The Maroons held on to a narrow two-point lead to send the 2025 State of Origin series to a decider.
Queensland led by 20 at the half before New South Wales rallied late with four unanswered tries that set up a grandstand finish.
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In typical Maroons fashion, late game efforts and players stepping up in the clutch meant that Billy Slater's men found enough in the tank to turn their rivals away.
Blues coach Laurie Daley fronted the media post-game to address his side's lacklustre performance.
"[We] let ourselves down in the first half," he said.
"We showed what we’re capable of doing in the second half, but you can’t play football like that against quality opposition."
New South Wales completed just 69 percent of their sets and lost the penalty count 10-2, a statistic that Daley wasn't impressed with.
"I can’t tell you what I obviously think so I’m not going to say it," he said.
"Better go back to the drawing board, prepare well and go back to Sydney."
One of the most surprising failures of the Blues attack was their kicking game, which should be a strength of theirs given the quality of their spine.
Nathan Cleary, who many consider to have the best kicking game in the sport, didn't involve himself very much in that department, particularly when New South Wales were coming out of their own end.
Daley revealed that his halfback was carrying an injury into the game and his reluctance to take control on set finishes was a feature of their game plan.
"He just felt a bit tight in his groin, so we wanted to limit the amount of force he put through there," said Daley.
"He’s a tough kid Nathan, we know what a quality player he is, but he’s tough."
The Blues will host Queensland in Sydney on July 9 for the series decider.