This series had one game played in each of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with Game I played at the 83,500 capacity ANZ Stadium, Game II played at the 100,024 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, and Game III played at the 52,500 capacity Suncorp Stadium.[1]
Former Canberra, Queensland and Australian captain Mal Meninga was coach of the Queensland side, whose eight-year State of Origin series winning streak was ended by New South Wales in 2014. The Blues were coached by former Canberra, NSW and Australia captain Laurie Daley for a third consecutive year.
1 - Daly Cherry-Evans was originally selected to play in game one but withdrew due to injury. He was replaced by Michael Morgan, then Morgan retained his spot on the bench in Game II and III.
Game III achieved the highest ever attendance for a match at Suncorp Stadium, with a crowd of 52,500 people in attendance.[3]
Queensland captain Cameron Smith made his 36th Queensland appearance, drawing level with Darren Lockyer for most appearances for Queensland.[4]
Johnathan Thurston scored 18 points, equalling Lote Tuqiri's for most points in a single match by a Queenslander.[5] In addition, Thurston kicked 9 goals from 9 attempts, an Origin record.
With a 52-6 victory, Queensland equaled their record for highest State of Origin score, and broke the record for largest winning margin in State of Origin history, with a 46-point winning margin.[6]