Avoiding a dire State of Origin fate that "everyone would never forget" was challenging enough for Queensland.
But playmaker Cameron Munster believes the Maroons' real test still awaits - beating a full-strength NSW outfit featuring Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai.
And he wants off-contract coach Paul Green to help Queensland achieve the feat.
A revitalised Maroons sabotaged the Blues' quest to claim their first whitewash in 21 years with a 20-18 boilover on the Gold Coast on Wednesday night.
It also ensured Queensland did not become the first team to lose three straight Origins on home soil - a fate Munster says the Maroons would have never lived down.
"Our backs were against the wall. Everyone was coming out talking about Origin sweeps," Munster said.
Match Highlights: Blues v Maroons
"If we lost [game three] it would have gone down in the history books.
"Everyone would never forget the [Maroons] Origin side that lost three games in Queensland."
Munster was ecstatic that Queensland had injected pride back in the jersey but he was far from satisfied with the Origin III upset.
He believed Queensland will not have proven anything until they overcome a Blues outfit that includes Cleary and Luai.
The Penrith stars missed game three due to injury, ensuring a re-jigged Blues ran out at Cbus Super Stadium with rookie Mitchell Moses and Jack Wighton as their makeshift halves.
"They had some injuries, we know that, it was a new spine," Munster said.
"If you want to beat the best you have to play against the best, [and in game three] we didn't play against them [Cleary, Luai].
'I like what we've started': Green wants to stay on as Maroons coach
"But I am sure we will have a fair few run-ins against them over the next couple of years."
Munster credits besieged coach Paul Green for getting Queensland back on track.
Green's future looked bleak after Queensland lost the first two games by a 76-6 overall points aggregate and endured off-field controversies capped by Jai Arrow's biosecurity bubble breach.
Green is believed to have a 2022 option but remained coy on his future after game three.
Maroons great Billy Slater has been linked to the 2022 job but Munster backed Green.
"He's good. There were a couple of things we weren't agreeing on in the first and second game but changed it in the third game," he said.
"The good thing about Greeny is that he is very adaptable and happy with us taking charge in game three.
"He put all the ownership and emphasis on us to make sure we went out there and played well...and I really respected him for doing that.
"He gave us a game plan and at the end of the day, it is up to us to execute it.
"There was a lot of pressure on Greeny but the pressure should have been on our leadership group - we needed to be better and we have to be better next series."
Munster believed Queensland now had a blueprint for success under Green.
"There were a lot of critics coming out in the media saying it [Queensland campaign] was a shambles ... but we just didn't perform, that's all it was," he said.
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"We showed [in game three] what we knew we were capable of.
"I didn't think it was a shambles, people outside did, and just the way we were playing, we weren't in sync, some of the players who were playing weren't in form.
"It's obviously a disappointing series as a Queenslander but we can get a lot of good things out of [game there].
"We have a young group coming through and myself and older heads in the group have to take charge next series and give the Blues a challenge."
