New Blues bash brothers blame each other for beautiful crazy

How Hudson Young and Liam Martin bashed their way to State of Origin glory Thu 9 Jul 2026 at 12:58pm New South Wales backrowers Liam Martin and Hudson Young don't like to point fingers, which is why they were able to stand so tall in the Blues win in the decider on Wednesday night. But as the dust settled on the Lang Park ambush, they made one exception, and that's when it came to deciding which of them is madder. "Huddo says me, I say it's Huddo. We'll blame each other, it's the old Spider-Man meme where they're pointing at each other," said Martin. "I love running out with Huddy, he's a great fella and he's like me, he just competes. "He always turns up and loves the tough stuff, we said to each other tonight we'd do whatever it takes for the team and I thought we did that." Nathan Cleary won man of the match, Payne Haas wasn't far behind and Bradman Best had the big highlight reel moment, but if you were looking for two players who lived the mentality that got the Blues home, look no further than Martin and Young. They play like a ute that runs on melted down Cold Chisel records and is always a bit busted but never breaks down. They play like violence sometimes is the answer. They play like they're on the raggedy edge, and they'll push you over before you can push them. Young shrugged off a couple of early penalties, and a brutal shot to the back from Maroons hooker Harry Grant, to continue what has been a breakout series. He threw himself around with hurricane fury and his appetite for work was endless as he finished the game with the most runs and metres of any Blues forward. Even then, it was Young who kept pushing up after the siren when even half of New South Wales had begun celebrating and he was rewarded with a try that blew the scoreline out and got the party started. The Queensland crowd absolutely despised him throughout and, in a way, that's the finest compliment they can give. What he has is what they so prize in their own. "It's just part of it. I don't mind if Queensland hate me, I'll do that for this blue jersey," Young said. "Every time I wear it I just want to make my teammates proud. "With the try, it's the way I've always played. The pain in the game will never outweigh the regret, that's what I always think. I don't want to have any regrets. "For so many years I sat on the lounge watching Origin, dreaming of this moment. I promised myself that if I got the opportunity to do it I wouldn't let it go and I hope I've done that." This was Young's first series as a big-minute starter, a job Martin has come to know well. The Panthers hard man is often cited as the kind of player who is made for Origin and his efforts at Lang Park, after missing the first two games, were a reminder of why. Martin didn't match Young's attacking work rate but he was always in the game, topping the Blues tackle count with 40 including several that the Queenslanders will feel on cold mornings long into the future. He also helped spark Cleary's second try, a score that made the ambush feel possible for the Blues faithful. Like Young, Martin's reward is Queensland hatred, but that's been a part of his Origin experience for long enough that he's come to revel in it. "I just love this stage. I love representing this jersey. This is the toughest game in the world and I love to embrace it, especially up here in Queensland," said Martin. "Taking that on, there's no better feeling. I love it." Backing Young and recalling Martin were two of coach Laurie Daley's best coaching decisions through the series. He was rewarded with a career-making series from Young, who was second only to Cleary in terms of the Blues best players over the course of the series, and a resurrection from Origin II that Martin helped engineer. And while they can't agree who's crazier, both were adamant the team's desperation to reward Daley's faith played a huge role in the upset win. "There was a lot of external noise but at this level you get used to it and you have to focus on your inner sanctum," said Martin. "We had 100 per cent belief and we knew if we got our game on we could do it, and I'm so glad we did that for Loz and for everyone back home and even for all the critics." [Image text:] MUNSTER . Herd 14