The NSW Blues have taken a 1-0 series win to WA after a dominating 18-6 win over the QLD Maroons at Suncorp Stadium to open the AMPOL State of Origin series.
It was a tense opening to the game with the Maroons the first to crack. A penalty against Mo Fotuakia (who had a rough Origin opener) for stealing the ball from Mitch Barnett gave Nathan Cleary an early penalty goal attempt. Cleary nailed his only goal of the night (from four attempts) to give the Blues a 2-0 lead.
It was tense football with both sides having several chances early in the contest, but eventually something had to give and it was the Blues extending their advantage. Angus Crichton broke the game open with a late offload nearly putting Mitch Moses into space. On the ensuing last tackle, the Blues played hot potato with Cleary and Dylan Edwards playing central roles in the attack. Stephen Crichton then summed it up with a draw and pass to Zac Lomax to score a great NSW team try. Cleary's struggles with the boot began for a 6-0 lead.
NSW then doubled their advantage after a Harry Grant error coming out of yardage. Some classy lead-up work from Moses and Cleary found Latrell Mitchell who delivered a great pass under pressure to Brian To'o who finished it off brilliantly to score. In the shadows of half-time, QLD's discipline continued to desert them. On the end of a six-one penalty count, the Blues continued their right side rage as Cleary double pumped to fool the defence, before finding Edwards and then found Lomax for his second try.
The drama began just before the break when Brian To'o was controversially sin-binned for a professional foul. The Bunker determined that To'o had tackled Xavier Coates in the air in a try-scoring situation, with Ashley Klein dispatching the winger to the bin. Val Holmes added a gift two points on half-time for a 12 point deficit.
QLD started the better of the two teams and had to be better physically to match the Blues. They did so in flying colours when Jeremiah Nanai forced an error from Latrell Mitchell just metres from his try-line. What's more, QLD played counter attacking footy, rookie debutant Rob Toia was able to get a magic flick pass away to Coates who scored a spectacular try to reduce the gap to just eight points. Holmes' conversion was waved away.
For 25 stressful minutes, the game was in the balance until NSW had some sustained attacking footy down the other end and put the nail in the coffin. It took a great cross-field kick from Cleary, taken on the full by Lomax who threw a speculator out the back into the arms of Connor Watson. The Roosters hooker redeemed himself from an earlier miscue to throw a spectacular offload to Dylan Edwards to score the game sealing try. That sealed the Origin opener for the Blues who go to Optus Stadium (where they are undefeated) in search of the Origin shield. For QLD, there are concerns about the spine, most notably the performance of Daly Cherry-Evans and their pack. The obvious move, is to shift Reuben Cotter into the middle third, and bring either Beau Fermor or Trent Loiero onto the edge for the series-defining game in a few weeks time.