Queensland flip script against New South Wales in thrilling State of Origin opener

Time and time again in State of Origin’s 43-year history, Queensland have found a way to win the unwinnable. On Wednesday night, in the series opener at Adelaide Oval, before a crowd of 48,613, the Maroons did it again, defending desperately and clawing back the lead three times in the second half to secure a 26-18 victory over New South Wales and put one hand firmly on the Origin shield – again.

The Blues had picked a strong side knowing full well that in Origin, over 70% of the time the team that wins Game One wins the series. Blues coach Brad Fittler knew victory in was more important for NSW than Queensland, who could go one-down and still run onto Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on 21 June as favourites.

Related: State of Origin 2023 Game 1 – as it happened

Conversely, Queensland coach Billy Slater had surprised by dumping Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai and blooding youth in their place, most notably Reece Walsh, a fullback just out of his teens. All the lead-up talk had been that Walsh was a marked man. Instead, with courage under the high-ball and cool class in attack, the young No 1 inspired the Maroons to a famous victory.

Fittler’s last words to his team had been: “Make sure you’re physical.” Roughed up in their boilover defeat in 2022, he had chosen a trio of battering rams Tevita Pangai Junior, Payne Haas and Tyson Frizell to split the Maroons up the middle. But the tactic didn’t pay dividends early as surge after surge failed to break the blood red line. And when the big men tired, Queensland’s little masters struck.

Eight minutes in, last year’s Game Three hero Ben Hunt cut out two men from the ruck to find Cameron Munster. The Storm playmaker might have been carrying broken ribs but there’s nothing wrong with his nose. He smelt the opportunity, jinked a little left-foot kick behind the line and Dolphins debutant Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow cantered in to meet it on the up and crashed over for first points.

Two minutes later Queensland did it again, winger Selwyn Cobbo finishing off an attacking wave of rugged carries, jagged lines and double-pump passes. Each action prised open an ever-wider gap in the Blues defence while sowing panic, creating the smidge of space for Cobbo to dive into the corner.

Somehow, despite 57% of possession and most of the first half-hour camped in opposition territory, NSW were 10-0 behind. Queensland, despite being mostly pinned in their half, battered pillar-to-post by the Blues forwards and behind in every facet of the game, were bizarrely ahead on the scoreboard.

Despite a stuttering attack, ill-discipline and fumbled opportunities, NSW never panicked. Several times they seemed certain to score only for the final pass to go awry. Twice, unfancied Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi held up Blues chargers over the line – first James Tedesco, then Tyson Frizell.

Inevitably, the levee broke. With Maroons enforcer Tom Gilbert gone for the night with a shoulder injury and Gold Coast enforcer David Fifita off the field with category two HIA symptoms, the Panthers combinations finally paid off as Liam Martin stabbed through the line off a Jarome Luai short ball.

Queensland had not lost a game after leading at half-time since 2014 but they lost it here in strange circumstances when Apisai Koroisau seized on a ball that had pinballed in and out of a tackle and spat free. He picked it up and crossed to get the Blues to 12-10 and put them ahead for the first time.

Walsh had come into the furnace of Origin with just 50 NRL games to his name. He had meant to debut as an 18-year-old in the 2021 series before he tweaked a hamstring two days out from the match. But the wait was worth it as, on the hour, he swished a pass over two bamboozled Blues to find Cobbo who skirted one and bumped a second to slide over inches inside the sideline.

NSW rallied, winning back ascendancy through the golden boot of Cleary, as Luai found Crichton who crossed again for 18-16. And when Tom Flegler was yellow carded for a high shot it seemed at last the Blue tide would swamp the Queensland barricades. With their tails up, their rivals down on their haunches exhausted and all the time in the world to wreak revenge, NSW closed in for the kill.

But that’s not how Origin goes, at least not north of the border.

Backs against the wall, behind on the scorecard and short a man, it’s the fuse that lights up Maroons. They won back the ball from a short kick-off leaving Munster to drift beguilingly across the line and find Tabuai-Fidow who isolated Josh Addo-Carr and crossed. Munster then iced it with one of his own to salt the Blues’ wounds and blow out the famous Adelaide scoreboard to 26-18.

With less possession, fewer players and more inexperience, Queensland had flipped the script again. Now they take their show to Suncorp and a home crowd. The Blues, broken, need a miracle.