Queensland champion Darren Lockyer celebrated his record-equalling State of Origin appearance by laying on the match-winning try as the Maroons downed a gallant NSW 16-12 at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

With the Blues having hit the lead for the first time in the 69th minute, Lockyer responded with a superb inside ball for a flying Billy Slater to snatch the game back for the home side.

The 34-year-old maestro, who joined Maroons great Allan Langer on 34 Origin games, had already mercilessly teased the Blues with his kicking game before icing the cake with eight minutes to go.

"We thought we were pretty composed, we had about ten minutes there where we lapsed and they got a couple of tries - but it was a great effort to come back," Lockyer said.

"Had we have gotten beaten tonight and gone to Sydney there would've been a lot of pressure on."

Queensland showed yet again they are never beaten in a pulsating Origin encounter that ended with a traditional punch-up started by Corey Parker and Greg Bird.

The Blues had scored twice in four minutes to lead 12-10 in the 69th minute, Ricky Stuart's new era in charge looking to have begun after a courageous NSW side repelled blistering starts from the Maroons in both halves.

In the end, Queensland scored three tries to two through Johnathan Thurston, Jharal Yow Yeh and Slater to have the 52,144-strong crowd in raptures, Thurston booting two from four.

For the Blues, Mitchell Pearce and Michael Jennings scored tries with Jamie Soward kicking two from two.

NSW would not have been disappointed to have gone to the break just 6-0 down after fighting their way back following Thurston's fifth minute try.

The visitors, though, were stunned when a pass from Mitchell Pearce to Josh Dugan from the kick-off to the second half was incredibly called forward.

That didn't cost the Blues but a mistake from Brett Morris did five minutes later when the winger failed to collect a CooperCronk grubber that bounced perfectly for Yow Yeh to score on debut and make it 10-0.

NSW withstood some massive pressure as the Maroons threw everything at them, Lockyer appearing to have put a spell on the ball as his kicking game earned set after set.

Thurston hit the upright with a 60th minute penalty goal attempt from in front and the ever dangerous Jennings looked to be away three minutes later before a try-saving tackle from Slater.

But it was an error from Slater moments later that led to Pearce's 65th minute four-pointer, laid on by a Greg Bird bust, and it was 10-6.

The momentum was with NSW and four minutes later a set move saw Josh Dugan put Jennings into space and this time he sold Slater a dummy to score his first try of the season, Soward's conversion giving the Blues the lead for the first time at 12-10.

But it took only three more minutes for Lockyer to lay on the match-winner for Slater.

"To hit the front with ten minutes to go was tremendous but you just can't knock off for half a second and that's what happens," said NSW captain Paul Gallen.

Asked what he'd got out of the defeat the Cronulla enforcer was clear.

"We ve got to control our ground a bit more," he said.

"They were all over us and I thought the referee let them get away with a bit and we probably didn't lay down on them long enough.

"Their kicking game was better than ours - I don't know how many dropouts they had but I don't think we had one."

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