New South Wales opened the series with a bang, heading up to Suncorp and taking down the Maroons in their own backyard.
They started fast, rolling over the advantage line and taking control of the field position battle, the story of the game was how the Blues controlled the arm-wrestle.
A number of New South Wales players stood up to help secure the victory and put themselves ahead 1-0 as they now look to Perth for Game 2.
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State of Origin 2025 Game 1: NSW Blues player ratings
1- Dylan Edwards - 7
A quiet game by his standards, Edwards carried the ball strong out of his own end racking up 120 run metres.
Jeremiah Nanai gave him trouble all game by contesting the high-ball, the Blues fullback dropped one in the secondn half that set the Maroons up with good field position.
He ended his night on a high-note, scoring a try in the dying stages, pushing up in support of Connor Watson.
2- Brian To'o - 6.5
It was a mixed bag for the winger who got through a mountain of work for the Blues, but also made an error and was sent to the sin bin for taking out Xavier Coates in a try-scoring situation at the end of the first half.
3 - Stephen Crichton - 8
After sending the state into a panicked frenzy on Monday when footage emerged of him limping off the training field, Crichton showed no signs of injury, causing havoc for the Maroons all night.
The mark of Crichton's ability was during the period where To'o was in the sin bin. Laurie Daley shifted Zac Lomax from the right side of the field over to the left - leaving Crichton on an island.
Despite being outnumbered, Queensland had no success down his edge during that ten minutes.
4 - Latrell Mitchell - 6
Mitchell had a target on his back from the outset, with the Maroons forwards hitting the star centre in numbers when he took a hit-up.
He returned serve on more than one occasion with some big hits and was defensively sound all night.
He gave away multiple penalties and had an error which directly led to Queensland's only try.
In typical Latrell fashion, he was the catalyst of one of the best highlights of the game with a tip on at the end of a set play that put To'o over in the left corner.
5- Zac Lomax - 9
Crossing the stripe twice will be what fans see on the highlight reel, however Lomax's impact went far beyond those moments.
He carried the ball with intention all game, earning his side penalties on multiple occasions.
An error to start the second half did put the Blues on the back foot, however his threat as an attacking option on cross-field kicks made him extremely valuable throughout the 80 minutes.
6 - Mitchell Moses - 6.5
Got crunched early by Moeaki Fotuaika but that didn't deter him from taking on the Maroons defensive line.
A wayward kick to start the second half resulted in a seven tackle set and a high tackle on Ponga gave the Maroons some good field position.
Not his best night in the office, but the outlines of a combination with Cleary began to form as the game went on.
7. Nathan Cleary - 6.5
The story of Cleary's night was his trouble with the boot. He missed all three conversion attempts after knocking over a penalty goal in the ninth minute.
General play kicking was also disappointing from the premier number seven, he was ultra-conservative which meant he rarely found grass on last plays.
He did connect with Zac Lomax on a cross-field kick late in the second half which led to a Blues try.
8 - Mitchell Barnett - 7.5
Barnett set the tone for the Blues, with 110 metres and 26 tackles. However, New South Wales' enforcer made his present felt in the intangible aspects of the game often referred to as 'Origin moments'.
One particular play that encapsulated his performance was covering across the field on a Queensland line break in the second half to make a desperate tackle, far out of the position any front-rower would be expected to be in.
9 - Reece Robson - 8
Robson must of heard the noise over the last two weeks about Harry Grant being praised as the best hooker in the world.
Robson was outstanding with 41 tackles, one of which, forced the aforementioned Grant into an error which really stifled Queensland's momentum.
He came off the field briefly to unleash Watson into the contest, but returned to the field with three minutes to play to celebrate a brave New South Wales victory.
10 - Payne Haas - 8
Once again at his damaging best, 154 run metres, 59 post-contact, 3 offloads and 30 tackles.
The game was won and lost in the middle with Haas being a key to the Blues victory. He took it upon himself to meet the Queensland forward pack head on, laying the platform for his halves and outside back to lay on the points.
11- Liam Martin - 6
Martin had his eye in defensively in Game 1, folding seemingly every Queenslander that came his way.
He didn't have much opportunity in attack, with five runs for 38 metres. However, in his role as Nathan Cleary's personal bodyguard, he was up to the task throughout his 74-minute stint.
12 - Angus Crichton - 7.5
After earning the Wally Lewis Medal in 2024, Crichton opened the series with another strong performance.
17 runs for 154 metres, he set the edge all night and committed defenders to open up the field for New South Wales' strike weapons.
13 - Isaah Yeo - 8
In what was an outstanding performance, it seemed like the Maroons couldn't get Yeo on the ground all night.
He got through his work with minimal fuss as he normally does, 147 run metres, 32 tackles and an average play the ball speed of 3.11 seconds.
Helping New South Wales win the arm-wrestle in both stints, Yeo's repeated efforts helped the Blues earn the right to eventually move the ball to their edges.
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14 - Connor Watson - 5.5
Watson was injected into the contest with 16 minutes remaining and in that time had multiple involvements, good and bad.
He made an error immediately, but then followed that up with an offload for a try assist after supporting Lomax on a cross-field kick.
15 - Spencer Leniu - 6
Leniu was brought on for a 26-minute stint and provided some energy when he was out there.
A lot was made of the grudge Queensland were holding against the front-rower after an off-field incident involving Maroons assistant coach Johnathan Thurston.
However, tensions remained relatively calm during his involvement on the field. A respectable 61 run metres and 10 tackles is all you could have asked for in the time he was given.
16 - Hudson Young - 5
An erratic game out of Young, he forced an error with good contact defensively, but made one of his own after a barn-storming run where he forced an offload while surrounded by Queensland defenders.
17 - Max King - 7
King had a solid debut performance, with 21 tackles and 106 run metres in his 40-minutes.
His first run was a real 'welcome to Origin' moment as he was met by great line-speed from the Queenslanders who stopped him inn his tracks.
The biggest credit to his game was that the Blues momentum didn't slow when he entered the match as he replaced Barnett after a strong stint.