Like when you’re offered a trip home in the pouring rain; or when there’s only one Tim Tam left in the fridge; or when a beautiful Canadian girl randomly sits next to you in a bar.

It wasn’t part of the original plan, it wasn’t even the back up, but sometimes you’ve just got to roll with it.

This was at the very heart of what NSW did both best and worst against Queensland in this year’s State of Origin opener at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night. 

At the very height of it was the free-flowing opportunist try scored by Josh Morris, chasing down and collecting a near-perfect kick produced by fullback Josh Dugan at pace and under pressure in broken play back on halfway. 

This was followed soon after by a short-ball option to Beau Scott, who crashed over for the Blues’ second try despite the backs screaming for the pass out wide.

But for every up there’s a down, for every Yin there’s a Yang, for every Greek god there’s a Roman equivalent.

First was Maroons halfback Cooper Cronk cruising over the line for a reasonably soft try in what was otherwise a super defensive effort by the hosts, and all because Johnathan Thurston made a clever run behind the attack to distract NSW defenders from who actually had the all-important ball in hand. 

And finally, the non-attempt field goal by Mitchell Pearce.

I realise rugby league is a tough game, understand fatigue comes into play and get that these guys, in the end, are only human, trying their best in a tough ­environment.

But it (aka the decision to shift the ball wide when standing in front of the posts 10 out, at 10-all with 10 to go) surely would have gone against every ­footballer’s natural instinct not to pause, pivot and pot that field goal.

Or at the very least set up for a shot on the upcoming fifth and final tackle.

Next minute, Queensland do what Queensland does by working the ball down the other end of the field and saying “anything you can’t do we can do better”.

It’s now 11-10 and a single, solitary, slimy, smelly, squeaky point is all that separates the sides when the full-time siren sounds.

And once again, as has been the case for most of the last decade, the Blues are left to chase the champions down in order to salvage the series.

So in the post mortem and after ­thinking about what might have been on the train trip between Homebush and Central, punters roll out of the carriages and the Maitland travellers are left with quite a predicament.

We see the bright lights of a licensed establishment still open and calling our names across the road from the hotel – home to bed or one more ale?

Sometimes life is about playing what’s in front of you.

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Congratulations to Maitland Blacks junior Jeremy Tilse, who brought up his 50th Super Rugby cap for the NSW Waratahs in Saturday night’s 32-22 grand final replay win against the Canterbury Crusaders.