A pulsating 2016 State of Origin series opener has seen Queensland wrest control with a gritty 6-4 victory in front of a crowd of 80,251. In what turned out to be a scoreless second half, a controversial decision from the bunker left the Blues faithful anguished and the Maroons with both a series lead and the early advantage heading into game two back on their home turf.
With 15 minutes to play, Robbie Farah worked a short-side play and Josh Morris appeared to slide over the line with referee Gerard Sutton sending the decision to the bunker a try. But despite limited evidence to the contrary, the on-field call was overturned in an decision that left those south of the Tweed fuming. It will be a major talking point over the coming days and the concept will again be placed in the line of fire.
The patience and experience of Queensland proved telling though with fullback Darius Boyd outstanding, while Cameron Smith topped 50 tackles, most of them telling. A try just before the break to Dane Gagai proved the decisive play in a match where points were at a premium.
As is typical of series openers, the match was hard and conservative – the cliched arm wrestle, with scoring a rarity and niggle was plentiful. None of the last five series openers topped 28 points. This one never looked likely.
Nate Myles set the tone off the kick off by barrelling Paul Gallen off the ball. Gallen chased him like a furious younger brother. The scoring opened 15 minutes in when Johnathan Thurston nailed a penalty goal from just to the right of the posts to put the Maroons up 2-0, a chance resulting from a James Maloney leg pul. That followed a questionable high tackle call against Blues skipper Paul Gallen.
The next set Queensland somehow forced a line drop-out after a mix-up between Origin debutant Matt Moylan and Blake Ferguson. The Blues survived though following a no-call on an Adam Reynolds rake. Soon followed a sustained period of Blues dominance where they camped on the NSW tryline like a litter of determined squattors.
Aaron Woods, James Tamou and Paul Gallen were relentless in hammering the Maroons defence. It was Adam Reynolds though with his sublime kicking game that allowed the Blues to heap on the pressure. Eventually Queensland broke. After four straight sets Boyd Cordner took a beautiful short ball from James Maloney and ran an inside out angle to crash over with Cooper Cronk around his ankles. Reyolds failed to convert leaving the Blues with a 4-2 lead 27 minutes in.
Not looking likely for most of the first half, Queensland, as they so often have over the past decade, crushed Blues hearts just before the break through Dane Gagai. Johnathan Thurston took off on the last, linked with Darius Boyd, who found Justin O’Neill, with the latter managing to tap the ball on for Dane Gagai to charge over unmarked. It sent the Maroons in for oranges leading 6-4.
It would stay that way for the remainder of the match.
The Maroons went within a metre just minutes after the break following a Matt Moylan drop after Queensland’s first set of the half. A scything James Maloney tackle was all that prevented Dane Gagai from positng his second. A steamrolling David Klemmer run that left Michael Morgan flattened like a a slow-witted prizefighter seemed to inspire the Blues with 30 minutes remaining. Josh Morris made a half break. A grubber resulted in Dane Gagai forcing the ball dead. Another close call from another grubber. But it was to no avail as the courageous Maroons defence stood tall.
Queensland quickly won back the momentum through a wonderful Johnathan Thurston kick chased by Cooper Cronk but a Sam Thaiday error on the third repeat set cruelled Maroons hopes and gave the Blues another wind.
The bunker’s overturning of the Morris try didn’t flatten the Blues but it seemed to distract them, with late-game panic soon setting in. The Blues certainly didn’t get the rub of the green. A Dane Gagai knock-on was reversed by – who else? – the bunker, again letting the Maroons off the hook. Queensland don’t need chances. They didn’t get many in this game but then they didn’t need many to grab the series lead.
