When they write the full story of State of Origin, the Maroons’ 2020 series victory will be etched in stone as one of the most revered and iconic in the rivalry’s long and storied history.

It was the most Queensland of wins. Wayne Bennett swooped in late. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk allowed for a packed Suncorp Stadium. An underdog Maroons side full of battlers, journeymen and unheralded warriors did what Queensland do: overachieve.

It was a win for the ages and arguably the greatest upset in Origin history, one that only added to the Queensland mythology. The final scoreboard in Brisbane had the Maroons ahead 20-14. It tells neither the story of Queensland’s dominance or the magnitude of the upset over New South Wales.

Man of the match and Wally Lewis medal winner Cameron Munster was simply brilliant, inspiring Queensland to one of their most famous of wins. Origin thrives because of wins like this and few will forget it. Munster stamped himself as the leader of the new generation, leading to victory a side that former Blues skipper Paul Gallen labelled “the worst Queensland team ever”.

Queensland were incredibly lucky to pull off the stunning win in Brisbane following a forgettable second half from Valentine Holmes, who three times spilt the ball over the line unmarked. The match should have been well over but for the North Queensland star’s astonishing handling errors.

But they survived a late Blues onslaught to ensure none of the 17 will ever need to pay for a beer in their home state again.

The game started like a shot from a cannon with a thrilling opening 10 minutes that was as aggressive as expected of an Origin decider.

Queensland, roared on by a baying, near 50,000-strong crowd, opened the scoring in the fifth minute through Holmes, taking advantage of a penalty from a NSW hold down. Munster ran the ball on the last down the short side, passing to debutant Corey Allan, who flicked on delightfully to an unmarked Holmes. It was the high watermark for Allan though, who had a forgettable debut, conceding the first Blues try five minutes later after spilling a simple bomb.

Queensland were pressing for a second try when Jake Friend put in a poor grubber on the last. Referee Gerard Sutton awarded a suspect penalty on the first. The Blues took full advantage, throwing a bomb up at Allan, who was all arms and legs but no ball. Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans could have dived on the loose ball but more concerned by giving away an offside penalty, let the ball bounce. Blues skipper James Tedesco pounced to score the simplest of tries.

It was not to be Tedesco’s night, though, with the Blues fullback ruled out after a sickening head knock when he fell into Queensland prop Josh Papalii’s knee. Dazed and confused, he looked no hope of a return and doctors ruled him out just before half-time, a massive blow to a Blues team that looked lost without their distinguished custodian.

Munster, who was ruled out in similar circumstances to Tedesco in game two, came into his own in the back half of the opening stanza in a match-turning show. He was instrumental in Queensland going to the break with a 12-6 lead when he charged down a blindside, kicked behind, regathered and kicked, forcing a Daniel Tupou error. Munster then kicked across field on the ensuing play and Edrick Lee crashed over untouched.

When the second half opened Queensland had all the ball and all the running. The injection of Harry Grant proved another Bennett masterstroke and the NRL rookie was dynamic from the moment he got on the field. He made a line break early and then scored the decisive try with 17 minutes to play with an incisive run which defied both his age and experience.

The 20-6 lead proved too much for the Blues to overcome. Tupou – following the assistance of quickfire penalties – crossed minutes later to give NSW hope, but the defensive toll proved too great to overcome.

“You can’t underestimate the power of the Maroon jersey,” Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston said after full-time. “Along with Fatty’s [Paul Vautin coached] team in 1995, I think this is one of Queensland’s greatest ever Origin wins.

“It was a lot of noise down south about this being the worst-ever team assembled in the 40 years of Origin history, and like I just said, the power of the jersey does something to you, a great effort from the boys.”