Hampered Queensland playmaker Johnathan Thurston. As game day approached, it was clear something was amiss with Johnathan Thurston. His battle with a virus was well chronicled but only half of the story was being told. The sniffles is one thing. A groin injury is another. Queensland kept their cards close to their chest but the drums were starting to beat loudly as the clock ticked down towards game one. That Thurston would play was never in serious doubt. The fact he broke Gary Larson's record of consecutive Origin appearances speaks volumes, given Larson was so resilient he may well have been Wolverine's long-lost Queensland-Scandinavian brother. But whether the Maroons should have given him the green light is a matter only answerable with hindsight. With Daly Cherry-Evans ready to go and in camp, a highly viable option was at hand. Thurston finished the training run on Tuesday and said he was ready to go. That was good enough for Mal Meninga, while Queensland fullback Billy Slater said last night the selection was backed 100 per cent by the players. In the end, it was Thurston's class and resume of superb Origin performances that had him over the line. Being the best playmaker in the world for season upon season earns you a degree of latitude. But when they took the field, it was clear the champion five-eighth wasn't running on all cylinders. His running game was curtailed and his inability to kick long heaped pressure on Cooper Cronk, whose plate was becoming increasingly full as the game progressed. NSW knew it, too. Thurston wears a luminous target at the best of times but as soon as they noticed he was short of his best, they moved in for the kill. He was crunched in gang tackles and Luke Lewis, the best player on the park, sought him out regularly. Thurston would carry the ball just four times, low for a player who loves to take on the line, and missed five tackles. Queensland has rolled the dice and won plenty of times in the past seven years. This time, it didn't pay off. That's a risk you take at times. He's such a quality player and a valuable player in our footy side. We gave him every opportunity to be fit, and he trained really well [on Tuesday] afternoon . . . it was all OK. Unfortunately he struggled a bit with that injury, but he'll be right for next game," Meninga said after the game. It wasn't ideal but in many ways, Thurston is the least of Meninga's problem. If he is fully fit for game two in Brisbane, there's not a high degree of probability he will deliver two sub-par games in a row. Even with his form issues at the Cowboys, he remains one of the elite. Meninga played it calm after the 14-6 defeat. He chose to slice it along the lines of "look how bad we played but look how close we came" while giving due credit to the Blues. He always - always - backs his players. To an extent, he's right. If Cameron Smith had been awarded a try in the second half, suddenly it becomes 14-12 and the Maroons are heading home with a wet sail. But that scenario glosses over substantial cracks in what was largely a dominant performance from NSW from the first tackle. It has certainly red-flagged some issues with Queensland selectors. It's best to start at the front and in that department, Queensland were punished. Matt Scott and David Shillington were ineffectual, with Shillington (nine runs, 57m) playing like a man half of his immense size. If Ben Hannant is fit, Shillington's spot is in grave danger. While Paul Gallen was busy belting up Nate Myles, Queensland struggled with punch, speed in the pack and aggression. Matt Gillett, Corey Parker and to an extent, Chris McQueen, performed from the bench but if ever Raiders cannonball Josh Papalii was required, this is the moment. Powerful with the ball and a brute in defence, it's time to unleash this young beast on the Blues (sorry Ben Te'o). Daly Cherry-Evans could also play off the bench in Brisbane and an additional playmaker would have been gold last night for the Maroons. Thurston could have been given the rest he deserved. Queensland are famously loyal but against a younger, faster and on the evidence of game one, hungrier, Blues outfit, they now face some difficult decisions, ones which could break the hearts of some of the team's hardest-working contributors. Tough calls must be made. The end of the era of dominance was always going to arrive. Queensland can stubbornly watch it come to pass, or bring in the smattering of fresh blood needed to help regenerate a side that has finally found a worthy adversary.