When State of Origin Game III kicks off tonight in front of a packed Accor Stadium in Sydney, there will be more on the line than just the coveted series shield.
The Origin arena is where reputations are made. It can catapult a player’s career, etch their name into rugby league folklore, and — in rare cases — carve them into the game’s history books.
Panthers winger Brian To’o has already built a stellar Origin résumé. Since making his debut for New South Wales in 2021, the explosive winger has featured in 14 Origin matches, winning seven of them and playing a key role in two victorious series campaigns.
To’o has long looked destined for Origin greatness, but tonight he has a unique opportunity to join — or even surpass — two of the game’s elite.
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If he can cross the try line once more, he will equal the record for most tries scored in a single Origin series, with a second try giving him the record all by himself.
That record currently stands at five tries, jointly held by Queensland’s Lote Tuqiri and New South Wales legend Ryan Girdler.
Girdler set the benchmark in the 2000 series, lighting up the scoreboard with a combination of speed, skill and unrelenting accuracy with the boot.
That same year, he also set the record for most points in a single Origin game (32) and most in a series (52) — both records that still stand today.
Tuqiri, meanwhile, matched the try-scoring feat just two years later during the 2002 campaign, showcasing his power and athleticism across all three matches to claim a piece of Origin history for Queensland.
To’o enters tonight’s decider with four tries already to his name in the 2025 series — one in the opener and a hat-trick in Game II.
With 10 tries across his 14 Origin appearances so far, the Panthers flyer has already proven himself an elite try-scorer at this level. But a fifth — or even sixth — try tonight would elevate him to a whole new level.
According to Sportsbet, To’o is currently paying $1.61 to score a try and $3.40 for a double. Given the form he’s in and the high-stakes nature of a decider, it’s not hard to imagine him once again rising to the occasion.
If To’o does find the line, he’ll cement his place alongside — or above — some of Origin’s greatest ever finishers. And whether he ties the record or breaks it, it’s a series performance that could be spoken about for years to come.