In Game 2 of the 2025 State of Origin series, Tom Dearden stepped into one of the most high-stakes situations in recent memory.
After a disappointing opener from the Maroons, coach Billy Slater sensationally dropped captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, instead handing the number seven jersey to the North Queensland Cowboys star for the do-or-die clash.
Both Dearden and the team responded, winning a nail-biter in his debut start, but how does the 24-year-old compare to the history of Maroons halfbacks?
Ranking every Queensland Maroons halfback
Before the pivotal Game 2 of this year's State of Origin, Maroons legend Cameron Smith noted that Dearden had some massive shoes to fill, becoming the latest in a long line of NRL icons to don the QLD number seven jersey.
Fourteen men have started at halfback for the Cane Toads, from league legends to cult heroes, but how do they stack up against each other - and where does Dearden fit after his debut?
Rankings only consider each player's time at halfback, not overall Origin career
14. Ben Hunt
Of the 14 men who have started a game at halfback for Queensland, only one of them has never won a game - Ben Hunt.
The then-Dragon started in the halves during the 2018 series for the first two games, both of which were losses, before he was moved to the interchange and Daly Cherry-Evans returned to his place.
While Hunt has enjoyed a storied career with the Maroons, making 20 total appearances, his stint at halfback is easily the least impressive of the bunch.
13. Michael Hagan
After losing Alfie Langer to a broken leg during Game 2 of the 1989 series, Michael Hagan was named to start at halfback for the only time during his NRL career.
With the series already wrapped up, Hagan helped his state claim a clean sweep in the number seven jersey, after appearing on the bench during the first two.
The following year, he would play five-eighth in Game 1, and appear on the bench in Game 3, but it's his sole performance at halfback that sees him fall to 13.
12. Tom Dearden
With just his debut under his belt, don't expect Dearden to sit this low for long, as a big performance in a crucial Game 3 in Sydney could see him skyrocket up the rankings.
Taking over from your former captain is no mean feat, but Dearden stood up to the task impressively, with a pinpoint accurate kick setting up the Maroons' second try of the game.
As it stands, Dearden looks to be the premier halfback for Queensland for the foreseeable future, and his performance in Game 2 to keep the series alive has him off to an impressive start.
11. Shaun Berrigan
At 11, the lowest ranked player to start an entire Origin series at halfback, Broncos legend Shaun Berrigan.
Berrigan donned the number seven jersey during the 2003 series, partnered with Ben Ikin in the halves as they lost the first two games, before avoiding a whitewash with a 30 point win in Game 3.
Once again, he had greater success in the Origin arena in other positions, but a 1-2 record in three halfback appearances was not a particularly moving resume in amongst this crowded field.
10. Greg Oliphant
We begin the top 10 with the Maroons' first-ever halfback, Greg Oliphant, who wore the number seven jersey in the maiden State of Origin game in 1980.
Back before it was a three-game series, Oliphant and his Queenslanders won this match in impressive fashion, 20-10.
While he did not gain selection the following year, his nod as the state's first ever Origin winning halfback has to be respected.
9. Paul Green
Paul Green played three total games at halfback for Queensland around the turn of the century, suiting up in Game 2 of the 1999 series, before returning to the position for Games 1 and 2 in 2001.
His team were successful in the second of these series, with the first resulting in a tie, finishing with a record of 1-0-1 at halfback in Origin.
He played four other games for Queensland during his NRL career, but he found success in his limited time with the number seven jersey.
8. Ross Henrick
(NRL)
Oliphant was the first man to play halfback for Queensland in State of Origin, but Ross Henrick was the second, suiting up for the second single-game event in 1981, the year before it was moved to a series.
Three years later, he donned the jersey once more, playing in Game 3 of the 1984 series in place of Mark Murray.
Henrick won his first game outright, and while he lost the second game it was a dead rubber following a Queensland win, giving him two Origin 'series' wins on a technicality.
7. Scott Prince
Prince made his State of Origin debut for Queensland in 2004, playing all three games at halfback as they fell 2-1 to the Blues.
Four years later he returned, playing in Game 2 of the 2008 series - a 30-point thrashing - and also in Game 3, however he injured his arm early in this win.
The NRL journeyman was up-and-down as a Queensland halfback, but his significant presence in two separate series is too great to ignore.
6. Mark Murray
This is where the list gets serious, hitting players who held the halfback position for significant stretches - in Mark Murray's case, half a decade.
Murray was the Maroons' starting halfback from 1982-1986, playing all but one game - 1984 when Henrick filled in.
After winning his first three series, Murray and his QLD lost back-to-back in '85 and '86, but his stint in the jersey helped establish a culture of success for the Maroons which was carried by future generations.
5. Adrian Lam
Lam gets in at five after four series at halfback, in which he finished with a 1-2-1 record.
From 1995 to 2000, he and Alfie Langer alternated between the position, with Lam winning the series in 1995 and claiming Man of the Match in Game 3, losing 1997 and 1999, and drawing in 2000.
The Sydney Roosters star is also the first man mentioned on this list to captain his state, leading them throughout the final three series he played in.
4. Daly Cherry-Evans
The second-longest serving halfback in Queensland history, Daly Cherry-Evans has been the figurehead for the Maroons since 2019, his first series as captain.
DCE had played one-off games at seven in 2014, 2015, and 2018, but from 2019 onwards he was the starting halfback and team captain year in, year out, until he lost his spot in this year's Game 2.
The Manly star finished with a 3-3 series record in his six years as halfback and captain, establishing himself as a true Queensland legend.
3. Cooper Cronk
Cooper Cronk was the man who played halfback for Queensland for the second half of their dynasty, losing just one Origin series in the position.
He was a key piece of five series victories between 2012 and 2017, with the 2014 series loss the only blemish on his record (and the only thing stopping Queensland from winning 12 straight).
Two series off the bench preceded his stint as the Origin halfback, but Cronk's ability to win at every level transitioned seamlessly to the number seven jersey for the Maroons.
2. Jonathan Thurston
If Cronk was the second half of Queensland's unprecedented run, Thurston was the initiating force, dominating from the position between 2005 and 2011.
JT played 19 games at halfback, finishing with a 6-1 series record in that position alone, six straight wins after losing his maiden series in 2005.
Alongside Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith, and Billy Slater, Thurston is considered as one of the architects of the greatest Origin run we will ever see, sitting comfortably as the greatest Queensland halfback of the 21st Century.
1. Allan 'Alfie' Langer
It couldn't be anybody else here.
Langer defined what it meant to be a Queensland Maroon, debuting at halfback for the state in 1987, and playing his last game at the position in 2002.
Along the way he won six series, losing four and drawing one, captaining the state five times, and even becoming the first player to play in State of Origin despite not playing in the NRL - Wayne Bennett selecting him for a pivotal 2001 Game 3 whilst playing in the Super League.
Langer was the Maroons for a decade and a half, and is the easy choice for the best player to ever wear Queensland's number seven jersey.