State of Origin game two live blog: Live scores and all the latest updates as Queensland

The Maroons will kick off – but sadly, not to Spencer Leniu, who is coming off the bench.

There was plenty of speculation about late changes, but the Maroons are as named…

No late changes for the Blues..

Nathan Cleary has just spoken to Nine after getting off the team bus, stressing the importance of the kicking game tonight – and with Mitch Moses out through injury, more of that responsibility will fall on his shoulders.

No sitting behind a desk for Nine’s James Bracey tonight – he just kicked off the coverage hooked up to a safety harness on the roof of Optus Stadium.

No Queensland coach has kept his job after taking the Cane Toads to two series defeats in a row.

The last Maroons boss to record that unwanted mark was Kevin Walters in 2018-19.

Slater has been smashed from pillar to post since his bombshell yesterday afternoon – but Queensland icon Mal Meninga is squarely in his corner.

The incoming Perth Bears coach said ‘I’m in Billy’s boat here’ as he blasted Aaron Woods for the ‘grub’ insult that started the scandal, describing it as a ‘personal attack’.

Queensland were accused of chickening out by not kicking off to Blues enforcer Spencer Leniu (pictured) so he could take a run from the back fence in game one – so Maroons assistant coach Josh Hannay found a funny way of turning the tables earlier today.

‘We’re going to kick off right, by the way, so the Blues can put whoever they want on that side of the field,’ he joked.

It was heavily rumoured that the Maroons were going to target Leniu in the first match after his sideline clash with Johnathan Thurston earlier this year, but the confrontation never really eventuated, despite the Roosters star giving it to the crowd before kickoff.

There’s a 90 per cent chance of rain in Perth at kickoff time, and a quick look at the rain radar just showed pockets of downpours coursing over the city.

This year’s first Origin match was deservedly panned for being a low-quality affair full of handling errors and poor discipline, making it more like a club game than footy’s biggest attraction – and now there are decent odds the second rubber will be a dour and conservative affair due to the weather.

Green’s brother Rick has spoken out after Billy Slater called the late coach’s wife Amanda (pictured together, below) to apologise ‘for any hurt’ his comments caused the family.

‘The family regrets that Paul’s name was brought into the current narrative and the manner this has been done,’ Rick Green told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘The family wants to reiterate that we love Queensland and its team. We also bear great respect for the person charged with the team’s performance.

‘It was unfortunate that Mr Slater made the reference that he did, but he has responded appropriately and apologised without reservation.

‘We sincerely wish him the best in his role as the coach of our state team.’

It was one of the quietest and safest build-ups to Origin for years – until Billy Slater brought footy legend Paul Green’s tragic death into it as he hit back at Aaron Woods.

The former NSW star had branded Slater a grub – and despite having a week to prepare his comeback, the Queensland coach got it horribly wrong on Tuesday afternoon.

By this morning he was issuing a public apology after calling Green’s widow to apologise for any hurt he’d caused the family.

This shot was taken not too long ago at Optus Stadium, with all 60,000 seats sold out for tonight’s match.

Thanks for joining Daily Mail Australia’s coverage of game two of this year’s Origin series.

NSW are just 80 minutes away from sewing up their second straight series victory and they’re clear favourites with the bookies.

But Queensland are just where they want to be – backs to the wall, absolute underdogs. And we’ve all seen what happens when the Maroons get written off.