What. A. Game.
Well, at least for us New South Wales fans anyway.
As for the Queensland supporters, they're probably thinking the polar opposite.
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The Blues ran riot against the Maroons, putting a whopping 50 points past their rivals in what will go down as the biggest winning margin in New South Wales history.
And it was Tom Trbojevic, a man playing out of position for his side, who bagged a sensational hat-trick to seal the emphatic 50-6 victory.
Queensland were poor. Very poor, in fact.
But the Blues? They were simply unstoppable.
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Check out our Player Ratings to see how each and every Origin star fared in the Game 1 drubbing...
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NEW SOUTH WALES
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1. James Tedesco - 7/10: Far from his best game but remained a threat at all times. His flick pass for Turbo's last try was out of this world.
2. Brian To'o - 9: Origin debuts don't come much better than that. Two first-half tries to his name and some excellent defensive work. Glad to see him in a Blues jumper.
3. Latrell Mitchell - 9: Latrell at fullback is great, but Latrell in the centres is a force to be reckoned with. He absolutely dominated that left edge, giving his Bunnies teammate Dane Gagai nightmares. Just such a powerful ball carrier and even managed to bag two meat pies of his own.
4. Tom Trbojevic - 10: Despite playing out of position in the centres, Turbo was by far the best man on the field. Yes, he was wearing the No.4 jersey but he essentially played as a second fullback for the Blues, often popping up on the other flank to wreak havoc on the Maroons defence. Granted, he may have missed the tackle for Kurt Capewell's try, but his hat-trick and try assist for Mitchell earn him a 10/10. Simply flawless.
5. Josh Addo-Carr - 5: Not The Foxx's best game. New South Wales' variety of attacking weapons meant Addo-Carr's blistering pass wasn't utilised nearly enough. But if the Blues start to struggle in Game 2, they'll know exactly who to turn to for support.
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6. Jarome Luai - 9: So much talk about him heading into the game, but he has ironically emerged as the Blues' unsung hero. His passing and running game was virtually perfect from the very first whistle, which ultimately brought his halves partner Nathan Cleary into the game more. Oh, and don't sleep on his defence either. And who could forget his iconic entrance with the boombox over his shoulder - the Maroons must've known it was going to be a night to forget after seeing that. Boss.
7. Nathan Cleary - 8: He well and truly ran the show in there for NSW. Not only did he take some monster hits early doors, but he also had to deal with a nasty eye cut which wouldn't stop pouring out blood. His kicking was immaculate and his passing was crisp. Cleary's key role in Turbo's last magical try will be remembered forever.
8. Daniel Saifiti - 8: Bagged a well-earned, bulldozing try in the second half, but it was his running which made the difference for New South Wales. His 142 metres were the most out of any forward in the game.
9. Damien Cook - 7: Damien Cook and line-breaks just go hand-in-hand. And that's exactly what happened when he set up Brian To'o's try. Cook will know he was far from his best and has so much more in the tank for Game 2 - which is a scary, scary prospect if your Queensland right now.
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10. Jake Trbojevic - 7: his brother may have grabbed all the headlines, but Jake Trbojevic was just as reliable as he always is. His sheer physicality was a lot for the Maroons to deal with in the first half.
11. Cameron Murray - 6: Murray well and truly put his body on the line. No, quite literally. Despite spending some time off the field with a HIA, the Bunnies star certainly didn't shy away from getting himself involved with the big collisions. And even though he was playing out of position on the edge, he still impacted the game in the way Brad Fittler would have hoped.
12. Tariq Sims - 7: His link up play with Mitchell was giving the Maroons' right edge headaches all game. Seriously, imagine those two running at you. No thanks. Sims did brilliantly to set-up To'o for his double with a swivelling off-load. His run game was as dangerous as it always is.
13. Isaah Yeo - 9: His last-ditch tackle to deny Dane Gagai an almost-certain try in the dying embers of the game is enough to earn him a 9/10. So tough in the middle.
14. Jack Wighton - 3
15. Junior Paulo - 6
16. Payne Haas - 7
17. Liam Martin - 6
QUEENSLAND
1. Valentine Holmes - 4: Copping 50 points is never a great look for a fullback. Holmes struggled defensively and didn't do much in an attacking sense either.
2. Xavier Coates - 4: His talents are there for all to see, but Coates had a night to forget in Game 1. Spilling the catch which lead to Mitchell's try was definitely a low point, although his strong carries somewhat made up for it.
3. Kurt Capewell - 5: Bagged the only try of the game for Queensland, leaving Turbo in his dust with a silky dummy. Other than that, he was relatively quiet. There were a couple of defensive errors that lead to tries too, most notably his tired effort to wrap up Cleary in the final try of the game.
4. Dane Gagai - 3: Rabbitohs fans complain that he only plays well for Queensland - well, except in this game it seems. Granted, he was nursing tonsillitis in the lead up to the series, but Gagai looked well off the pace. It'll be Mitchell, Cook and Murray who return to Bunnies camp with the bragging rights.
5. Kyle Feldt - 3: To put it simply, it was a night to forget for Feldt on his debut. His silly hit on Addo-Carr gave away a needless penalty early on in the game which sparked an onslaught of try after try. He also went missing in attack. On top of that, Feldt could also be slapped with a suspension for his high shot on Murray which saw the Blues forward sent for a HIA. He was lucky to escape punishment at the time.
6. Cameron Munster - 4: Another bloke who could miss Game 2 with a ban. His kick out at Liam Martin could land Munster in hot water with the NRL judiciary. Early on, it became abundantly clear that last year's Wally Lewis Medal winner simply wasn't fit, still recovery from a foot injury which kept him sidelined for over a month. It showed in Game 1.
7. Daly Cherry-Evans - 3: You'd be mistaken for thinking the Queensland captain was actually on the field. Cherry-Evans rarely threatened in attack and was somewhat of a passenger in defence. That being said, the skipper looked absolutely distraught at full-time, knowing how demoralising such a defeat is.
8. Christian Welch - 3: A huge loss for the Maroons. When he left the field for a HIA on the 13th minute, Queensland's night went downhill from there. If his club form for the Melbourne Storm is anything to go by, then he would have undoubtedly carried a huge threat in Game 1. He'll be a big addition for Paul Green's side in Game 2.
9. Harry Grant - 5: A tackling machine. And with the way his forwards were playing, he certainly had plenty of tackling to do - 40 to be exact, the most out of any Queenslander. Was unable to get into the game in an attacking sense but definitely did plenty of work on the other side of the ball.
10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui - 5: A solid performance from big Tino. With Welch out of action, the youngster needed to step up - and thankfully for Queensland, he did. Some tough tackles and some strong runs.
11. Felise Faufusi - 4: Some costly ball-handling and defensive errors from the Maroons fan favourite. Kaufusi's right edge really struggled to contain the likes of Mitchell, Luai, Sims and To'o.
12. David Fifita - 5: Always a threat with the ball-in-hand, but it just didn't go his way in Game 1. Fifita looked well up for it in the first few collisions but slowly drifted from the encounter. Queensland will be hoping to utilise him more if they stand any chance of salvaging the series.
13. Jai Arrow - 3: His form for the South Sydney Rabbitohs didn't translate into State of Origin. New South Wales dominated in the centre of the park, their sheer physicality proving too much for Arrow who ultimately lost that battle hands down.
14. AJ Brimson - 3
15. Jaydn Su'A - 3
16. Moeaki Fotuaika - 6 (Queensland's best player. Deserves to start in Game 2.)
17. Joe Ofahengaue - 4
Featured Image Credit: NRLTopics: score, Rugby League, nrl, Australia
