Melbourne's brilliant five-eighth Greg Inglis continued his State of Origin heroics as he steered his side to a 48-20 drubbing of North Queensland in their NRL clash.

The Storm ran in nine tries to surge back to the top of the ladder and consign the Cowboys to their eighth straight loss and last position in the competition.

But Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith described the match as "the most boring" he'd been involved in, referring to the Cowboys tactics of slowing play down.

Coach Craig Bellamy accused North Queensland players Johnathan Thurston and Ray Cashmere of feigning injury.

Thurston probably needed a breather after battling the flu during the week, which wasn't helped by a nine-hour trip to Melbourne after his side's flight was delayed and diverted.

"They all continued to play ... it wasn't hard to see what they were doing," Bellamy said.

"At the end of the day they were good tactics but it made for a boring game."

Inglis starred in Queensland's 30-0 whitewash of NSW in the second Origin match and continued that form, with his now trademark fend - on Maroons teammate Thurston - leading to the first of his three tries.

Thurston, who was among the Cowboys' best on field, also copped it in the 73rd minute as the five-eighth pointed and smiled at the chasing halfback on his way to his third touch-down.

In the first half North Queensland played better than a team that has only managed three wins this season, and only trailed 16-14 at halftime after both teams had scored three tries apiece.

"I thought their effort was really great," said coach Ian Millward.

"I didn't think the scoreline reflected the effort that the players put in tonight and I think we can hold our heads high."

Thurston set up two of his side's first half tries with pin-point kicks, scored by wingers Mark Henry and John Williams, while hard-working prop Carl Webb ran on to a ball from dummy half Aaron Payne to add his own four-pointer.

The second half was trademark Storm as the defending champions seemingly scored at will while the Cowboys only added to their tally in the final minutes through Cashmere.

Melbourne's six try second half haul included two to winger Steve Turner, who is hoping to keep a hold on his NSW Origin jersey following a nightmare debut.

Blues coach Bellamy refused to comment on Turner's chances, saying only he was meeting with NSW selectors on Monday before Tuesday's team announcement.

In another blow to the struggling Cowboys, second rower Jacob Lillyman is out for the season after dislocating his shoulder early in the first half, which requires surgery.

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