The player ratings for both Queensland and NSW players after the Maroons won an epic State of Origin Game One 16-10 in Sydney. Cameron Munster was a class abover everyone else on the field with a huge second half performance, while Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton was easily NSW’s best player.
QUEENSLAND PLAYER RATINGS FROM ORIGIN I:
1 Kalyn Ponga – 7.5
Had a hand in Dane Gagai’s opener but produced some true magic for an assist in Valentine Holmes’ try as the Maroons took over.
2 Selwyn Cobbo – 7.5
The teenager put in an unreal kick for Gagai’s try and looked composed throughout, even breaking three tackles in the first half while not even nearly looking out of place at the higher level.
3 Valentine Holmes – 9
Shifted to the wing after Xavier Coates’ injury and found himself a try in the corner, but just as importantly twice showed his elite speed to prevent tries.
4 Dane Gagai – 7
Gagai delivered in Origin again with a nice try, although he was crunched by Jack Wighton in the game’s opening try.
5 Xavier Coates – 4
Limped off in the first half with an ankle injury, but made his side big metres before that.
6 Cameron Munster – 9.5
Got hot in the second half and gave the Blues fits whenever he had the ball with one outrageous line break leading to a try, while a clever one-on-one strip punctuated his man-of-the-match display.
7 Daly Cherry-Evans – 8
The Queensland skipper scored a quality try off the back of a scrum and kicked with his usual precision, while always setting the table for his team.
8 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui – 7.5
Gutted out good metres but was completely reliable in defence making 34 tackles, particularly after shifting into the middle.
9 Ben Hunt – 4
Quiet in his first stint at hooker but a sizzling line break late in the piece sealed the game for his side.
10 Josh Papali’i – 5
Took the first carry of the game and put a brutal hit on Isaah Yeo and tackled hard too, but played limited minutes.
11 Kurt Capewell – 6.5
Was one of Queensland’s best forwards early with quality post-contact metres, but was far quieter after moving to the centres to cover injuries.
12 Felise Kaufusi – 4
Physical in defence with 32 tackles although he didn’t really contribute much when the Maroons had the ball, outside of a silly dropped ball that let the Blues off the hook late.
13 Reuben Cotter – 9
An outstanding display saw the debutant make good metres, but he also did the hard yards in defence and led his side with some 49 tackles while missing just three in his 80-minute display.
14 Harry Grant – 7
Came on after 23 minutes and his energy completely changed the flow of the game, really getting the Maroons rolling forward.
15 Lindsay Collins – 8
Put his head down and ran with heat every time he got the ball for 105m, his injection off the bench helping swing momentum in Queensland’s favour.
16 Patrick Carrigan – 9
Brought high energy off the bench and gave his side the lift it needed and finished with 145m, while he also landed some great tackles to show his intent.
17 Jeremiah Nanai – 5
The teenager had made only one run before injury looked to have ended his night early, but came back on and drilled Ryan Matterson with a monster tackle.
NSW PLAYER RATINGS FROM ORIGIN I:
1 James Tedesco – 7
Composed and creative as usual while generating big metres, his energy kept his side’s attack relevant in the game’s late stages.
2 Brian To’o – 7.5
In his trademark metre-eating way, he made 173m and busted seven tackles, while passing every test with the high ball.
3 Kotoni Staggs – 3
Took time to find his feet and missed a couple of tackles before succumbing to a shoulder issue.
4 Jack Wighton – 8.5
Vindicated Brad Fittler’s selection call with the game’s opening try and his intensity was huge on both sides of the ball, with some huge tackle-busting runs keeping NSW alive.
5 Daniel Tupou – 5
Did some great yardage work in his own half with 173m, but really wasn’t at all threatening close to the try line.
6 Jarome Luai – 7
Played his role well and had two strong try assists, but needed his mates around him to lift to really get the best out of him.
7 Nathan Cleary – 3.5
Really struggled to exert the influence you’ve come to expect from him outside of kicking 580m.
8 Payne Haas – 7.5
Looked happier to be playing against Queensland instead of in it, pumping out a huge 41 tackles with just one miss to go with a gutsy 109m.
9 Damien Cook – 8
Created the opening try with a bullet pass from dummy-half and pulled the strings throughout, while a huge hit on Tino Fa’asuamaleaui was among his 49 tackles.
10 Junior Paulo – 2
Thought he’d used brute strength to cross over minutes after coming over, but the try was taken off him due to an obstruction and failed to do anything else.
11 Cameron Murray – 7.5
Came off the bench to make great metres and scored a late try, but it was his consistent tackling that impressed most.
12 Tariq Sims – 4
Missed four tackles of his 22 and didn’t influence the game much when in possession.
13 Isaah Yeo – 5
Took a monster hit from Josh Papali’i on the first carry of the game but did a mountain of tackling work, and was a metre from a try with the last play of the game.
14 Stephen Crichton – 3
Came on at right centre on 52 minutes and got a bit overexcited dumping Cameron Munster on his head, but was rarely involved.
15 Liam Martin – 4
Really struggled to do anything on attack, but came up with 40 tackles to hold his own.
16 Reagan Campbell-Gillard – 4.5
Solid without being spectacular, coming up with 87m.
17 Ryan Matterson – 4
He was given 37 minutes off the bench and ground out 71m, but didn’t do much.
