How do you begin to compare State Of Origin to other sporting events? Or even concepts?
How do you explain that a team is given no chance of victory, with inferior players and a coach up against the wall - and yet they win?
A team can score fewer tries, look far worse throughout 80 minutes, but can come good and force a decider against all common sense and logic. In most cultures that's unfair. In Australia, that's Origin baby.
The lead up to Game I was extremely low key by Origin standards. The media cycle was completely besotted with the movements of Lachlan Galvin, only for several of the same people perpetuating that cycle to publicly voice frustration about nobody talking about Origin.
The good news for anyone who was frustrated by that is that before Game II, the focus was Origin related. The bad news is that it had nothing to do with the on-field product, and was instead all about Billy Slater's bizarre Aaron Woods broadside.
Woods' initial comments could and should have been dismissed as harmless Origin banter, and perhaps if Queensland were traveling a bit better, they would have been. Instead, Slater fired back with all the vitriol of a man under pressure, and then had to devote crucial pre-game time to an apology.
The wolves were well and truly out for Slater, as many anticipated another heavy loss. After all, the margin in Brisbane flattered them to the extent where many felt the Blues were frustrated by the scoreline.
So here we were, in Perth, Slater up against the wall and firing blindly at his adversaries.
And yet, who could say how much it all meant? There's a million tiny little things that go into winning or losing an Origin game - and clearly judging by Queensland's performance, a few choice words from their commander in chief had no effect.
New South Wales were everything they weren't in Game I. They struggled to find their options at the end of sets, they weren't clinical near the goal line and the discipline was poor - probably best summed up by Zac Lomax's wild elbow towards the end of the first half which gifted Queensland a two-score lead.
At half time it felt like nothing could save New South Wales. And certainly it didn't seem like the Blues would finish the game feeling like they definitely should have won. And yet, here we are.
This is why this maddenigly unique concept will never die. A litany of questionable choices by Slater, all vindicated. It was Kurt Capewell who was welcomed back into the fold who scored a crucial try and forced an even more crucial error. It was the benched Patrick Carrigan who came on and made a difference with every touch. It was the unheralded backline who bent, but didn't break.
And now here we are. A few minutes away from the Blues condemning Queensland to a massive shift on the shelf, instead we go to Sydney for a decider. A decider nobody would have picked two hours ago.
This sport is delightfully unique in its intricacies. Nobody can really understand how or why dynasties, coaching careers and Origin series can swing in a matter of moments. But they can, and they do.
Billy Slater was persona non grata in the afternoon. Now, he's the latest backs against the wall genius in Queensland's history.