Blues coach Laurie Daley was clearly left frustrated by the opening try awarded to Maroons debutant Valentine Holmes in Queensland's game two State Of Origin win, but refused to be baited when asked about the refereeing.
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Queensland have levelled the State of Origin series after a 18-16 victory over New South Wales in game two.
There were two incidents Blues fans took exception to in the lead-up to the try – Holmes' teetering sideline gallop before grounding the ball, and a penalty awarded against James Maloney just moments earlier.
Holmes'Â try was referred to the bunker, who found insufficient evidence to suggest the inside of the winger's right foot had brushed the sideline and so the try was awarded.
A set earlier, Queensland received a penalty when Blues five-eighth Maloney gave Billy Slater a shove after he'd passed the ball, from which the returning fullback went to ground.
"I get in trouble if I comment on referees, don't I?" Daley said.
"I might say a few things later when I review it."
When asked if game two was refereed differently to the free-flowing spectacle at Suncorp Stadium three weeks ago, Daley said:Â "Everyone in the room can make their own assumptions.
![One that got away: Blues captain Boyd Cordner and coach Laurie Daley.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170623100220im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/v/y/q/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwvyi8.png/1498082430443.jpg)
"That's something that we have to contend with. We've got to make sure that we abide by the rules that are in play on the day and probably we weren't good enough today."
NSW conceded six penalties to four while both teams gave away three apiece in the Blues' thumping Origin One triumph.
Daley's side led 16-6 at half-time after scoring three tries to one in the opening stanza, but were unable to convert the promising start into just a second series win since 2005.
Dane Gagai's second-half double and two superb conversions from out wide by Johnathan Thurston, who was clearly hampered by a shoulder injury throughout, hauled the Maroons to victory.
"A true Origin game goes down to the last couple of minutes or the last minute, but we weren't good enough," Daley said.
"With 15 to go, I thought maybe we lost our way a little bit. Then we hung on and got through that danger period and then when they got that scrum probably with three or four minutes to go it was like tighten the seatbelts, we're in for a rocky ride and they were good enough to score.
"It's always difficult because you're never too far in front. While at stages you might look as though you're on top, Origin can swing pretty quickly.
"We spoke about that in game one, there's moments there that you win, there's moments you lose. Sometimes when you lose those moments there's a massive change."
The Blues weren't without their own injury concerns. Captain Boyd Cordner didn't finish the game, leaving the field in the final few minutes with a calf injury that will likely be scanned on Thursday. It could could rule him out of the Roosters' clash with Melbourne in Adelaide on Saturday night.
James Tedesco also left the field late in the second half but passed his HIA and returned for the concluding stages.
Cordner said the Blues threw away a game they should've won.
"We played some really good footy and we just went away from it there, it wasn't us," Cordner said.
"Queensland, to their credit, took their opportunities but I just felt at the end of the day, we beat ourselves. That's the most disappointing part, especially given the opportunity that we had and how hard we worked in that first half.
"It's hard but that's the beauty of winning game one. We've put ourselves in a position to take it to game three.
"We stay tight, let it burn, let it hurt, and we'll get back together and we'll be ready to go again."
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