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For Old Bar's Boyd Cordner became the first NSW captain to lead the Blues to back-to-back State of Origin rugby league series wins against Queensland since Taree's Danny Buderus, in 2004/05.
Buderus, who made 21 appearances for the Blues, has had plenty of input into NSW's successes in the last two years, as he has been a member of coach Brad Fittler's coaching staff.
Cordner led the Blues to an epic 26-20 win in the third and deciding Origin clash in front of more than 82,000 spectators on Wednesday night at ANZ Stadium.
He had his first game of league as a four-year-old with the Old Bar Pirates under sixes. Cordner said clinching the the series in front of a sold out stadium crowd was 'unbelievable.'
At home, in front of our home fans, in our home state, it doesn't get much better
- NSW captain Boyd Cordner
"We worked so hard. It's a bit of a different position to what we were in last year," he told Channel Nine.
"At home, in front of our home fans, in our home state, it doesn't get much better."
This was Cordner's third series as captain after the Sydney Roosters back rower made his Origin debut in game three 2013. He is the only member of the current side who was involved in the breakthrough 2014 series win under captain Paul Gallen.
Cordner's father, Chris, was his first footy coach. Chris, who lives at Wallabi Point, was among the 82,000 at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night. He was also in Brisbane for the opening match and then Perth for game two, when NSW thrashed the Maroons to level the series and set up the decider.
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Cordner was also the driving force behind the decision by the Blues to donate their game three jerseys to be auctioned to raise funds for the family who lost three children in a house fire in the Hunter Valley last month.
Kara Atkins, 31 and her daughter, Bayley, 8, survived the blaze which claimed the lives of her son, Blake, 12 and two daughters Matylda and Scarlett, 6.
"Every NSW player was deeply affected by what happened to the Atkins family and wanted to do whatever they could to help them," Cordner said.