BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

The New South Wales Blues are on the cusp of doing something no other team in State of Origin history has ever done if the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney continues to deteriorate.

Brad Fittler’s Blues squad destroyed the Queenslanders 50 to 6 in Townsville in what was meant to be a historic night for the Maroons as they played their first home game outside of Brisbane. It was historic for all the wrong reasons as NSW decimated a Maroons team that didn’t have an answer to their opponent’s attacking onslaught.

Townsville’s debut only came to fruition after the NRL shipped Game I from the Melbourne Cricket Ground after a COVID-19 scare in Victoria.

If everything went to plan from there, Sydney’s Stadium Australia was set to host Game III.

Now COVID has stuck its dirty claws into the Harbour City.

Such is New South Wales’ dominance after Game I, the Blues are a possibility of claiming a clean-sweep against QLD without actually playing a game in Sydney.

Unlike the A-League, who shocked fans last week by taking Melbourne City’s home semi-final against Macarthur FC away from them at AAMI Park and switching it to Kogarah in Sydney – the NSWRL will not let that happen for Game III.

Which could open the door for Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium or even Canberra’s GIO Stadium.

Wollongong is seemingly out considering that NSW Health has included the south coast city as a small part of its current COVID rules that came out on Wednesday afternoon.

Sydney has never not been a part of the Origin series since its current form in 1980 if you exclude the one-game series in 1980 and 1981 where both matches were played at the old Lang Park.

If the COVID numbers continue to get worse in Sydney, then the Blues could do the unthinkable and dominate an Origin series without actually playing from the city that gave birth to the sport in Australia.

Worse still, for the Queenslanders anyway, the Blues could do it by recording mammoth numbers.

A win at Suncorp Stadium would give NSW a series win in Game II.

Which opens up wounds of the forgettable 2000 series for QLD where captain Gorden Tallis said it wasn’t worth playing the third match after the dominant Blues went up 2-0 with 20-16 and 28-10 wins. In retrospect, on scores alone, these were tight contests.

Perhaps it was the emotional Tallis knowing the series wasn’t on the line that made him say that.

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Game III saw Tallis sent-off for calling referee Bill Harrigan a cheat as NSW carved them up 56-16. Centre Ryan Girdler crossed for three tries and banged over ten goals. It was a dark night for Queensland.

Unless Queensland can find a miracle this Sunday, the Maroons are on a slippery slope to something far worse than what happened twenty-one years ago.

But never underestimate the Maroons.

This was apparently the worst Origin team in history last year and they still won the series.

Never forget.

@woodward_curtis