalii came on and played 31 minutes, playing through the middle where he was a powerhouse ... a powerhouse who put some nifty footwork on display throughout his shift.

Which forwards ran for the most metres? Corey Parker led all forwards with 150m from 16 carries and then it's Papalii who ran for 127m off 12 carries. For those who aren't too good at mathematics, Papalii averaged 10.58m per-carry.

Compare Papalii's contribution to Jacob Lillyman (solid effort Bull) and Andrew Fifita, who played 32 and 33 minutes and Papalii puts them in the shade. Lillyman had 11 carries for 82m and Fifita had 7 for 63m, as Papalii had far more impact in a similar amount of time on the field.

Dylan Walker appears to be the scapegoat for New South Wales and while this satisfies the desire for a scapegoat, it's a bit silly. Walker conceded three penalties and had a tough night against Greg Inglis - didn't miss a tackle and made three 1v1 tackles - while also looking lively every time he carried the footy. I see Walker as part of a new wave of younger players who need to be given time in the Origin arena and to cut him down as has been the case only shows the mindset of many folk in NSW.

Peep the difference in how Walker was used in game one and how Jack Bird was used in game two to how Michael Morgan has been used. Morgan is in the same spot as Cooper Cronk and Daly Cherry-Evans had been in previous years as NRL halves who come off the bench, defend in the middle and offer an extra pair of play-making hands. Queensland instantly had faith in Morgan and since his debut, he's enjoyed minutes in either half with a clear job.

Compare that trust in Morgan to how Laurie Daley held off inserting Jack Bird until later in the second half. Bird had a clear impact and as I did with Walker in game one, I keep wondering how much more influential Bird could have been coming on at the 30 minute mark instead of chilling on the bench.

Any talk about needing more solid job-doers on for NSW (instead of Bird) either side of halftime is silly because Queensland scored in the 32nd minute and 47th mintue. We always hear how important it is to score before or after halftime, Queensland did both and they won.

If I leave one thought in your head for the next few days, it's the low key influence of Justin O'Neill who made his debut in game one. In his debut, O'Neill showed a slick pair of hands to set up that short-side try for Dane Gagai and in game two, O'Neill also had a clear impact in a Gagai try.

Before Gagai picked up a loose pass from Michael Jennings, it was O'Neill who rushed up off his line to put Jennings under pressure. O'Neill didn't enjoy much footy but he's played two Origin games and in each game he's had a hand in two tries that flipped the game in Queensland's favour.

O'Neill didn't get much footy, yet Inglis certainly did. Inglis had the most carries of any player with 18 and ran for 148m, forcing Walker to make plenty of tackles and I noted a clear intent in the work of Inglis. O'Neill and Inglis are big centres, especially compared to Jennings and Walker, they made their presence felt and when Inglis is in that sort of mood, it's scary.

How quick eight years goes, but always remember my #Origin debut. Thanks @greg_inglis! pic.twitter.com/Z41tmHBJ4g
— Steve Turner (@SteveTurner84) June 21, 2016

We all know Inglis is an exceptional footy player and in game two I saw a desire to dominate physically. Consider how big Inglis is and that he appeared to have an 'attack and destroy' mentality. I've grown up watching plenty of Inglis and I've never really seen him play with that aggressive mindset, to throw his weight around and I view this as a tactical masterstroke.

Imagine being Walker; he was monstered numerous times by Inglis. Walker came through the Rabbitohs with Inglis as a leader at that club and there he was, in the unfortunate position of playing against Inglis, who was on a mission.

Sam Thaiday often looks chubby right? I've watched NRL and Origin games with non-league folks when Thaiday has been playing and I've sat through comments about him being fat etc and I just can't be bothered explaining. He's rotund and that brings me to comments I've alluded to before from Cowboys Paul Green as he described the value of James Tamou - he offers a different body shape to that of Matt Scott and Jason Taumalolo, which means every tackle is different.

Thaiday would be a nightmare to tackle. Then you've gotta consider that Thaiday is very much an athlete, he's mobile, he's agile enough to defend on the edge in Origin, against the likes of James Maloney and Walker. Round and quick-footed is a lethal rugby league package.

NSW endured the same problems that have cost them previously, even though Maloney pounced on a loose pass to score and Adam Reynolds set up Frizell's try. There's a disease in this NSW group under Daley as they just can't execute with precision and that's a huge issue when they are already behind Queensland's creative set-play design; they can't even run their players perfectly.

Note that Boyd Cordner scored in game one after Maloney ran the footy down near Queensland's tryline and that Frizell's try came with Reynolds running the footy near Queensland's tryline. Twice the halves ran with intent, twice they scored and we rarely saw that intent again.

I said above that Papalii ran for the second-most metres of any forward and that's terrible news for NSW fans as their key advantage is the size and beastly nature of their forward pack, especially in David Klemmer and Andrew Fifita. James Tamou only had 4 carries as well and it's hard to imagine NSW having much hope when a younger, bigger, more aggressive group of big boppers isn't doing the trick.

How did Queensland absorb the loss of Nate Myles? Josh McGuire started in Myles' absence and he did a fine job, truckin' through his standard workload that largely goes unnoticed. McGuire only played 39 minutes but had 13 carries for 111m and McGuire had more impact that Matt Scott, who played 42 minutes with 10 carries for 92m. McGuire did a great job stepping into that starting prop position and there's absolutely no reason to think that he won't have a long Origin future.

How will Queensland absorb Corey Parker's retirement next year? Shift McGuire to lock, start Myles at prop.

Kudos to Parker for a huge effort in his last Origin game at Suncorp Stadium; 48 minutes, 16 carries, 150m. Parker was far busier than his nemesis Paul Gallen - also playing his last game at Suncorp - as Gallen played 49 minutes with 11 carries for 71m.

What's funky about those Parker vs Gallen stats is that while Queensland enjoyed more possession, Parker only had 2 more touches than Gallen (17 vs 15) in similar minutes. Parker had far greater impact and was more willing to cart the ball forward, perhaps Parker and Gallen's efforts are a metaphor for the performances of their respective teams.

For the record, I'd be going all in on a young brigade if I were NSW coach. Maybe you give this group the chance to fight for pride in game three and blood the youngsters next year, that's all good ... there needs to be a changing of the guard for sure though. There is so much young talent for NSW right now; Bryce Cartwright, James Tedesco, Nathan Peats, James Roberts, Ryan James, Kane Evans and of course Wade Graham.

Daley persisted with the older crew, despite them not doing the job and now he's in a position where patience is required with a younger group who will take NSW forward. Daley could have started this whole rejuvenation process a year or two ago and NSW would be in a much stronger position.

Who had the most try assists? Darius Boyd. One on the right, one on the left. That should tell you all you need to know.