The opening game of State Of Origin at the City of Churches delivered a high-scoring game giving the Adelaide fans what they wanted!
In what was a back-and-forth contest with controversial calls, sin bins, hair pulling, and jumper pulls, we sometimes wish the Biff was back for Origin as it just isn’t the same as the old days. Queensland went into this game as outsiders, living up to the underdog mentality as they always do. Queensland won 26-18, taking a significant advantage into Suncorp Stadium for game 2.
QUEENSLAND MAROONS
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All throughout the week, Billy Slater was constantly questioned about his selections in Reece Walsh and his outside backs. Boy oh boy they delivered on the big stage! Walsh looked like an Origin natural, catching bomb after bomb and taking courageous hit-ups. He was on fire! The Queensland halves in Munster and DCE showed why they get Origin. I felt like they controlled the game perfectly, kicking in the right corners, with Munster inserting himself into the game when his team needed him the most, in the last 10 minutes running down the left short side to fend off Nicho Hynes, delivering Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow his second try of the night.
In what looked to be a dire result for Queensland, Thomas Flegler got sin-binned in the 68th minute with the Blues up by 2, all NSW had to do was defend and hold on. The scrutinising runs from Queensland’s forwards simply said no, they will be willing to take on the Blues with 12 men and this is when Tino, Cotter, Carrigan, and Collins went rampaging. It is the epidemy of Queensland spirit, that never-say-die attitude, to score two tries with twelve men on the field. Credit to them they were the better team on the night!
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3-2-1 PLAYER RATINGS QLD
3- Reece Walsh
Walshy was very solid at fullback, making James Tedesco look like he was on debut! He continually leapt high taking high balls after high balls, looking dangerous every time he ran, and he got a try assist and two-line break assists capping off a brilliant origin debut. The kid can play!
2- Reuben Cotter
Cotter caught my attention all night as he was on the field for the full 80 minutes giving his all for the Queensland jumper. A total of 48 tackles were made by him, stopping every Blue that came his way. He laid a critical platform for the halves by laying out each of his 10 damaging runs.
1- Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
The one player who caught my attention all night was the Hammer! He was on fire! He was by far the leading outside back on the field, claiming the most run metres of 147. Each run was damaging breaking four tackles and scoring two deserving tries.
NEW SOUTH WALES BLUES
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Most New South Welshmen go into the game in the hope of a big win over those Queenslanders! Yet again, the Blues found a way to lose, in the worst possible way. Playing against twelve men they had the victory in their hands. Crucial errors and defensive lapses are what I took from the game. Having the most errors from both sides and letting in very soft tries on the edge, it was going to be a long night. It was exciting to see the Blues get back in front in the second half. This was all the result of some luck with Api Koroisau scoring a 50/50 try. This was very questionable as he dropped the ball on the ground.
I think the biggest issue with the Blues was the structure of the side. They looked very clunky as Tedesco overplayed his hand getting in the way of Nathan Cleary who struggled to get some attacking flare rolling. There was one glimpse of brilliance when Penrith star Luai linked up with Liam Martin to score the first try for the Blues. Looking ahead to game 2, I would only make a few changes, such as bringing in Latrell Mitchell in for Tom Tryboveic, who I believe is carrying an injury, playing with sound attack all night. Blues fans were upset with Captain James Tedesco’s performance and notably so, he slipped around in defence, overplayed his hand, and to cap off the night he let Roosters teammate Lindsay Collins leap over him which delivered the match-winning try to Munster. I would still use Tedesco for game 2. Even though it was only one game, he has shown before that he can deliver in big situations.
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3-2-1 PLAYER RATINGS NSW
3- Brian To’o
Brian brought his clubland form into Origin with a strong performance. DCE kicked down to him all night and in return, he ran the house down for more than 200m and broke six tackles. He won’t lose his Blues position anytime soon.
2- Api Koroisau
I think Api had a very strong performance trying his heart out to get the attack rolling, aiming up in the centre of the field. He would have enjoyed being out there with his former Penrith teammates. He created plenty of opportunities and earned a try to get the Blues in front. Notably, he made 40 tackles in the middle. Expect Api to play hooker for game 2.
1- Liam Martin
Martin was my most impressive player for the Blues since he was so physical and aggressive in attack and defence. Once he came off the bench, he ran the ball creating a sense of excitement as he opened up opportunities. He ran 6 times for 62 metres and made 31 tackles. Deservingly he scored a try, capping off a standout performance for the defeated Blues outfit.