The Queensland Maroons have taken out the opening game of the State of Origin series in a thriller over the New South Wales Blues.
Re-live the game below.
1st minute: Isaah Yeo stumbles out of the opening tackle of the match - a three man effort on Queensland prop Josh Papalii. While appearing to stumble, he was cleared by both the Blues' trainer, and the independent doctor in the NRL's bunker.
3rd minute: The first real attacking opportunity of the match sees the Blues go inside the 20-metre zone, with a short ball on the right hand side being dropped by Liam Martin, who appeared to be about to burst through a gap.
6th minute: Nathan Cleary kicks high from 35 metres out with the Blues seemingly starting to gain the early ascendancy of the game. It sails too long though and a seven-tackle set for the Maroons sees them go against the run of play to get onto the attack. The attack ends with a long grubber from Daly Cherry-Evans going over the dead ball line.
8th minute: The grubber from Cherry-Evans only served in allowing the Blues back onto the attack, but it would end with Daniel Tupou being unable to field a high cross-field kick from Cleary.
11th minute: Selwyn Cobbo is dragged over the sideline with his first Origin touch, but Ashley Klein had ruled held, resulting in a penalty for Queensland, who would start a full set from 30 metres out. The Maroons were still unable to convert though with a short ball from Cherry-Evans at the line being put down by Tino Fa'asuamaleaui.
13th minute: Valentine Holmes puts the ball down coming out of his own end, inviting the Blues onto the attack with a full set of six from 20 metres out.
15th minute: The error from Holmes was all the Blues needed to get on the board, with a shift to the left hand side seeing Jack Wighton out-muscle Selwyn Cobbo and Dane Gagai to cross for the opening try. Nathan Cleary misses the conversion. NSW 4 - QLD 0
17th minute: Queensland make the first change of the game, with Pat Carrigan replacing Josh Papalii very early in the contest.
21st minute: Another failed attacking raid for the Maroons sees the Blues bring it out of their own end and make their first change of the game, with Junior Paulo coming onto the field to replace Parramatta Eels' teammate Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who was a late call up to the starting 13 in place of Paulo.
23rd minute: Harry Grant enters the game for Ben Hunt, and Lindsay Collins for Tino Fa'asuamaleaui as a set for set rhythm breaks out to the game. Queensland have made three changes compared to the Blues' one. Xavier Coates is also seemingly in trouble with the trainer.
24th minute: On the back of Queensland bringing Grant into the game, Junior Paulo makes a sloppy mistake playing the ball as he brings it out of his own end, handing the Maroons a monster opportunity to attack.
26th minute: Queensland's attack continues to struggle, with the Maroons relying on a fifth-tackle kick at the end of the attacking raid, which would end up in the possession of Liam Martin, with the Blues then having to truck it out of their own end.
28th minute: Yet another attacking raid for the Maroons ends with a handover, with Cherry-Evans taking the line on. He challenges, believing he has been clipped high by Jack Wighton. Cherry-Evans was virtually on the ground as contact was made by Wighton, and the bunker ruled that the contact was "incidental" leading to no penalty. Meanwhile, Xavier Coates was taken from the field with an ankle injury he had suffered in an ugly tackle about five minutes earlier.
30th minute: In his new centre position, Kurt Capewell seemed to have put Valentine Holmes away down the touchline, before referee Ashley Klein and the officiating team ruled a controversial forward pass.
33rd minute: James Tedesco seemingly scores for the Blues after Daniel Tupou leaped above Valentine Holmes to catch a Nathan Cleary bomb. The pass is to Tedesco is ruled forward though, and the score remains four points to nil.
36th minute: Queensland get themselves on the board for the first time, with a play out of nothing. A shift to the right hand side saw a bouncing pass from Kalyn Ponga put Selwyn Cobbo into space. He then grubbered back in from the sideline, and Dane Gagai would win the race to the football to score. Conversion successful by Valentine Holmes. NSW 4 - QLD 6.
39th minute: Junior Paulo appears to score for the Blues on the back of a Queensland error in the leadup to halftime, however, the bunker overrules on account of an obstruction, and Queensland stay in front.
Halftime:
NSW Blues 4 (Try: Jack Wighton) trail QLD Maroons 6 (Try: Dane Gagai; conversion: Valentine Holmes 1/1)
44th minute: Jeremiah Nanai's Origin debut seemingly comes to an end with a potentially broken ankle. Attempting to make a tackle on Brian To'o who was carrying the ball out of his own end, he rolls his ankle and is left in considerable pain on the ground before being carried from the field by Queensland trainers. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui comes back into the game, and Reuben Cotter shifts to the edge as the Maroons are forced into a second reshuffle.
48th minute: On the back of a Blues' error which breaks a set for set period of play, the Maroons play with a strong set play from the scrum, and Daly Cherry-Evans waltzes over to score in controversial fashion, with the Blues' defence appealing for an obstruction to be called. Valentine Holmes converts. NSW 4 - QLD 12.
52nd minute: Queensland almost made it a considerable comeback mission for the Blues, with Reuben Cotter bursting through the line after a kick had been tapped back. He was shut down by desperate scramble back, unable to find an offload to an open Cameron Munster.
53rd minute: Stephen Crichton comes into the game for the first time with Kotoni Staggs heading off the field, seemingly succumbing to an injury. It was later confirmed he has an issue with his left shoulder.
54th minute: Crichton's first involvement is to lift Cameron Munster above the horizontal. He was placed on report and gave away a penalty, but luckily for the Blues, avoided being placed in the sin bin.
54th minute: On the back of the penalty, the Maroons were able to march onto the attack, and a Kalyn Ponga masterclass off a Harry Grant dart out of dummy half down the short side saw a cut out long ball hit Valentine Holmes in the chest who would go over to score untouched. Valentine Holmes misses the conversion. NSW 4 - QLD 16.
58th minute: Queensland allow New South Wales back onto the attack, but a poor last tackle option lets the Blues down in a bad way, with the Maroons able to slowly truck it back out of their own end through the outside backs.
60th minute: Daly Cherry-Evans misses a 40/20 by a single metre, however, a bigger story emerges with Jeremiah Nanai returning to the game just 15 minutes after appearing to have a game-ending injury.
64th minute: An attacking raid is snuffed out by the Maroons, with Cameron Munster going on the counter attack, only to make a mistake as he approached halfway. It wouldn't come to anything though as Cherry-Evans dived on a loose pass to save the Maroons from being forced to defend their own line.
66th minute: Queensland survive another attacking raid from the Blues, with Kalyn Ponga eventually flying above the chasers to take a Nathan Cleary bomb, with time starting to get away from NSW.
67th minute: Billy Slater springs a surprise out of the Queensland coaching box, using interchange number seven to take Harry Grant off the field despite not starting. He is replaced by Ben Hunt.
68th minute: Jack Wighton is rocked in a big shot coming off his own line, forcing an error. Cameron Munster then almost scores, before Tino Fa'asuamaleaui is held up over the line. Reuben Cotter and Cameron Munster take the next two plays, before Patrick Carrigan is shut down in a one on one tackle by Damien Cook. A shift right saw Kalyn Ponga forced to surrender, before the final play goes back to the short side with Selwyn Cobbot flicking it back to Dane Gagai, who would be tackled a metre out, with the Blues able to remain alive.
70th minute: James Tedesco makes a break out of his own end and grubbers ahead, however, the bounce of the ball goes away from a chasing Nathan Cleary, with Queensland coming up with possession once again through Valentine Holmes who scrambled to win the race.
72nd minute: Cameron Murray managed to get the Blues back into the game with a try well against the run of play. A shift left saw Jarome Luai find Murray on a short ball, with the Rabbitohs' lock breaking through tired defenders to score. Nathan Cleary makes the conversion. NSW 10 - QLD 16.
74th minute: A left-hand side break from the Blues saw Jack Wighton tackled before he could find James Tedesco in support. The Blues then came back to the right, and Cameron Munster came up with a one-on-one strip to save the Maroons.
78th minute: Ben Hunt makes a break for the Maroons which could have put the game to bed. Scramble defence from the Blues keeps the state alive, with an eventual handover on the right-hand side.
79th minute: A penalty given away by Queensland sees the Blues have a full set in the final 60 seconds just 40 metres out.
80th minute: The Blues bring it inside of 20 metres from the tryline through Payne Haas. Nathan Cleary takes the next play, then Isaah Yeo goes at the posts, only to be tackled in a desperate last effort to secure the Maroons the victory.
Fulltime
NSW Blues 10 (Try: Jack Wighton, Cameron Murray; conversions: Nathan Cleary 1/2) defeated by QLD Maroons 16 (Tries: Dane Gagai, Daly Cherry-Evans, Valentine Holmes; conversions: Valentine Holmes 2/3)
