SYDNEY, July 8 (Reuters) - Queensland reclaimed State of Origin bragging rights in emphatic style with a record 52-6 thrashing of New South Wales in front of a crowd of 52,500 at Lang Park in Brisbane on Wednesday to win the series 2-1.
With Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston running the show, Queensland ran in eight tries to ensure last year's triumph for their southern neighbours would be merely a blip in a decade of domination for the Maroons.
Dane Gagai, Josh Papalii and Greg Inglis scored tries to give them a 22-2 halftime lead and Matt Gillett, Michael Morgan, Darius Boyd, Will Chambers and Aidan Guerra crossed after the break.
Thurston kicked 18 points with a perfect performance from the tee before handing the ball to centre Justin Hodges to convert the last try in his 24th and final Origin match.
"One of the best feelings you can have in your life, winning an Origin series," Thurston said in a pitchside interview.
"They wrote us off in this series, it just goes to show what a champion side this is."
New South Wales, who had hopes of winning a second series in a row after a 26-18 victory in the second match to tie up the series, were never in the contest after Trent Hodkinson opened the scoring with a sixth minute penalty.
Michael Jennings snatched up a loose ball to race away and score a try for the visitors on the hour mark but it was scant consolation on a night of humiliation for the Blues.
It was a record winning margin in the history of the series, beating the 56-16 victory for New South Wales in Game Three of the 2000 series.