The Queensland Maroons have recorded their biggest ever State of Origin victory in Sydney, taking out the series opener by 28 points against the New South Wales Blues.
It was the eighth-minute send off of Joseph Suaalii which put the Blues on the back foot almost straight away, with the outside back taking out Reece Walsh with a high shot.
Ashley Klein and bunker official Liam Kennedy has no hesitiation in sending off the Origin debutant for the tackle, which saw Walsh ruled out with Grade 1 concussion symptoms.
Walsh's absence saw Felise Kaufusi activated as 18th man, bench outside back Selwyn Cobbo move into the centres, and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow shift to fullback.
The Maroons scored the opening try prior to the send off through Ben Hunt, before James Tedesco gave the Blues a brief moment of spark with 12 men, scoring the Blues' only try of the first half.
A penalty goal, combined with a try-scoring double for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, saw the Maroons claim a 14-point lead at the halftime break.
The Blues made the best possible start to the second half, forcing a drop out with their first set of six after the kick-off.
Despite looking clunky in the ensuing period, the Blues would manage to be first to score in the second half when a chip kick from Nicho Hynes saw Zac Lomax dot down.
The Blues wouldn't maintain the rage though, and a long period of back and forth would follow with neither try scoring across the next 20 minutes.
Queensland were denied a try by the bunker after Xavier Coates was ruled to have batted a ball forward in the air just inside 20 minutes to go, before the Blues fought their way back onto the attack with an enormous defensive play.
A terrible fifth tackle play however - something of a trend for the Blues throughout the evening - would see the Maroons go the other way and a long-range break would put Ben Hunt who had just come back onto the field for his second try.
The conversion increased the lead to 16 points with just under a quarter of an hour to go, putting the contest all but beyond doubt.
Daly Cherry-Evans then put the result beyond doubt, breaking away with an intercept before kicking back on the inside for Xavier Coates to run away and score in an incredible piece of play.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow then put the icing on the cake with a late try for the visitors after Tom Dearden made the break.
New South Wales Blues 10 (Tries: James Tedesco, Zac Lomax; Conversions: Nicho Hynes 1/2) defeated by Queensland Maroons 38 (Tries: Ben Hunt [2], Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow [3], Xavier Coates; Conversions: Valentine Holmes 6/6; Penalty Goal: Valentine Holmes 1/1)