After 119 minutes of impressive State of Origin rugby league, it all turned horrendously ugly for Queensland in the final 41 minutes of Origin II.
The 44-12 loss to NSW came on the back of six straight NSW tries in Perth, with the despondent Maroons made to look even smaller under the bright lights and vast expanses of the AFL ground.
Having won Origin I in hostile territory, when the tide turned against Queensland in Perth there was neither animosity to fuel them nor hearty cheers and chants to comfort them.
That should be a different story when the carnival rolls into Lang Park for the decider in two-and-a-half-weeks' time, but is a rectangular patch of turf and some steeper stands really enough to prevent the Maroons losing from a 1-0 lead for the second time in four series?
The last time they did it was 2019. Coming off a tight win in the opener, Queensland travelled to Perth and got bodied by 32 points.
Sound familiar?
The difference that time was they then faced a decider in Sydney, which they ended up losing on a last-minute James Tedesco heart-breaker.
This time the Maroons have the benefit of home cooking for the all-or-nothing affair and that typically bodes well for Queensland.
Queensland fans have been through a lot in the past 24 hours, so here's some hope.
There's some truth to the myth that surrounds Queensland sides, with the Maroons having won twice as many deciders as NSW in 40 years of Origin series.
The last time two times the shield has been up for grabs in the third game of the series at Lang Park, Cameron Munster provided iconic performances — his 2017 debut and the 2020 masterclass — to guide the Maroons home.
In fact, of the 12 Origin deciders played in Brisbane, NSW has won just twice — in 1994 and 2005 — both times rebounding from a 1-0 deficit as they're trying to do this year.
But there's no invisible chemical running along the Tweed or tainted chemtrail emanating from the Story Bridge that saps powers from people in blue shirts.
The game is still played under the same rules, on a field with the same lines, with the same posts and the same Steeden as any other ground.
So, while it feels harsh to rip away that vestige of comfort onto which a Maroons fanatic may be clinging in this, their time of need, it's worth remembering that the Suncorp Stadium experience is not exactly the same as the Lang Park one.
Gone is the intimidating (or inspiring, depending on who you ask) bus ride down Caxton St. Gone are the rickety wooden bleachers. Gone is the chance of 40,000 XXXX cans being turned into aluminium projectiles.
The Brisbane ground is now a favourite of many NRL players, who often have to run on to the cavernous and almost-empty Olympic stadium in Sydney.
It was chosen to host Magic Round for a reason.
And if you take a look at those deciders since the 2001 redevelopment, NSW won in 2005 to finish off a run of three series wins, and four of the five Queensland wins came with Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk in the side, with Darren Lockyer (2011), Billy Slater (2011 and 2017) and Greg Inglis (2011, 2012 and 2015) chiming in too. Those dynastic Maroons teams are almost in their own category.
Throw in the COVID-affected 2020 post-season series, which was a remarkable underdog victory but also an undeniably bizarre and unique affair, and the picture isn't exactly cut and dry.
Plus, the last time Origin was played at Lang Park, Queensland was crushed 26-0 as the Blues wrapped things up early last year, having already won game one 50-6 in Townsville.
It's fair to say this batch of Blues are not scared of playing rugby league in Queensland and are supremely confident in general.
Sometimes it appears to come back to bite them in the form of complacency or a lack of attention to detail, but the fact the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Since 2017, Queensland's biggest margin of victory is six points. In the same time frame, the Blues have won games by 44 points, 32 points (twice), 26 points and 24 points.
The Maroons of the past five years have been constantly outgunned and hanging on with white knuckles against rampaging Blues sides. And this year, they're doing it again.
Do they have another famous Lang Park triumph in them? If they are to do it, it will likely require the fourth virtuoso performance of Munster's career and add another page to Queensland's 'Big Book of How Did They Do It This Time?'.
