Bittersweet send-off for Buderus
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'Proud and privileged': Leeds-bound Danny Buderus. (AAP Image: Paul Miller)
New South Wales rugby league skipper Danny Buderus says he was proud and privileged to end his State of Origin career in front of a raucous Olympic stadium crowd in Sydney last night.
Buderus played his last state representative game in Queensland's 16-10 victory over the Blues, and will now join English Super League club Leeds next season after becoming the most capped New South Wales Origin captain.
The Maroons claimed their third straight series win after Johnathan Thurston put Billy Slater in for the match-winning try late in the second half, after the game was locked at 10-10 for 20 minutes after the break.
The Newcastle hooker said he had mixed emotions about the match.
"I'm proud and privileged to have played in that game, and in a decider, that's all I could even ask for," he said.
"To take the series down to a decider, in Sydney, not many people get to do that. It's a memory I'll take back with me and I'm just very proud of that group of boys in that dressing shed.
"It was a pretty brutal Origin series and that game was fitting for the decider."
New South Wales coach Craig Bellamy said there was a tinge of disappointment sending the veteran captain off without a series win.
"It's disappointing for all of us not to be able to do it for Danny tonight," he said.
"I don't want to probably embarrass him a little bit but he's one hell of a footy player as everyone knows but he's one hell of a bloke too and those guys in that dressing shed love him, they love playing with him."
Slater's match-winning try came from an inspired line-break from Queensland's man of the series Thurston.
Thurston said that being awarded the Wally Lewis Medal tops the two Dally M awards he has won.
""I'd say this is probably a little but more sweeter," he said.
"[This is] the toughest arena in footy and like I said I'm just very proud to be a part of the team and very proud of what we've achieved."
Coach Mal Meninga said it took an entire team effort to win the series.
"In game one, we didn't play well and we still nearly won it. In game two we played well and got a 30-0 scoreline. And in this game, we had to grind out and be patient," he said.
"These guys were willing to do anything that was needed to win the footy game.
"But I keep saying they're a special group of young men."
