The 2025 State of Origin series got underway on Wednesday night.
Queensland hosted interstate rivals New South Wales at a raucous Suncorp Stadium for the opener.
Could the Maroons get off to a hot start at home?
Or would the Blues put themselves in the driver's seat as they look to retain the shield?
Who won Origin Game 1 last night?
NSW claimed an 18-6 victory over Queensland in Brisbane.
The scoreline was flattering for the Maroons, who found themselves on the back foot for the majority of the evening.
For the opening periods, it felt as though the Blues were travelling twice as far on their sets, with both their forwards and backs contributing. Nathan Cleary slotted home a ninth-minute penalty for an early 2-0 lead.
Queensland eventually found some openings when they shifted the ball wide, but no significant opportunities emerged.
NSW eventually scored a try in the 24th minute when Zac Lomax crossed in the corner, teed up by some smart and powerful running from Stephen Crichton.
They built on this momentum well, with Brian To'o snagging a four-pointer on the opposite wing just a few minutes before Lomax secured his double in the 35th minute.
The Blues' lead could have been larger, but Cleary uncharacteristically missed all three conversions.
A turning point came in the dying seconds of the first half, when To'o tackled Xavier Coates while jumping for a ball mid-air in the in-goal. The physical winger was sent to the sin-bin for the professional foul, and Valentine Holmes slotted the penalty goal to make the half-time scoreline 14-2.
Queensland made the perfect start to a potential comeback when Coates dived into the corner to score in the 45th minute.
While the home side threatened to get within touching distance, several errors halted their progress.
Mistakes also hampered NSW, but they crucially held on before Dylan Edwards delivered a hammer blow in the final 10 minutes.
Lomax retrieved a high ball before Connor Watson miraculously offloaded to Edwards, who sprung over the line to put the result beyond doubt.
Watch all the highlights as the QLD Maroons take on the NSW Blues in Origin I!#Origin pic.twitter.com/qCSo5QG5Fd
— NRL (@NRL) May 28, 2025
Origin Game 1 player ratings
When is Origin Game 2?
The series heads west to Perth for the second match.
It's scheduled for an 8:05 pm kickoff on Wednesday, June 18.