Summary
Ok, thank you all for sticking with me tonight. Congratulations NSW, commiserations Queensland. We’ll be back to do this all again in three weeks with game 2 in Perth.
Until then, here’s Jack Snape’s match report from the Suncorp Stadium press box. Stay tuned for plenty more reaction over the coming days.
New South Wales deserve all the praise in the immediate aftermath of their victory. Laurie Daley did well with his selections, even if the Cleary-Moses axis was a little clunky at times. Leaders stepped up. Discipline was good when the game was on the line.
But once the confetti has been swept away all the fallout will have to be about Queensland. They weren’t great last year, they have a shallower squad this time around – many of which are struggling for form, so it’s hard to see how Billy Slater can turn things around without going nuclear.
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Payne Haas is a worthy man of the match. He is bloody good. Tonight he delivered 30 tackles, 150+ run metres, and all with an aura of massive invincibility like a bearded Jack Reacher.
It’s the first time since 1997-98 the Blues have gone back-to-back at Suncorp Stadium, and if I was a betting man I’d put a couple of bucks on them completing a series sweep in Perth and Sydney.
Their strength is built around a formidable pack that was dominant tonight, especially Yeo, A Crichton, and Haas in the first half. Their hard running just sucked the life out of Queensland and established field position time and again. On top of that the Blue defensive line was superb, refusing to buckle in the face of the trickery of Ponga and Tabuai-Fidow, and the class of Queensland’s best, Coates.
In fairness, that wasn’t the best advertisement for Origin rugby league. Queensland were worryingly poor, the second half was a disjointed mess, and NSW win at a canter despite offering only sporadically with ball in hand.
Full-time: Queensland 6-18 NSW
The Blues take a stranglehold on the 2025 State of Origin series with a dominant victory in Brisbane.
79 mins: Four thoroughly uninspiring tackles precede a quarterback throw of a pass from Dearden out wide to the left wing. Holmes runs in the “try”, but the touch judge has their flag up having spotted a very obvious forward pass.
78 mins: This sloppy second half is extended an extra minute for a superfluous captain’s challenge against a NSW knock-on. It’s unsuccessful so Queensland get one final chance, 10m out.
77 mins: The kicking chaos continues as Cleary shanks an attempted field goal from point blank range.
76 mins: This was a match Queensland had to win. Not only are they not going to, it is very hard to see how they claw anything back from this series. NSW are too big up front, too clever in the halves, and too clinical out wide.
75 mins: Queensland go for the short kick-off, but… is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Zac Lomax, yet again plucking the pill from the sky and setting his side on the attack.
74 mins: Wow! Lomax takes kicking duties off the misfiring Cleary, and he absolutely wallops his conversion from just right of the posts miles to the left. What has happened to all these elite kickers tonight?
73 mins: Brilliant desperation from Lomax, Watson, and then Edwards, but that was poor defence from Holmes, electing not to contest the high ball.
TRY! Queensland 6-18 NSW (Edwards, 72)
NSW pound from halfway to the 10m line, then on tackle four are gifted a set restart! Two more hit ups and another six again! Queensland are clinging on by their fingernails. The Blues are not trying anything flash, just running their hosts into submission. Then on the last Cleary chips to the right corner for Lomax. The winger makes a miracle catch with Holmes electing not to contest. Finds the offload to Watson, who, with three men hanging off him somehow pops the ball out for Edwards to gather and crash over the line! Thank you, and goodnight.
70 mins: Queensland run on the last tackle. Carrigan crosses halfway, feeds DCE, and a flat pass is called forward! It wasn’t passed obviously backwards, but far far worse have been let go in the NRL this season. As it is it’s another item in the catalogue of second-half errors.
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68 mins: Gah! What has happened to this game!? Tackle two after the 10m penalty and the Maroons grass a simple play with neither Fotuaika nor Carrigan expecting Dearden’s feed from dummy half.
NSW restore order, work through the set and kick long to Holmes.
67 mins: More scrappiness as Nanai forces a knock-on in an aerial contest on the NSW 10m line, then Dearden throws to nobody with the advantage. Scrum Queensland 10m out. After coming out the back of the scrum to the left the ball is hurled to the right to Ponga in space. He goes to the line and is clotheslined by Moses.
66 mins: Dearden has done well since coming on, adding some impetus and strength, but Queensland cannot pierce this NSW defensive line. on tackle five Tino tries a desperate offload but it’s straight to the grateful Young. NSW waste no time going for the jugular with Cleary taking the ball to the line, surfing across the face of the Maroon wave, accepting contact, offloading to the support runner, but Connor Watson, just on, drops a soda and the move breaks down.
This is all getting a bit scrappy.
64 mins: From 30m out the Blues run a couple of straight lines, then Young turns into a pinball, bouncing off tacklers, spinning, reaching the 10m line, but instead of accepting his fate he tries to offload but it’s a hand grenade A Crichton can’t hold onto and Queensland regain possession.
62 mins: Fatigue is starting to set in now, and S Crichton is in trouble with a left elbow injury. Can Queensland capitalise? No. Holmes is pinged for a loose carry under pressure from Young. Queensland challenge, but to no avail.
60 mins: Another poor fourth tackle kick, this time from Cleary, who allows Holmes to run out to the 30m line. Dearden takes Queensland to halfway with a snipe and an offload, but twice in the set the Maroons breakdown giving the ball to Ponga in tight only to watch him get smothered before he can dance away from danger.
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58 mins: Queensland claim the short drop-out and get to work under the posts. Loiero, Collins, Nanai, all hit the line hard, then Moses gets a hand in at the play the ball and the Maroons get six more tackles! In sniffing distance of the line Loiero drives, then Tino, but on tackle four Munster grubbers poorly, Lomax sweeps without fuss, then Cotter and Ponga try too hard to push the Eel over the line and concede a penalty. Massive opportunity missed for the home side.
57 mins: Dearden tries to get his wide strike weapons on the ball as Queensland pass halfway. Then Munster takes over, driving to the line and cutting left, Ponga darts, then Tabuai-Fidow, but NSW hold their ground. On the last Munster kicks to the posts, Nanai challenges in the air, and the ball goes behind for a drop-out.
56 mins: Back to the midfield scrap, with Young on for NSW and Dearden for Queensland, replacing Grant. But any hint of rhythm to the game is disrupted when Mitchell concedes a needless penalty on Ponga returning a deep kick from fullback.
54 mins: NSW run straight lines for three tackles, then five more after a set restart for offside. Finally they head to the right and the ball just about reaches Lomax on the touchline, but his chip and chase deflects off Munster and Queensland survive. Just a quick word for the debutant Toia, who has defended superbly.
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52 mins: NSW enjoy another leisurely rumble downfield but Cleary’s kick on the last is poor. Nine’s commentators wonder if there’s something wrong with the ball, so poor has the kicking been tonight. They cut short their debate when Ponga is pinged for a loose carry on his 20m line coming out of defence.
50 mins: The Blues forwards love the grind, and they milk the clock, eating up the metres, even absorbing a huge Ponga hit on Martin, before kicking to the left corner. It’s a marking contest for the ages with Coates competing with Lomax, and the Storm star comes down with the Steeden.
To’o makes his way back into the fray.
48 mins: Nanai does Mitchell again! Queensland go nuts, but their excitement is short-lived as Mitchell asks for a captain’s challenge and the TMO quickly identifies an obvious strip. A shot of Maroon testosterone soon turns to a NSW kick to halfway and a resumption of the midfield grind.
47 mins: It wasn’t a pretty try, and came off the back of a couple of poor pieces of play from both sides, but Queensland won’t care. They are back in this match after looking dead and buried 10 minutes ago.
46 mins: Holmes misses the touchline conversion.
TRY! Queensland 6-14 NSW (Coates, 45)
Brilliant defence from NSW off the scrum, driving Holmes into touch on the left. That is a huge statement from the 12 men. Such a flex.
But hang on! Coming out of defence Mitchell is poleaxed 10m out by Nanai who hits him like a human missile. What a shot! The ball comes free, shovelled to Toia who improvises an offload to Coates who has just enough room to find an angle, sprint, dive, reach, and score an unexpected try! Game on in Brisbane!
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43 mins: Penalty Queensland thanks to Martin coming in over the top on his frenemy Munster. The Maroons kick to the 40. Now the home crowd gets behind their side as Toia carries strongly down the right, then Tabuai-Fidow darts down the left – and is unlucky not to earn a penalty for a high shot from S Crichton. The kick on the last is easily dealt with, but running out of defence Lomax has a loose carry and Queensland get an attacking scrum.
42 mins: Superb NSW defence on the opening set forces Munster to kick from 35m out from his own line. Lomax runs the ball back almost to halfway. The Blues roll forward just like the first half, but Moses comes up with a clanger, kicking tamely on the last straight to Coates in-goal.
41 mins: Massive ten minutes coming up for Queensland. Can they hit the scoreboard with To’o in the bin?
Billy Slater is downbeat talking to Sam Thaiday. “We’re hurting ourselves a lot at the moment. Discipline. Just giving easy field position to the opposition, and that’s what’s hurting us on the scoreboard. But we can change that. We’ve got another 40 minutes. We didn’t see very much of our game in that first 40. So we’d like to see a little bit more.”
The Blues have 400 more running metres than the Maroons, and almost double the post-contact metres as their opponents. Everything Queensland fans feared about the battle up front has come to pass.
“Evening Jonathan,” lovely to have you on board Phil Withall. “I admit to being slightly shocked by the fact Cherry-Evans is the oldest Origin player. In my mind Alfie Langer was about 50 when he was flown back from the UK to play back in the early 2000’s. Mind you, Alfie was about 50 when he played in school.”
How Billy Slater must wish he had Alfie on his bench to call on for the second half.
“Well that was a masterclass by the Blues in the first half,” emails HarryofOz. “Controlled the game from the first play albeit with hard running rather than expansive play. Then in the last 15 minutes - bang - three classy tries.”
Spot on. The hard work early through the middle really set up that late burst. Yeo has been immense, as have A Crichton and Haas. NSW look faster, stronger, hungrier, and cockier, but still disciplined enough to do the simple things.
How’s everyone doing out there? NSW are good, hey? Queensland are lucky to be only 12 points down, and their indiscipline is a massive problem. I honestly have no idea how they get back into this though because the Blues pack is just so powerful. Kicking to the Coates v To’o contest is literally the only obvious advantage they have anywhere on the park.
Half-time: Queensland 2-14 NSW
The Blues dominated the first half of Origin 2025 and take a deserved 12-point lead into the break. If Nathan Cleary had his kicking boots on it would be a bigger margin, and now with Brian To’o in the bin for the first ten minutes of the second half the game could still be on the line.
GOAL! Queensland 2-14 NSW (Holmes, 40)
Holmes kicks Queensland onto the board with a well struck penalty.
SIN-BIN NSW (To'o, 40)
A succession of set restarts eat up the clock as Queensland desperately try to find an openening. With ten seconds until the end of the half, on tackle four, DCE kicks to the right corner for Coates v To’o. The kick is perfect, the leap is beautifully timed, the ball is in Coates’ hands… but he doesn’t come down in possession for a try! Klein sends the matter upstairs and the TMO determines Coates doesn’t score because he’s tackled mid-air by To’o. It’s a professional foul and a sin-bin. To’o will have an extra 10 minutes on the pine after half-time.
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39 mins: NSW have been so assured on their restart sets, giving nothing away cheaply to Queensland. With ball in hand the Maroons try to spread to the left but S Crichton takes Cotter man and ball with a thumping hit, then Cleary follows up with some face work. A routine kick on the last is spilled on the Queensland right and the Maroons have one last attack!
38 mins: NSW are cruising at 14-0, but the scoreline still somehow flatters Queensland. What can Billy Slater do?
37 mins: Cleary is now 0/3 with his touchline conversions, and this one doesn’t even threaten the uprights.
TRY! Queensland 0-14 NSW (Lomax, 36)
Lomax has his second! The drive up the guts draws in bodies which allows a quick ruck and time for Cleary to pick his target. He draws in Munster, double pumps, feeds Edwards, who catches and passes to Lomax who jogs in his second of the night in the right corner. This is a procession!
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35 mins: The Blues are rampant. From right to left they threaten to break the line repeatedly until A Crichton is tackled by DCE. The Queensland skipper then fails to clear the ruck and Ashley Klein blows his whistle yet again. An easy two points are on offer, but why would NSW relinquish their stranglehold?
Behind play Grant receives treatment for an accidental clash of heads.
34 mins: Two tackles in Cleary tries to run through the line, offloads to his left, but straight to Carrigan – who drops the ball! Yeo adds more metres to his superb stats sheet, then NSW cut right and S Crichton is almost through. Another whistle against Queensland! NSW get a full set 10m out.
33 mins: Flagging turns into yet another error, Grant the culprit again, interfering with Lomax at the play-the-ball. The Blues have a full set 35m out.
32 mins: NSW take no risks from the restart then Mitchell cuts down Ponga running the ball out from fullback to set up another phase of assertive defence. DCE kicks to To’o, as he has all night so far, but Queensland are flagging.
30 mins: Cleary misses his second touchline conversion, this time from the left.
TRY! Queensland 0-10 NSW (To'o, 29)
“When you’ve got the world’s best players playing together, special things will happen,” purrs Andrew Johns, admiring an absolutely majestic NSW try.
Following Grant’s error, Queensland concede two set restarts as Haas marches the Blues downfield as though there’s a red carpet along the middle of Suncorp Stadium. 10m out Cleary orchestrates a move to the left, which goes from promising to scintillating in the blink of an eye when Mitchell catches and passes in a blur to create space for To’o to finish in the left corner. Absolutely sensational.
NSW are very very good.
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28 mins: King and Loiero are both on for their Origin debuts as NSW calmly work through a restart set. Can Queensland fire back? No. Grant spills in contact on halfway.
26 mins: Cleary clips the post from the right touchline but his side deservedly lead 6-0 in enemy territory.
TRY! Queensland 0-6 NSW (Lomax, 25)
Tino offloads on tackle three to allow Munster to dash into attacking territory. DCE can lob a pitching wedge from 20m. Nanai competes on the 10m line, but the ball comes down NSW’s way.
The Blues grind for four tackles then Moses slips A Crichton through a gap on the left and suddenly halfway is in the rearview mirror. Moses follows up and continues the counter until he’s hauled down by his Reg Grundys. On the last NSW keep the ball alive, offloading through the middle until there’s space to spin a torpedo out to S Crichton. His pace draws Tabuai-Fidow out of the line, allowing the long final assist to Lomax who seals the deal diving into the corner. Brilliant broken field rugby league from NSW after a hardworking grind.
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22 mins: Queensland take three tackles up the middle then Moses brings down Nanai on the burst with a magnificent tackle. Ponga has a dart – then Grant tries to burrow over from dummy half, but he’s held up on the line. The Maroons can smell blood and up their defensive intensity but NSW gain valuable metres on tackle five spreading the ball to the right and the dangerous Lomax.
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20 mins: Queensland will be happy this has become a midfield arm-wrestle of a contest. They’ve stabilised field position after their early indiscipline and are starting to expand, Slater clearly preferring his side’s chances on the outside rather than through the middle of the Blues pack. And they get some good fortune when To’o spills a high ball 20m out on the left wing.
18 mins: A linebreak from Coates on the right! The Storm winger shows strong hips to wrestle free of the one-on-one tackle, but NSW have enough bodies to snuff out the danger. Again, the kick on the last from Queensland is poor and NSW run the ball towards halfway.
Barnett, Yeo, and Haas have all started superbly. And the former is required in defence to bring down DCE who makes a neat break down the right edge, clearly Queensland’s best edge so far. Munster with the latest unthreatening kick on the last.
16 mins: Another ball from the Blues halves goes to ground but Martin recovers and still crosses the gain line. The third high ball towards Lomax again causes mayhem with the right centre competing in the air, but he knocks on before Holmes does the same and the referee’s whistle spares the Maroons.
14 mins: Edwards and To’o run NSW out of trouble then Cleary kicks long to Coates. Queensland make 40m, mostly on the back of Grant’s speed at the ruck and a handy offload from Nanai, but the game is on the Blues’ racket. Can they cash in?
12 mins: NSW run the restart to halfway with ease. Haas, Crichton, and Yeo have all come to play tonight. Queensland are grinding, looking for inspiration, so Munster tries to deliver, kicking on tackle four deep into the left corner. Not a 40-20 but still a strong field position gain from the Storm schemer.
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GOAL! Queensland 0-2 NSW (Cleary, 10)
From under the crossbar Cleary adds to his Origin haul and puts the Blues into a deserved early lead.
Queensland have to work on their discipline.
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10 mins: Edwards has a dart off the scrum, then Barnett, but the ball comes loose! The Warrior convinces Yeo to challenge – and it’s a successful one – with the TMO wasting no time spotting the Fotuaika strip as Barnett prepares to play the ball. An easy two points coming up for Nathan Cleary.
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9 mins: It’s a conservative attacking set that ends disappointingly with Grant kicking high to the right corner but finding only To’o who marks in-goal for a seven tackle set. NSW are eating up the Suncorp turf and in no time they’re in position for Moses to kick high to Lomax again. This time Holmes wins the aerial contest, but knocks on in the process. The Blues have a 10m attacking scrum.
7 mins: Massive intercept from DCE! The Blues have bossed the opening exchanges, and on attacking 20 they were cutting left, but Grant was up early on Cleary, his hurried pass went to ground and the veteran mopped up the spillage. A ruck penalty compounds NSW disappointment and the home side kick to set up their first attacking set.
5 mins: NSW are rolling! The pack gain metres after contact then Robson snipes 15m from dummy half. On the last Cleary chips to the flyer Lomax near the right corner, and the expensive Eel wins the aerial contest but his palm down lands in Maroon hands. Queensland drive from deep and go through hands to the right to clear their lines, but the kick chase gives up another penalty, Tino this time, for catching Lomax high.
Poor discipline early from the hosts.
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3 mins: The first penalty of the night is a soft one, against Carrigan for pawing at Edwards’ face in a post-contact wrestle. There’s a spotfire afterwards but it’s quickly defused. NSW kick to halfway.
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2 mins: It’s Barnett, not Haas who takes the first carry – and everyone emerges unscathed. The Blues forwards run one-out towards halfway to complete a solid risk-free set. It’s similar from Queensland too, with Grant busy at dummy-half and Carrigan gaining some hard yards.
Kick-off!
State of Origin 2025 is alive!
The Welcome to Country was delightful. The national anthem was an unfussy belter. Time for 80 minutes of pure uncut sport.
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With the Blues waiting, locking arms ready for the national anthem, out sprint the Maroons to deafening cheers. The Queensland crowd have turned up. Now it’s over to the players, who are – of course – dressed top to toe in maroon.
Out come the Blues! You can tell because you can hear the boos as far south as Victoria. In case you need reminding, NSW are wearing sky blue jerseys and navy shorts.
Trevor Gillmeister, one of the Queensland legends of the 1995 heist, has delivered the match ball. The Maroons are going to need to channel the spirit of that underdog group to succeed tonight.
No dramas with the weather in Brisbane tonight. It’s mild and dry, and although there’s a westerly breeze it shouldn’t cause much of a problem for the kickers.
Jimmy Barnes has delivered the State of Origin shield onto Suncorp Stadium. The lights are down. The pyrotechnics are going off. Brisbane is buzzing.
Now it’s NSW coach Laurie Daley’s turn in front of the mic.
On energy levels in the camp (while a noisy, visibly hyped Blues squad warms up nearby): “There’s a lot of great talk. There’s a lot of great leaders. and that’ll be invaluable tonight.”
Key to the match: “Being physical, right from the kick off. We’’ve got to bring that physicality. We’ve been driving that all week and now we get a chance with the football.
On the halves pairing: “They haven’t missed a beat all week. They work really well together. They’ll share the kicking game, but I’m really excited to see what they can put on in attack.”
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Queensland coach Billy Slater has shared his final prematch thoughts.
On the three debutants: “I think they know [what it means] they grew up in Queensland. They lived and breathed it as a child, idolising this footy team. And now they get the opportunity to go and inspire the next generation. So we had a pretty special night here in the dressing room last night for them, and they get the chance to go out and perform.”
On DCE: “He’s a great leader. I love how he just does his job. I think the greatest leaders consistently do their job for their footy team. And that’s all we ask of him.”
On nerves: “I’m feeling pretty good at the moment. I was a little bit nervous before. But now they’ve got into the warm up they’re pretty ready to go. So I’m looking forward to them getting their game on.”
TALE OF THE TAPE 🔴🔵 #Origin pic.twitter.com/gfpquDJ09d
— NRL (@NRL) May 28, 2025
Even so, it wouldn’t be Origin without some chicanery.
As Jack Snape reports, Origin has changed, but its modernisation is helping rugby league reach new heights.
State of Origin has changed in recent years as rugby league leans even further into sports science and professional preparation, and away from on-field violence and alcohol-fuelled bonding sessions…But last year’s series continued to draw millions on television. The three matches were all in the top five largest-drawing sport broadcasts of 2024, and the final match had the highest audience of the three. Indeed, the code appears in a healthy state as it prepares to go to market for a new broadcast deal beginning in 2028. Average audiences for Nine’s NRL games this year are up more than 5%.
Speaking of Cherry-Evans, at 36 ¼ the halfback will lead Queensland out tonight as the oldest player in Origin history. “I’m really not sure how to how to take that one,” he tells Johnathan Thurston, “but hopefully I’m the oldest winning player tonight. That’d be nice.”
Daly Cherry-Evans has won the toss and Queensland will kick-off. That means we’re around half an hour away from Payne Haas trembling the Richter Scale as he collides with Reuben Cotter and Patrick Carrigan.
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Both teams go in as listed last week with no late changes.
NSW had doubts over Stephen Crichton and Payne Haas, but both have been cleared to start. They are key components in a formidable Blues line-up that offers the running game of Dylan Edwards, the aerial threat of Zac Lomax, the brilliance of Nathan Cleary, Mitchell Moses, and Latrell Mitchell, as well as the mongrel of Liam Martin and Angus Crichton. There are no obvious weaknesses, but the mercurial Mitchell is prone to an off day, the interchange is not overly ambitious, and there’s no guarantee the halves pairing will dovetail, no matter the quality of the individuals involved.
As for Queensland, they were given a scare by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidowd but he is fit to line up in the centres alongside debutant Robert Toia. The goal kicking of Valentine Holmes will be vital, Patrick Carrigan and Reuben Cotter are going to need to reprise their Wally Lewis Medal form, but the return of Tino Fa’asuamaleaui after a year out is a major boost. Origin victories are always a scrap, but if the Maroons can get enough ball they will back Harry Grant, Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans, and Kalyn Ponga to sprinkle a little stardust over Suncorp Stadium and provide game-breaking quality.
NSW XVII
1. Dylan Edwards, 2. Brian To’o, 3. Stephen Crichton, 4. Latrell Mitchell, 5. Zac Lomax , 6. Mitchell Moses, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. Mitch Barnett, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Payne Haas, 11. Liam Martin, 12. Angus Crichton , 13. Isaah Yeo. Interchange: 14. Connor Watson , 15. Spencer Leniu, 16. Hudson Young, 17. Max King.
Queensland XVII
1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Xavier Coates, 3. Robert Toia, 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, 5. Valentine Holmes, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c), 8. Moeaki Fotuaika, 9. Harry Grant, 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 11. Reuben Cotter, 12. Jeremiah Nanai, 13. Patrick Carrigan. Interchange: 14. Tom Dearden, 15. Lindsay Collins, 16. Beau Fermor, 17. Trent Loiero.
HISTORY 🏆 #Origin pic.twitter.com/ivz1SioWPO
— NRL (@NRL) May 28, 2025
Where will tonight’s match be won and lost? Jack Snape has the answers.
Aged just 20, Roosters centre Toia has been named for the Maroons having played just 10 NRL matches. He will become the least-experienced starting player in Origin history on Wednesday, and faces one of the game’s most daunting tasks. The right centre will likely face up against Latrell Mitchell as a direct match-up on a NSW left side that is also set to include Moses, winger Brian To’o and backrower Angus Crichton, Toia’s clubmate.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of State of Origin Game 1. Kick-off between Queensland and New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium is scheduled for 8:05pm.
Wherever you are, pat yourself on the back for tuning into the best sporting event of the year.
Within Australia, that mantle is surely now unrivalled, surpassing the various grand finals, Test matches, and occasional international spectacular (especially now the Australian Open is lacking its megastars). Even to viewers overseas it holds its own; the sport is straightforward, the spectacle brutal, and the enmity visceral. The reward for dipping in for three barnstorming nights far exceeds any effort required to get up to speed with the nuance.
Tonight is a case study in one of the great Origin tropes: the Queensland underdog spirit. On home soil for the only occasion this series the Maroons simply have to win. Lose, and Billy Slater’s team is likely staring at a fifth series defeat in eight years. But it will be a tough ask. The Queensland talent pool is uncommonly shallow, whereas NSW boast extravagant depth, in part on the back of the era-defining Penrith Panthers.
Slater could ill afford injuries, yet finds himself without a host of options, including Reece Walsh, Tom Gilbert, Ben Hunt, Selwyn Cobbo, Murray Taulagi, and Jack Howarth. Consequently, Robert Toia faces a baptism of fire in the centres, Valentine Holmes deputises on the wing, and the interchange lacks menace.
Slater’s counterpart, Laurie Daley, had the luxury of leaving Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco, and Ryan Papenhuyzen with their clubs, and showing faith with the majority of players that served his predecessor Michael Maguire so well last year. That means an intriguing halves pairing of the peerless Nathan Cleary in the No 7 jersey and Mitchell Moses moonlighting as a five-eighth.
Based on club and last year’s Origin form, the Blues must be hot favourites, even interstate. Stephen Crichton’s grit has led the Canterbury-Bankstown revival, Latrell Mitchell is the most gifted luxury selection in the game, and there is daylight between Payne Haas and whoever the second best forward in rugby league happens to be right now.
All of which is music to a Queenslander’s ears. Minutes from the first carry of an Origin series there is no place they would rather be than underdogs. And unlike most series this century, this time they don’t even have to pretend.
