When asked about the 8-0 penalty count by half-time, Daley said: “I can’t tell you what I honestly think, so I won’t say anything.”

Perth locals who braved the wet and miserable conditions were treated to a seriously entertaining game. Game one in Brisbane was described as a glorified club game, but some of the football played inside Optus Stadium was of the highest quality.

Brian To’o did virtually nothing in training all week because of a dodgy hamstring, but ran for more than 200m – again – and finished with three tries.

Edwards did a remarkable job to somehow keep the ball in play late in the second half to keep the Blues on the attack, and Latrell Mitchell produced an excellent one-on-one strip that paved the way for To’o to score his third try.

Stephen Crichton was in beast mode when he charged over the top of three Queensland defenders in the 56th minute to set up a nervous finish.

And Isaah Yeo lodged one of the great captain’s challenges, with Queensland thinking they had a penalty for a Hudson Young high shot on Cam Munster only for Yeo to spot Zac Lomax being tackled in the air by Xavier Coates.

Lomax missed three conversions from the same spot that would have won the game, but there was no way you could blame the powerhouse winger for the defeat.

The 8-0 penalty count was too bad to be true. One of those infringements included claims of a Jarome Luai eye gouge on Reuben Cotter, while Lomax was penalised for elbowing Trent Loiero in the head, forcing the Maroons forward off the field for a head injury assessment. Luai and Lomax were charged respectively with contrary conduct and dangerous conduct, but will escape with fines.

The numbers said it all at the break with the penalty count shocking, but the Blues also completing at only 60 per cent. They were too eager to score points early and their impatience led to errors.

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Luai, called into game two for the injured Mitch Moses, put his first kick out on the full. It later emerged Nathan Cleary was carrying a niggling right leg problem, which meant he was limited with how much kicking he would do in general play and with goal kicking. Even Mitchell chimed in with his booming left boot at the end of sets.

Cleary took on more of the kicking in the second half, but he was clearly troubled by the injury.

The Blues were first to score when Luai put through a grubber and Angus Crichton got a toe to the ball on the ground, before To’o pounced out wide. Liam Martin did his best to fire up his teammates with a bruising hit on Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, and let him know about it when he spilled the ball. A minute later, Martin smashed into Val Holmes and dropped the ball.

Tom Dearden was brilliant for the Maroons, and justified coach Billy Slater’s decision to start him in the No.7 jersey at the expense of Daly Cherry-Evans. Munster was in everything in his first game as skipper, but would have liked a couple of kicks back that went dead.

It’s now game on heading to Accor Stadium. The Blues will be favourites because of the home-ground advantage, but the Maroons are not going to roll over.

Slater endured a tough week, but the Perth win will give him breathing space. Daley will need to wait a little longer for an overdue series win.