In the aftermath of NSW's second-half meltdown in State of Origin II, there is one particular moment James Maloney wishes he had again.
Maloney found himself in the backfield midway through the first half when he linked with a supporting Brett Morris for the try that gave the Blues the lead in Sydney.
However it was only after reviewing the game that the NSW five-eighth realised centre Jarryd Hayne was looming on the inside, which would've given him an easy conversion.
Instead Maloney was left to rue a missed two points from near the sideline, which ultimately became the difference as Johnathan Thurston nailed the game-winner in the dying stages.
"I understand there was a lot of moments in the game that change. Looking at B-Moz's try, I did see Haynsey, (but) I didn't know he'd cut inside and was inside me," Maloney said.
The Cronulla star admitted it was one of many turning points in the game - many of them in the second half - that allowed the Maroons back into the contest.
"I thought 'Gee if I had look in and hit him there, then we kick the goal'," Maloney said.
"It's one of those things. There's probably five-six moments through the game where things happened and if we had have executed one of them better, then the game would've been different.
"That's Origin; there's never much in it and you've got to be at your best for 80 minutes."
Maloney's boot again looms as a key component of next week's decider in Brisbane, especially with Maroons skipper Cameron Smith taking over the duties from the injured Thurston.
The Sharks five-eighth is a far more accurate kick than his counterpart, with Maloney nailing 86 per cent of his shots this year compared to Smith's 73 per cent strike rate.
MALONEY vs SMITH WITH THE BOOT
Origin (career)
Maloney: 14/18 for 78 per cent
Smith: 16/23 for 70 per cent
NRL (in 2017)
Maloney: 49/57 for 86 per cent
Smith: 43/59 for 73 per cent
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