NSW’s Andrew Fifita.
LEGENDS were made and stars faded in State of Origin Game 1 at Suncorp Stadium.
The Blues cruised to a 28-4 victory thanks to a brilliant display of attacking rugby league.
Andrew Fifita was superb, taking Man of the Match honours, but he wasn’t alone in starring.
One Blues star dominated every column of the stats sheet, while another produced record breaking numbers.
Not everyone enjoyed the night though. Several Queensland players are facing a nervous wait ahead of Origin II. The Maroons have long used the “pick and stick” method, but is it time for a new era?
Here are our player ratings for Game 1.
NEW SOUTH WALES
1. JAMES TEDESCO: Mistake-free all night under the high ball. Set up second try and was strong in attack. Stopped a certain try to Matt Gillett. Led the Blues with 193 metres, two line breaks and scored a try himself. Brilliant. Rating 9.5/10
2. BLAKE FERGUSON: Looked to have injured his shoulder in the opening period. Failed to combine with Josh Dugan a couple of times. Rating 6/10
3. JOSH DUGAN: Looked exactly like he hadn’t played since the Anzac Test and made several errors. One moment of brilliance prevented a certain try to Aidan Guerra. Rating: 6/10
4. JARRYD HAYNE: Showed moments of brilliance in attack and scored his ninth Origin try. Was shown up in defence at times and will have to work at it. Rating: 7.5/10
5. BRETT MORRIS: Some nice breaks in the first half and was mistake-free. Looked to hurt his knee at one point and faded out of the game from then on. Rating: 6.5/10
6. JAMES MALONEY: As polished a performance as we have ever seen from him at Origin level. Had a hand in most tries and stepped up well when Pearce went down. Rating 8/10
7. MITCHELL PEARCE: Failed to execute a couple of times on the final play. Backed up well to claim second try. Unfortunately went off concussed in 50th minute. Looked more settled in the Origin environment than years past. Rating: 6.5/10
8. AARON WOODS: Excelled in opening 20 minutes, but then had a long wait until the 58th until he got a second stint. Did nothing wrong. Rating 7/10
9. NATHAN PEATS: Gave great service out of dummy half. Good defence, covered most ground ever recorded in Origin – 8.1km. Also made 53 tackles. Rating: 8/10
10. ANDREW FIFITA: Showed he was a big game player. Bent the line with every run. Queensland could not contain him. Earned Man of the Match award. Rating: 9/10
11. JOSH JACKSON: Unheralded. Does the hard work that doesn’t get noticed. Restricted to 44 minutes in the rotation and just seven runs. But was a rock in defence. Rating 7/10
12. BOYD CORDNER: Captaincy hasn’t hurt the man. 151 metres, 31 tackles. Actions spoke loud. Rating: 7.5/10
13. TYSON FRIZELL: Didn’t have the impact of last year, but 32 tackles helped hold the middle together. Rating: 6.5/10
INTERCHANGE
14. DAVID KLEMMER: Added impact off the bench, keeping NSW rolling forward when Woods and Fifita came off. 172 metres gained. Rating: 8/10
15. WADE GRAHAM: Superb off the bench with one linebreak assist and played his part in two tries. Rating 7.5/10
16. JAKE TRBOJEVIC: Impressive debut highlighted by teaming up with Tedesco for a try-saving tackle. Rating: 7/10
17. JACK BIRD: Switched to the halves after Pearce’s injury with immediate effect. His strong run and quick play-the-ball gave Tedesco a platform to cross. Rating: 7/10
James Tedesco was brilliant for the Blues.Source:News Corp Australia
QUEENSLAND
1. DARIUS BOYD — A lacklustre performance will surely make the drums beat louder for the return of Billy Slater. Rating: 6/10
2. COREY OATES — Used his height to full advantage to score the Maroons’ first try. Answered every question Mitchell Pearce’s kicking game asked of him. Rating: 7.5/10
3. WILL CHAMBERS — Contained in attack. Delivered the hit on Mitchell Pearce which ended the NSW half-back’s night. Rating: 5/10
4. JUSTIN O’NEILL — Tough night at the office with little influence in attack and a defensive lapse leading to Jarryd Hayne’s try. Rating: 4/10
5. DANE GAGAI — Showed spark in the first half but increasingly found it difficult as the Blues began to boss the game. Rating: 6.5/10
6. ANTHONY MILFORD — Answered any doubts about his ability on the big stage by showcasing his footwork and passing before friendly fire ended his night early in the second half. Rating: 7/10
7. COOPER CRONK — A sublime kick to set up their only try underpinned a typically strong performance. Rating: 7.5/10
8. DYLAN NAPA — Was strong early on debut but copped a knock to the knee in the first half which limited his influence. Rating: 6/10
9. CAMERON SMITH (capt) — Hard to fault as per usual despite the result. Rating: 7.5/10
10. NATE MYLES — Quiet night with the NSW pack the clear winners upfront. Rating: 5/10
11. JOSH PAPALII — One of the best-performed Queensland forwards, working hard to gain metres. Rating: 7/10
12. MATT GILLETT — Had two linebreaks but didn’t make major inroads into the Blues’ defence. Rating: 6.5/10
13. JOSH McGUIRE — His hardworking defensive efforts filled the brief and he finished with more than 100m. Rating: 7/10
INTERCHANGE:
14. MICHAEL MORGAN — Came off the bench in his usual solid supporting role. Rating: 6/10
15. SAM THAIDAY — Struggled to have a major impact off the bench. Rating: 5/10
16. AIDAN GUERRA — Denied a try by Dugan’s desperation but, otherwise, had little sway over the game off the bench. Rating: 6/10
17. JACOB LILLYMAN — Limited minutes but far from disgraced. Rating: 6/10
— AAP
Nate Myles of Queensland during Origin 1.Source:AAP
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