Queensland leads New South Wales 20-0 early in the State of Origin opener after a devastating first-half blitz at Accor Stadium that left the Blues shell-shocked and facing a mountain they would ultimately fail to climb.
The Maroons raced to a six-point lead inside the opening exchanges when debutant Queensland half Sam Walker, who had earlier set up the try with a clever kick, converted his own effort after Robert Toia scooped up the loose ball. The Blues defence had rushed up too quickly following Hudson Young’s missed tackle on Cameron Munster, leaving Toia with a simple finish. Minutes later, Queensland struck again. A huge break down the right flank cut through the NSW defensive line, and Harry Grant’s hopeful pass out the back found Tom Flegler touching down under the posts. Andrew Johns described the set of six preceding that score as “terrifying for NSW fans.” The onslaught continued when Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow crossed after a clever Munster kick caught James Tedesco out of position. Johns noted that from the kick-off, Queensland “rolled downfield for 70 metres.” An offside penalty against the Blues then gifted Sam Walker a straightforward shot from in front, stretching the lead to 20-0 and forcing NSW into the kind of comeback that has rarely been seen in Origin history.
Controversial video referee decision
The most contentious moment of the opening period arrived when the video referee ruled against New South Wales in a decision that left Blues fans fuming. Cam Murray and Luke Capewell both desperately attempted to gather a Nathan Cleary kick as it crossed the try line. Murray appeared to bobble the ball, then caught and grounded it for what many believed was a try. However, the officials ruled that the Souths star had interfered with Capewell—the Maroons defender—and awarded a penalty to Queensland instead of a try to NSW. The call denied the Blues a crucial breakthrough and kept Queensland’s momentum rolling at a time when the Maroons were already in complete control.
New South Wales’s struggles were summed up by a shocking statistic early in the contest. Addin Fonua-Blake managed just one run for ten metres before being benched nineteen minutes into the match. Moments after that revelation, another Blues error handed Queensland a scrum feed forty metres out. The visitors did eventually manufacture a response when a Queensland error and a six-again call gave NSW a set twenty metres out on the first tackle. Hudson Young then ran onto a sweet Nathan Cleary kick after the Blues earned a penalty through Victor Radley’s extreme pressure in the chase, and Cleary converted to make it 20-6 at the break. It was a brief reprieve. The earlier send-off of debutant Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i in the eighth minute—the fastest in Origin history and the first for a debutant—had already tilted the match decisively. Sua’ali’i was dismissed for a high tackle on Queensland fullback Reece Walsh, who was subsequently ruled out with a Category 1 head injury assessment. That forced a Maroons reshuffle, with Tabuai-Fidow moving to fullback and Selwyn Cobbo shifting to centre, yet it only seemed to sharpen Queensland’s edge.
Queensland’s dominance extended into the second half, and they eventually ran out 38-10 winners—their biggest ever victory in Sydney. Tabuai-Fidow completed a hat-trick, equalling the record for most tries in a single Origin game, while Ben Hunt scored twice and Xavier Coates also crossed. Valentine Holmes converted all seven of his attempts, while Nicho Hynes managed one from two for the Blues. Daly Cherry-Evans was named Player of the Match after contributing two try assists and kicking for 442 metres, including a crucial 40/20. The Queensland captain was praised for his leadership and game management. For the Blues, there were strong defensive efforts from Reece Robson and Payne Haas, but they were not enough to stem the tide. The defeat was Michael Maguire’s first as NSW coach, while Billy Slater’s decision to carry an outside back on the bench was fully vindicated as the Maroons exploited their numerical advantage ruthlessly.
The night was not without an off-field talking point either. Singer Robbie Mortimer, a country music artist, faced a torrent of online criticism for his rendition of Advance Australia Fair. Fans slammed the performance as the worst national anthem they had ever heard, questioning his pronunciation and prompting some to wonder whether he was a New Zealander.
