Queensland are on the brink of a third straight State of Origin series triumph over New South Wales after a dramatic 38-10 victory in front of 77,214 fans in Sydney on Wednesday night.
The series opener reached an extraordinary flashpoint in just the eighth minute when Maroons star Reece Walsh was concussed by Blues debutant Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Joseph Suaalii sent off after brutal hit on Reece Walsh.
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Suaalii was promptly sent off and his short-handed side conceded two tries to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the next 15 minutes to ensure it would be an uphill battle to get back into the contest.
NSW showed impressive fight to score early in the second half and stay in it, even threatening in attack after Queensland had two tries disallowed.
But the match was put to bed moments later when the Maroons went the entire length of the field for Ben Hunt to score his second of the night.
The Blues’ tired legs were made to pay again when Isaah Yeo was intercepted inside the 20 by Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who sprinted down the field and set up Xavier Coates.
Tabuai-Fidow, the man who moved into fullback to replace Walsh, wrapped up his hat-trick in the 78th minute to put an exclamation mark on the Maroons’ dominance.
“It was unreal,” he told Nine.
“I did a couple of reps at fullback during the week. Obviously in Origin anything can happen, lucky we trained for it.”
Cherry-Evans was Queensland’s man of the match but No.17 Selwyn Cobbo made an impressive case after being called into action at centre when Walsh was ruled out and Tabuai-Fidow went to fullback.
He offloaded in the lead-up to one try for Tabuai-Fidow and brushed off Zac Lomax to put his makeshift No.1 over for another.
“In Billy we trust. He puts Selwyn on the bench, it’s a masterstroke,” Cherry-Evans said.
Billy Slater now has the chance to go three-for-three in his Origin coaching career before the Maroons even play in Brisbane this year, with Origin II taking place at the MCG in Melbourne on June 26.
NSW, on the other hand, have been left to rue Suaalii’s sending-off after a wretched build-up for new coach Michael Maguire.
Maguire made the call to dump incumbent captain James Tedesco, only to have to recall the fullback when Dylan Edwards suffered a quad strain in the lead-up.
Starting halfback Nicho Hynes also went into the match with a calf complaint but got through the full 80 minutes.
“There’s a lot to take from it, disappointing night, but we have to come back bigger and better next game,” said Blues captain Jake Trbojevic, who only played the first 25 minutes at the start and four minutes in the second half.