Key events

14 mins: Koula earns some tough metres after contact to drive his side out of their defensive 20. A ruck infringement on the 40 gifts the Blues six again and for the first time tonight they can set up attacking territory. Staggs runs a good angle, Yeo makes a good step, and Barnett takes them to the 20. Moses kicks high to the right corner for the leaping Nawaqanitawase but the former Wallaby can only knock on after showing springheels.

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13 mins: Grant and Munster control things for Queensland as they drive conservatively inside the rede zone. On the last Walker kicks high to the right corner where To’o looks vulnerable in the aerial contest with Fifita. The ball comes to ground – off the Titan, into the Panther – and it’s a let-off for the Blues.

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12 mins: To’o deals with his first bomb of the night before Tedesco cuts and darts his way for a brief line-break. NSW try to expand behind it to the right but Staggs overruns the pass and the ball dribbles out of play. Queensland will take the handover 30m out.

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10 mins: NSW make no mistakes from their restart. They kick to Fifita on the last as the Maroons rumble to attacking 40 behind some good metres from Tino.

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Conversion! NSW 6-2 Queensland (Cleary, 10)

Cleary clips over the extras from 10m in from the right touchline. He must be barely able to believe his luck.

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8 mins: From the kick-off Flegler receives the offload and just shells it. The onrushing Nawaqanitawase picks it up off his boot laces, accepts three tacklers and still manages to offload inside where the ball beats Cleary, but not Staggs, who gathers and muscles his way over the line. Absolute calamity for Queensland.

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TRY! NSW 4-2 Queensland (Staggs, 8)

What on earth!?

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Penalty! NSW 0-2 Queensland (Walker, 7)

From just to the left of the uprights the Roosters halfback gets the scoreboard moving.

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6 mins: Finally there’s some creativity and it’s the Maroons going through hands to the left to allow Cobbo some space to gallop into. There’s an offload that clips the legs of Nawaqanitawase, gifting Queensland six again in attacking territory. Munster sharks, the Maroons are building up a head of steam, but just as Grant begins to scheme from under the posts Cleary reaches out and swipes the Steeden from his clutches at dummy-half. A clear penalty and a simple two points for Sam Walker, you’d expect.

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Updated at 06.18 EDT

4 mins: Safe and sound again from Queensland, who again elect to kick towards Nawaqanitawase, not To’o, despite the latter struggling under the high ball last time out. No risks from NSW either who look to find room down the left before belting long to Ponga. Neither side taking any chances early.

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2 mins: It’s a high hanging kick-off from Moses that Flegler runs to the ten metre line. His forward colleagues shove the Maroons as far as the 40 before Munster kicks long to Nawaqanitawase – who slips – before regaining momentum and hitting the line hard. Tedesco is lively as NSW complete a steady set, one that ends with a Cleary bomb that Ponga takes spectacularly under intense aerial pressure from Moses.

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Kick-off!

Will the Blues seal the series? Can the Maroons fight back? Origin II is under way…

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Prematch formalities taken care of, the 137th Origin fixture is just seconds from kick-off.

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Now it’s over to NSW, led by Isaah Yeo. His team are wearing sky blue tops with navy shorts. There’s even more of a racket as they come out, with plenty of boos offered in their direction. There is no love lost between Victoria and NSW.

Blues take to the field ahead of State of Origin Game 2. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare

Updated at 06.17 EDT

Here come the Queenslanders, top to toe in Maroon, led out by hometown hero Cameron Munster. It is noisy in the G.

The Maroons run out on to the MCG. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare

Updated at 06.16 EDT

It’s dry and relatively mild tonight in Melbourne. There is a stiff northerly breeze which may become a factor as it swirls around capriciously in the vast MCG.

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NSW proved in Origin I that representative footy isn’t won in the opening half but the Blues must be concerned that they have bee outscored a combined 66-12 in the first periods of their past three matches.

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With the MCG only barely illuminated, Cathy Freeman is spotlit as she delivers the match ball to the centre spot.

Cathy Freeman delivers the official match ball at the MCG. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty ImagesShare

Updated at 05.52 EDT

The current Origin record crowd stands at 91,513 when the Blues beat the Maroons at the G in 2015. Hopes are high for a new benchmark tonight.

The MCG has been a happy hunting ground for NSW, who have won five of the six matches played at the home of Australian Rules footy.

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Tonight’s referee is Ashley Klein, but there have been calls the NRL should have found a replacement. Klein took centre stage in Origin I for his decision to send off Kalyn Ponga, and he has since been the subject of media stories due to his historic gambling activities. His performance will be scrutinised like no whistleblower before.

Kalyn Ponga of the Maroons is sent off by referee Ashley Klein. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPShare

Laurie Daley is delighted to have Payne Haas back in his XIII: “the best front row in the game”, according to the NSW coach, and he’s relieved to be able to call upon the game management and kicking prowess of Mitchell Moses.

His pregame message: “No excuses.”

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There is only one Bronco in the Queensland squad, Reece Walsh, and he is no guarantee to see much game time. These are curious times at the reigning premiers.

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Billy Slater has a simple message to his team tonight:

double quotation markHave confidence to chase your game. Don’t be fearful.

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QLD Team News:

Billy Slater makes just the one change to his run-on side following 60 minutes of dominance in Sydney.

Briton Nikora and Max Plath trade places with the Kiwi international playing on an edge allowing Reuben Cotter to move to loose forward. On the bench Pat Carrigan (ankle) is replaced by debutant Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and the wounded and out-of-form pair of Ezra Mam and Gehamet Shibasaki are upgraded to Reece Walsh and Murray Taulagi, Walsh returning to the fold after his curious injury-cum-form exclusion from the first camp.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will play tonight following the death of his father Fereti, a former first-grade footballer, on Saturday.

Cameron Munster will enjoy hometown support at the MCG. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty ImagesShare

NSW Team News:

Form and fitness has pressed Laurie Daley into six changes from the side that crept over the line in Origin I.

There’s a new pair of centres with Casey McLean injured (thigh) and Stephen Crichton (form & fitness). Tolu Koula moves in off the wing, replaced by newcomer Mark Nawaqanitawase, and Kotoni Staggs comes off the interchange with Jack Bostock becoming the utility back on the pine.

Mitch Moses has proven his fitness to start at five-eighth, while Payne Haas makes a welcome return in the front row, relegating Ethan Strange and Addin Fonua-Blake to the bench. The in-form Dylan Lucas is preferred to Haumole Olakau’atu in the second row, with the Manly man having to settle for the no 20 jersey.

Jacob Saifiti, Matt Burton, (dropped) and Blayke Brailey (broken arm) were in the 19 for Origin I but miss out tonight with Api Koroisau the second hooker at Daley’s disposal.

Dylan Lucas is the form forward in the NRL. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare

Queensland XIII

QLD: 1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Selwyn Cobbo, 3. Robert Toia, 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, 5. Jojo Fifita, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Sam Walker, 8. Thomas Flegler, 9. Harry Grant, 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 11, Briton Nikora, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Reuben Cotter.
Interchange: 14. Max Plath, 15, Lindsay Collins, 16, Pat Carrigan, 17, Trent Loiero, 18. Reece Walsh, 19. Murray Taulagi,
Reserve: 20. Heilum Luki

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NSW XIII

NSW: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Brian To’o, 3. Tolu Koula, 4. Kotoni Staggs, 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase, 6. Mitch Moses, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. Payne Haas, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Mitch Barnett, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Dylan Lucas, 13. Isaah Yeo (capt).
Interchange: 14. Cameron Murray, 15. Victor Radley, 16. Addin Fonua-Blake, 17. Api Koroisau, 18. Ethan Strange, 19 Jack Bostock.
Reserve: 20. Haumole Olakau’atu

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The G has welcomed Origin footy six times before, with NSW winning on five occasions. Victory tonight would give the Blues the shield and set them up for a crack at a first series sweep since 2000.

These sides first met in Melbourne in 1990, and most recently in 2024. On that occasion Mitch Moses guided the Blues to a 34-0 half-time lead on his way to the player of the match award.

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Preamble

Jonathan Howcroft

Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of men’s State of Origin Game 2. Kick-off between New South Wales and Queensland at the MCG is scheduled for 8.05pm AEST.

Origin I didn’t disappoint, living up to its billing as the pinnacle of Australian sport with a thrilling climax in Sydney.

Origin II has a lot to live up to, but a record crowd in excess of 90,000 is expected at the MCG, making it impossible for the contest not to be noteworthy.

The Maroons are playing catch-up, despite bossing the opening match until they were reduced to 12 men, so Billy Slater’s charges will feel they have a score to settle.

The Blues are much changed after a troubling opening hour of the series and look more formidable with the returning Payne Haas packing down in the front row.

I’ll be back with final team lists and more shortly. Please send me your emails and keep me company throughout the evening. The address is jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.

State of Origin rugby league returns to the home of the AFL. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty ImagesShare