The Blues have fallen foul of an Origin ambush, dropping game one at home to the Maroons 16-10.
While Queensland’s four debutants were prominent, the Blues’ rookies appeared to suffer from stage fright, coming up with some of the most underwhelming performances of the night.
The Mole pulls no punches with his player ratings from Origin I, 2022.
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NEW SOUTH WALES BLUES
James Tedesco: The Blues’ most dangerous attacking player, running for over 200 metres and making several breaks.
Rating: 8
Brian To’o: A wrecking ball with ball in hand, as he is every week for Penrith.
Rating: 7
Kotoni Staggs: Struggled to get into the game in the first half and injured his shoulder in the second.
Rating: 5
Jack Wighton: Scored the opening try with a fine burst out wide and was always testing the defence.
Rating: 7
Daniel Tupou: Did his job but the Blues’ lack of field position prevented him from contesting attacking bombs.
Rating: 6
Jarome Luai: Laid on two tries and gave the Blues’ attack plenty of energy.
Rating: 7
Nathan Cleary: The man expected to lead NSW to victory was a little down on energy, having less than his usual impact.
Rating: 6
Payne Haas: The most effective forward in the early exchanges, making the hard yards.
Rating: 7
Damien Cook: Got the Blues going forward in attack and made several darting runs up the middle.
Rating: 7
Reagan Campbell-Gillard: A busy game in his first Origin since 2018. Tried to lift his fellow forwards.
Rating: 6
Liam Martin: His elevation into the starting side didn’t do much for the team and he had little impact.
Rating: 5
Tariq Sims: Workmanlike performance without doing anything spectacular.
Rating: 5
Isaah Yeo: Overcame a head knock in the first tackle of the game to be one of the Blues’ more effective forwards.
Rating: 6
Junior Paulo: Unlucky to have a try disallowed and did little apart from that.
Rating: 5
Cameron Murray: Lifted the Blues from the bench and scored the try that set the scene for the thrilling finish.
Rating: 7
Stephen Crichton: Got 28 minutes of game time and looked to be struggling with the greater pace of the match.
Rating: 4
Ryan Matterson: Like many of the Blues’ forwards, worked hard but did little to influence the result.
Rating: 5
QUEENSLAND MAROONS
Kalyn Ponga: Safe in defence and showed his class with a wonderful pass to put Val Holmes over out wide for a crucial try.
Rating: 7
Selwyn Cobbo: A solid debut, creating the Maroons’ opening try with a clever kick and handling the pressure well.
Rating: 7
Valentine Holmes: Cleaned up a couple of dangerous situations in defence and scored a fine try running off Ponga.
Rating: 7
Dane Gagai: Missed his opposite number Jack Wighton for the opening try but made amends by being on the spot to score Queensland’s first try.
Rating: 7
Xavier Coates: Lasted just 28 minutes before a leg injury brought a premature end to his night.
Rating: 3
Cameron Munster: Terrorised the Blues with his cockiness, big plays and clever ball running and a deserved winner of man of the match.
Rating: 8
Daly Cherry-Evans: Turned the game the Maroons’ way with a smart solo try from a scrum early in the second half.
Rating: 7
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui: Did his job holding up the middle, making the tough yards and neutralising the Blues’ go-forward.
Rating: 7
Ben Hunt: Earned his pay with some smart moves but only got 37 minutes due to Grant’s dominance at dummyhalf.
Rating: 6
Josh Papali’i: Only played 22 minutes and had little effect on the game in that time.
Rating: 5
Kurt Capewell: Covered plenty of ground in attack and defence in a characteristically busy display.
Rating: 7
Felise Kaufusi: Only made seven runs in 80 minutes and looked off the pace.
Rating: 5
Reuben Cotter: A super debut, running for over 150 metres and topping the Maroons’ tackle count.
Rating: 8
Harry Grant: Always dangerous with his probing runs from dummyhalf, getting the Maroons on the front foot.
Rating: 7
Lindsay Collins: Did exactly the job he was picked for, lifting the intensity from the bench with some big hits and barging runs.
Rating: 7
Patrick Carrigan: His injection into the game midway through the first half changed the momentum Queensland’s way. Made more metres than any forward on the field.
Rating: 8
Jeremiah Nanai: Overcame a painful ankle injury to play his part in the Maroons’ win.
Rating: 5
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