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The Queensland Maroons stunned the NSW Blues in State of Origin Game I, holding on for a 16-10 win in Sydney to take a 1-nil series lead.
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A second half blitz by the Maroons saw captain Daly Cherry-Evans ghost over from a scrum play before fullback Kalyn Ponga put centre Valentine Holmes over out wide to hit the Blues with two quick tries.
With Queensland holding a 16-6 lead, a try to substitute Cameron Murray with nine minutes remaining gave the Blues hope but they could not get the ball over the line in the final stages.
Here’s how the Maroons rated in Origin I:
1 Kalyn Ponga – 7.5
Had a hand in Dane Gagai’s opener but produced some true magic for an assist in Valentine Holmes’ try as the Maroons took over.
2 Selwyn Cobbo – 7.5
The teenager put in an unreal kick for Gagai’s try and looked composed throughout, even breaking three tackles in the first half while not even nearly looking out of place at the higher level.
3 Valentine Holmes – 9
Shifted to the wing after Xavier Coates’ injury and found himself a try in the corner, but just as importantly twice showed his elite speed to prevent tries.
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4 Dane Gagai – 7
Gagai delivered in Origin again with a nice try, although he was crunched by Jack Wighton in the game’s opening try.
5 Xavier Coates – 4
Limped off in the first half with an ankle injury, but made his side big metres before that.
6 Cameron Munster – 9
Got hot in the second half and gave the Blues fits whenever he had the ball with one outrageous line break leading to a try, while a clever one-on-one strip punctuated his man-of-the-match display.
7 Daly Cherry-Evans – 8.5
The Queensland skipper scored a quality try off the back of a scrum and kicked with his usual precision, while always setting the table for his team.
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8 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui – 7.5
Gutted out good metres but was completely reliable in defence making 34 tackles, particularly after shifting into the middle.
9 Ben Hunt – 4
Quiet in his first stint at hooker but a sizzling line break late in the piece sealed the game for his side.
10 Josh Papali’i – 5
Took the first carry of the game and put a brutal hit on Isaah Yeo and tackled hard too, but played limited minutes.
11 Kurt Capewell – 6.5
Was one of Queensland’s best forwards early with quality post-contact metres, but was far quieter after moving to the centres to cover injuries.
12 Felise Kaufusi – 4
Physical in defence with 32 tackles although he didn’t really contribute much when the Maroons had the ball, outside of a silly dropped ball that let the Blues off the hook late.
13 Reuben Cotter – 9
An outstanding display saw the debutant make good metres, but he also did the hard yards in defence and led his side with some 49 tackles while missing just three in his 80-minute display.
14 Harry Grant – 7
Came on after 23 minutes and his energy completely changed the flow of the game, really getting the Maroons rolling forward.
15 Lindsay Collins – 8
Put his head down and ran with heat every time he got the ball for 105m, his injection off the bench helping swing momentum in Queensland’s favour.
16 Patrick Carrigan – 9
Brought high energy off the bench and gave his side the lift it needed and finished with 145m, while he also landed some great tackles to show his intent.
17 Jeremiah Nanai – 5
The teenager had made only one run before injury looked to have ended his night early, but came back on and drilled Ryan Matterson with a monster tackle.
-Alex Mitchell/AAP
