Game II
Queensland winger, Lote Tuqiri was charged with a dangerous throw in an NRL match and was left off the Queensland team sheet so he could plead guilty at the judiciary, allowing him to serve his ban on the Friday and be available for Game II the following Wednesday.
| 5 June | Queensland | 26–18 | New South Wales | ANZ Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 47,989 Referee/s: Bill Harrigan Man of the Match: Chris McKenna |
| Lote Tuqiri (18 -3t,3g) Gorden Tallis (4 - 1t) Dane Carlaw (4 - 1t) |
(Report) | (6 - 3g) Andrew Johns (4 -1t) Luke Ricketson (4 - 1t) Braith Anasta (4 - 1t) Shaun Timmins |
In a typical Origin script, Queensland managed to reverse the result in game II with a thrilling display to level the series. In a disastrous debut, Maroons centre Justin Hodges emulated the feat of New South Wales' Phil Duke of twenty years earlier when he gathered a Johns kick in the 27th minute and fired a pass in goal to Darren Lockyer, only to see the ball sail over Lockyer's head and Blues five-eighth Braith Anasta pounce to give his side the lead. Then in the 61st minute Hodges did it again for Luke Ricketson to score before he was eventually hauled from the field by coach Wayne Bennett as his confidence dropped.
On the other side of the field, Queensland centre Chris McKenna was playing the match of his life as he assisted winger Lote Tuqiri to a three-try haul.
Read more about this topic: 2002 State Of Origin Series
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