NSW 28 Queensland 16

Well, I got that one wrong didn't I? NSW were just too good on the night. I still think the NSW selectors have got it wrong all series, and the performances (or lack of) of David Williams, Josh Perry and Glenn Stewart were a case in point, but full credit to them tonight. They were the far superior team and probably deserved to win by more than they did in the end.

A special congratulations to Anthony Watmough. He has had more than his fair share of critics, particularly that he doesn't perform in the big games, but he was immense out there. The best game I have seen him play.

With that out of the way, I move to a real bugbear of mine. The standard of refereeing in the NRL. Those that know me will know that I don't particularly rate the way the top level is refereed these days. I know I should be easier on them given that I have some understanding of the pressures that they're under, but at the same time I also have a very good knowledge of the rules, and the fact is that they appear to be making blunder after blunder. And it's getting worse. The performances of Shayne Hayne and Tony Archer tonight were well below par. When they weren't turning a blind eye to facials, forearms and elbows, they were penalising players for the most innocuous of actions. I have no problem with the theory of being lenient in the Origin arena, but they got it the wrong way round tonight.

While there will be many who deride the game for the violence of the last 5 minutes, I thought it was absolutely fantastic. There was real passion on display - from both sides - and that's something that this game is sorely lacking at the moment.