Game 1 of the 2022 State of Origin series kicks off on Wednesday night, and is set to be a cracker.

The battle between the NSW Blues and QLD Maroons never seems to disappoint... unless it's 2021 and you're a Queenslander. Nevertheless, there is a special kind of excitement that comes with the greatest rivalry in Australian sport.

We have Billy Slater up against Brad Fittler in the coaches box, Junior Paulo and Payne Haas facing off against Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Josh Papalii and that isn't even the best of the match-ups.

While every game has its features whether it's a decider in Game 3 or a pivotal Game 2, there is a special electricity that comes with the unknown of the first game in a series.

There have been some fantastic games in the 42 years the series has been running. Most of the greats, like James Tedesco scoring in the final seconds of 2019's Game 3, come in series-winning games, but what about series openers?

Here are ten of the greatest Game 1s in State of Origin History.

3. 2000 - Tallis send off sends Blues to victory

While there may be better games, there is no bigger controversy. Well... maybe no more enjoyable controversy from a NSW perspective.

The game wasn't too bad either.

As Ryan Girdler cut through the defence to score in the corner, making it 16-all once he missed the conversion, it was what happened between the try and the conversion that matters.

Furious with a supposed knock-on earlier in the match, Gordon Tallis couldn't hold back from offering Referee Bill Harrigan his opinion on his performance.

For his initial outburst, Tallis was sent to the sin bin, which would have meant he missed the end of the match. It was his next comment that got him sent.

"You're off."

"You're a fu***** cheat."

It's something no fan will ever forget, whether you look back on it with rage or rapture. Despite the Maroons captain, Adrian Lam desperately pleading his case, Harrigan wasn't having it.

It only took the NSW Blues five minutes to score the game-winning try against the 12-man Maroons as David Peachey went over in the corner in his Origin debut.