After Queensland won game one 18-14 in Adelaide, the first-ever post-season Origin series will now head to a blockbuster decider at Suncorp Stadium next week.

As was the case last season, when the Blues trailed 1-0 before rallying to win the series, Brad Fittler's troops improved markedly on their lacklustre first-up display.

There was drama for Queensland in the first couple of minutes when champion five-eighth Cameron Munster suffered a head knock while cleaning up a kick in-goal.

He was immediately helped from the field, wobbly-legged, for a head-injury assessement, with bench utility Ben Hunt his replacement.

Munster - Queensland's best player in Origin I - was unable to return.

The setback did not appear to unsettle the Maroons, who opened the scoring in the eighth minute when centre Dane Gagai created room for rookie winger Xavier Coates.

Coates avoided the cover defence of NSW fullback James Tedesco by launching himself like a springboard diver and planting the ball down centimetres from the sideline.

Valentine Holmes missed the conversion to leave NSW chasing a 4-0 lead. The Blues hit back 10 minutes later when five-eighth Cody Walker scored, after Newcastle front-rower Daniel Saifiti won a penalty to put the Blues on the attack.

NSW worked a set move with their right-side attack and Walker beat two attempted tackles to scramble over the line.

Six minutes later, Tedesco - on debut as NSW captain in the absence of Boyd Cordner - speared through a gap to score a trademark try.

Nathan Cleary's second conversion left Queensland facing a 12-4 defcit.

The Blues tightened their grip just before half-time when winger Josh Addo-Carr weaved his way through to score the first of his two tries for the night.

Cleary maintained his 100 per cent kicking strike rate to put the home team in a dominant position at half-time, leading 18-4.

Having allowed a 10-point half-time lead to slip through their fingers in game one, the Blues were in no mood to make the same mistake.

When centre Jack Wighton powered over to score two minutes after the break, the Maroons found themselves 24-4 down and facing a possible blowout scoreline.

A Daniel Tupou try in the 53^rd minute added to Queensland's frustration, and soon afterwards Payne Haas (NSW) and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (Queensland) were sin-binned after trading punches in a melee.

Saifiti, who was a dominant force in game one, was equally impressive in his first stint on Wednesday night, racking up 84 metres and 19 tackles in 26 minutes.