| Year: | 1990 |
| Count: | 3rd |
| Margin: | 2 - 1 |
| Points: | 50 |
| Attendance: | 98451 |
| Top Points Scorer: | Gary Belcher (8) |
| Top Try Scorer: | Mark McGaw (2) |
The 1990 State of Origin series saw the ninth time that the annual three-game series between New South Wales and Queensland representative rugby league football teams was contested entirely under "state of origin" selection rules. It was the first year that the Australian Rugby League took an Origin match to Melbourne to showcase the code in Victoria. New South Wales broke an eight-game losing streak in game I and took the series for the first time since 1986.__TOC__
Game I at the Sydney Football Stadium was a typical Origin arm-wrestle and resulted in the lowest score in the series' 10-year history to that point. Queensland's Wally Lewis withdrew pre-match due to a hamstring tear (only the 2nd Origin match he had missed in the series' history), Maroon's hero Gene Miles had retired and Tony Currie, Michael Hancock and Kerrod Walters were all out with injuries.
New South Wales' captain Benny Elias played what was regarded as his finest representative performance with a copybook dummy-half display. Blues' centre Mark "Sparkles" McGaw scored the only try of the match. He outplayed his opposite, the Mal Meninga and pulled off a covering tackle on winger Alan McIndoe that was so comprehensive that both McIndoe's boots came flying from his feet. The win was the Blues' first since the post-series exhibition match in 1987.
The public relations exercise to showcase the game in Melbourne proved a success with a sell-out crowd of 25,800 cramming into Olympic Park. The game was highlighted by NSW halfback Ricky Stuart racing 70 metres to score, easily outpacing Qld winger Les Kiss who made no ground on the former Wallaby.
Queensland halfback Allan Langer's stealing of the ball from Blues replacement prop Glenn Lazarus[1] helped spell the end of three years of Queensland State of Origin dominance which had included two consecutive series clean sweeps from 1988. Langer's steal was a defining moment giving Rod Wishart the chance to put the Blues ahead 8-6. Shortly afterwards Brad Mackay swooped on an intercept and streaked away for the try that put the game out of reach for the Maroons.
In Game III the Blues led 10-4 after just 24 minutes and looked set for a series whitewash. Then the Maroons clawed back to 10-all early in the second half with their Origin "King" Wally Lewis landing a wide conversion after Gary Belcher had taken the earlier kicks. Western Suburbs Magpies' forward Steve Jackson who the year before had scored a Grand Final try to give his club the Canberra Raiders the premiership, scored an almost identical try to give Queensland the game and a face-saving sole victory in the series.
| Position | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fullback | Andrew Ettingshausen | ||||||
| Wing | Rod Wishart | ||||||
| Centre | Michael O'Connor | Brad Mackay | Michael O'Connor | ||||
| Centre | Mark McGaw | ||||||
| Wing | Ricky Walford | Graham Lyons | |||||
| Laurie Daley | Des Hasler | Brad Mackay | |||||
| Halfback | Ricky Stuart | ||||||
| Prop | Steve Roach | Glenn Lazarus | |||||
| Hooker | Ben Elias (c) | ||||||
| Prop | Ian Roberts | ||||||
| Second Row | David Gillespie | ||||||
| Second Row | Bruce McGuire | ||||||
| Lock | Bradley Clyde | ||||||
| Replacement | Glenn Lazarus | Mark Sargent | |||||
| Replacement | Paul Sironen | ||||||
| Replacement | Geoff Toovey | Andrew Farrar | |||||
| Replacement | Graham Lyons | Brad Fittler | Greg Alexander | ||||
| Coach | Jack Gibson | ||||||
| Position | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fullback | Gary Belcher | ||||||
| Wing | Alan McIndoe | ||||||
| Centre | Dale Shearer | ||||||
| Centre | Mal Meninga | Peter Jackson | |||||
| Wing | Les Kiss | Willie Carne | |||||
| Michael Hagan | Wally Lewis (c) | ||||||
| Halfback | Allan Langer | ||||||
| Prop | Martin Bella | ||||||
| Hooker | Steve Walters | Kerrod Walters | |||||
| Prop | Dan Stains | Sam Backo | |||||
| Second Row | Paul Vautin (c) | Dan Stains | Trevor Gillmeister | ||||
| Second Row | Wally Fullerton-Smith | Gary Coyne | |||||
| Lock | Bob Lindner | ||||||
| Replacement | Mark Coyne | Trevor Gillmeister | Kevin Walters | ||||
| Replacement | Kevin Walters | Andrew Gee | Michael Hagan | ||||
| Replacement | Gary Coyne | Mark Coyne | Andrew Gee | ||||
| Replacement | Trevor Gillmeister | Kevin Walters | Steve Jackson | ||||
| Coach | Arthur Beetson | ||||||