Aiming to clinch back-to-back State of Origin series, the NSW Blues nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback in the second half, which would have found them in the record books, but it was unfortunately not to be.

In a game of two halves, the Blues were completely outrun by their opponents in the first 40 minutes but controlled the ball and possession in the second-half - and would have won if Zac Lomax made more than two conversions from the kicking tee.

Here is how each player rated in Game 2 of the 2025 State of Origin series.

1. Dylan Edwards - 5/10

Arguably his worst game in the NSW Blues jersey, Edwards failed to get involved in the contest and made three costly errors.

2. Brian To'o - 9/10

Entering the match under an injury cloud, the Blues couldn't have asked To'o for much more. Crossing for a triple including the opener, he ran for over 200 metres and made four tackle busts.

3. Stephen Crichton - 5.5/10

Scored a try in the second-half but only registered a single error in the first 40 minutes with zero running metres off zero runs. Will look to get more involved in Game 3.

4. Latrell Mitchell - 7/10

Extremely quiet in both attack and defence in the opening half but did provide the final pass for Brian To'o to score twice in the second-half and also made a strip out of nowhere to gift the ball back to the Blues.

5. Zac Lomax - 6.5/10

Will be remembered in this game for missing three conversions from the kicking tee, but was only the third Blues players to make more than 100 running metres.

6. Jarome Luai - 5.5/10

Luai's return to the Origin arena saw him kick the ball out on the full with his first touch, but he did make up for his unfavourable opening 40 minutes with a solid second-half. Finished the match with two try assists coming from well-placed kicks into the in-goal area and five try involvements. Missed a lot of tackles, and came up with a couple of errors.

7. Nathan Cleary - 5/10

While there were moments (a disallowed try and several precise kicks) that looked like he was going to make the game his own, Cleary once again failed to stand up when it mattered the most and was outplayed by several other teammates.

8. Max King - 5/10

Started the match in the front-row but had limited minutes on the field. Made 42 metres and 15 tackles but most importantly didn't shy away from the Queensland defence.

9. Reece Robson - 6.5/10

Another consistent performance from the Cowboys' dummy-half, Robson did the dirty work in defence with 28 tackles and had a nice run from the ruck that saw him put the Queenslander's on the back-foot. Made no errors.

10. Payne Haas - 7.5/10

Although he did make the final error of the match, Haas led the Blues forward pack and was arguably one of the best on the field wearing Blue with 121 metres, four tackle busts and a team-high 32 tackles.

11. Liam Martin - 6/10

Made multiple tackles that caused handling errors, but his opponents - Cameron Munster and Kurt Capewell - got the best of him throughout the contesy.

12. Angus Crichton - 5.5/10

Crossed over the line for a try but missed five tackles in defence and once again failed to rekindle his form that saw him claim the Wally Lewis Medal in last year's series.

13. Isaah Yeo - 6.5/10

His style of play was limited due to the wet conditions in Perth, but called for the ball when the Blues looked in strife and excuberates leadership and confidence in the middle of the field with nearly 100 run metres and 30 tackls.

14. Connor Watson - 3/10

Failed to read the game when he came on and went down the short side on multiple occasions which led to easy tackles or handling errors.

15. Spencer Leniu - 6/10

Didn't have the same impact he usually has from the interchange bench but still produced aggression when he came on. Nearly made some murderous tackles on his Roosters' teammate Lindsay Collins.

16. Hudson Young - 7/10

Made an immediate impact when he entered the field from the interchange bench and led the state's tackle count with 32 (with Payne Haas). However, he did make two risky errors, with one of them coming in his own 20-metre line.

17. Stefano Utoikamanu - 4/10

Made the least amount of running metres from the bench and struggled to make an impact with only 34 running metres and 20 tackles. Also cost the Blues a try in the first-half by barring Patrick Carrigan from making a tackle.