NSW five-eighth Mitchell Pearce says he regrets the decision to run the ball when halfback Trent Hodkinson was set up for a field goal that would have given the Blues a one-point lead with eight minutes remaining.
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The Blues had worked themselves into good field position to take the field goal with two tackles remaining in the set in the opening game of the State of Origin series on Wednesday night.
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But a decision to chance their arm out wide denied them a shot at the one point, with Michael Jennings kicking the ball dead from the ensuing play to gift Queensland a seven-tackle set to kick a field goal of their own.
While Pearce has been criticised for over-calling his halfback, replays of the critical moment show Hodkinson may also have been guilty of not demanding the ball from his skipper and hooker when he was set up 15 metres out, right in front of the posts on the fourth tackle.
Pearce took some of the blame for the decision to go through the hands, admitting the field goal would have been the better option.
"There is [some regret]," Pearce said. "We had an opportunity and we probably should have gone for field goal there. It's disappointing. I'll have to watch it back, we still had our chance there on the last tackle but we probably should have set it up a bit better.
"We talked about playing the set out and working for a field goal at the end. We probably could have gone for it a play earlier, which is disappointing."
Former NSW coach Phil Gould was particularly critical of the halves' game mismanagement, adamant the Blues squandered a golden opportunity to take a 1-0 series lead to Melbourne.
"They blew it ... there is no other way to put it," Gould said on the Gus and Webby Show.
"They just blew it. I can't believe they lost that game. They were so in control [at half-time]. The biggest part about it is we don't have a boss on the field. We don't have a leader demanding the ball and demanding the direction. It seems like it's all being done from dummy half and that's not the place to have your direction.
"They have to work out the leadership issue in the team. It's not who the captain is – it's about who's responsible for running the show and he's got to get the ball when he needs it. The problem is [Hodkinson] probably doesn't even do it in his club side."
Hodkinson said he and his halves partner had discussed the importance of setting up for a field goal leading into that set but backed the decision to run the ball.
"We were talking about it with seven minutes to go and saw a bit of an opportunity out wide which we took," Hodkinson said.
"We knew we'd have another opportunity but the second time we didn't capitalise on it. We were definitely talking about it. But there was an opportunity out wide and they were stripped of numbers. Either way it didn't really matter."
Even after Cooper Cronk gave the Maroons a one-point lead, the Blues got into position to equalise, however Farah failed to find Hodkinson with his pass from dummy half, providing Josh Dugan with the shot to keep his side alive.
"I would have loved to have a crack at field goal but unfortunately we got a little bit tangled up," Hodkinson said. "I was ready to go and had Duges on my inside but Faz sort of just flung it out and unfortunately it hit Duges. He had a good crack at it and almost got it."
Dugan said he wasn't ready to take the shot.
"I wasn't expecting it," Dugan said. "I got around Smith and just went for it. It was looking alright but then just faded away which was disappointing but it shouldn't have come down to that. We didn't execute our plays coming out of our end of the field and gave a great side too much ball and they capitalised on it."
