Daley to stand by Blues as focus turns to decider

"I know what our best football is and when we play our best football I know what we're capable of doing. I've got to take responsibility because we started well but the first half wasn't great so I've got to look at what I've done because something's not right."

"Now it's one-all, that's what Origin is all about and it creates theatre and headlines. I'm sure everyone wants a decider and they've got it.

"I know what this group is capable of," Daley said. "That's the thing that you get disappointed with because they never gave themselves that opportunity.

Daley was disappointed with the first-half performance but said he does not plan on making mass changes while pointing to the second-half comeback as a sign of what NSW are capable of.

The rally ultimately fell short , with the Maroons holding on to claim a 26-24 victory to level the series and set up a winner-takes-all showdown at Accor Stadium on July 9.

The Blues trailed 26-6 at half-time before launching a bid to reel Queensland in after the break, running in four unanswered tries to come within two points at a wet Optus Stadium in Perth.

Westpac NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley has vowed to stand by the side that fell agonisingly short of an epic Game Two comeback as they look to regroup for next month's decider.

The Blues entered Wednesday night's clash after a disrupted preparation in which Jarome Luai was called into the team when Mitchell Moses suffered a calf injury on Thursday.

Winger Brian To'o was on a reduced load all week due to a hamstring niggle, while Nathan Cleary was hampered by groin tightness in the days leading up to the game.

The halfback was clearly restricted by the issue during the first half and handed the bulk of the long kicking duties to Luai and Latrell Mitchell. Zac Lomax took over with the goal kicking and endured a tough night with the boot.

Luai took some time to work his way into the contest and made a handful of early mistakes but was pivotal in the second-half comeback.

Daley, however, refused to pin the blame for the loss on the disruptions, instead pointing to a first half that featured seven errors, an 8-0 penalty count to Queensland and 22 missed tackles.

Up Next / Cancel Replay Play Next Brian To'o 3rd Try

"We missed the jump with our completions," Daley said. "It was just errors and penalties, it just compounded and we made it really hard for ourselves. Queensland were good, we knew what we were going to come up against and they delivered.

"With the amount of criticism they received, which was way over the top, we knew they were going to be better. So we've got to be better and we will be better."

Such was the Blues' dominance in the second half, they finished the match with five tries to the Maroons' four, with goal kicking ultimately proving the difference between the two sides.

Up Next / Cancel Replay Play Next Angus Crichton Try

Queensland entered the contest amid a swirl of controversy, with coach Billy Slater under intense pressure following a subpar performance at Suncorp Stadium in Game One.

The criticism galvanised the side and they burst out of the gates to ambush the Blues in the first half.

The Maroons have drawn on the spirit of the famed 1995 series win throughout this year's campaign and captain Cam Munster said they must go to another level in Sydney to enjoy a similar triumph.

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"It was the series on the line and we worked hard for each other," Munster said. "It was similar to the 1995 series we keep talking about. They won by two in a game in that series and we won by two tonight.

"It was that 95 mentality and we've just got to keep working for each other. It's going to be a harder task going to Sydney and we've got to be ready for it. You can't afford to be ambushed."

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