2025 STATE OF ORIGIN 1
BLUES DOMINANT
8pm, Wednesday 28 May
Lang Park, Brisbane
Happy birthday JTH!
Origin one game day in the Barossa Valley was cool and overcast. Approaching my third Barossa winter, the wood fire is still somewhat of a novelty.
Working from home (so 2025!) meant the fire was lit mid-morning, while podcasts and the Sydney version of SEN kept me company during the day.
A game day beef and shiraz pie from Linke’s bakery for lunch was great sustenance!
NSW were deserved winners of the 2024 Origin series. The winning coach Michael Maguire is now trying to coach at Red Hill, with drums beating around Bronco player disenchantment due to his intensity and old school ways.
Simply, NSW were dominant in game one. The Maroons were outplayed. The Blues forwards, lead by Payne Hass, bashed the smaller Qld forwards.
Errors and penalties did not help the home team’s cause, however with the platform big Payne and his mates provided for the Blues halves, field position and dominance were with the visiting team for most of the evening.
On the topic of intense coaches: with Craig Bellamy in the box as an advisor to returning NSW coach Laurie Daley, Qld’s Melbourne Storm hooker, Harry Grant seemed to be the target for the big NSW forwards.
Even the dubious sin binning of Brian To’o on the stroke of half time did little to halt the Blues momentum.
A huge tackle from Stephen Crichton on Reuben Cotter just before half time possibly summed up the contest. Crichton drove the Qld second rower backwards to illustrate NSW’s dominance.
Latrell provided a moment of his mercurial magic with a magnificent pass for To’o to score in the left corner.
Four tries to one, with NSW leaving their (conversion) kicking boots at home, was a clear indication of the gulf between the two teams at the spiritual home of rugby league in Queensland.
The best players on the field, including Hass, Lomax, Crichton, Yeo and Cleary are all Blues players.
The experts will now pull the Queensland performance apart. For what it is worth, here are several observations: NSW forwards were dominant, as were the ‘spine’ of Robson, Cleary, Moses and Edwards. Crichton and Lomax were dangerous the whole night on the right side against Tabuia-Fidow and Holmes.
Queensland has the aging Daley Cherry-Evans steering the ship. Beside him, Cameron Munster always competes, however when the forwards, Fa’asuamaleaui and Carrigan aside, are being dominated, there is a limit to what the halves and the backs can do.
Game two moves to Perth, after Melbourne and Adelaide hosted the corresponding contest in 2023 and 2024. Predictably, the current speculation for future Origin locations includes New Zealand, as well as Wembley Stadium.
FULL TIME New South Wales 18 defeated Queensland 6
Points: NSW tries (4) Lomax (2), To’o, Edwards; Qld (1) Coates.
Goals: NSW conversions: Cleary 0/3, Lomax 0/1, penalties Cleary 1/1
QLD: conversions: Holmes 0/1, penalties Holmes 1/1.
Half time: NSW 14-2
Penalties: NSW 9-6
Six again tally: unknown, still searching …
Referee: Ashley Calvin Klein
Crowd: 52, 483
NSW line up: Edwards, To’o, S Crichton, Latrell, Lomax, Moses, Cleary, Barnett, Robson, Hass, Martin, A Crichton, Yeo. Bench: Watson, Lenui, Young, King.
Queensland line up: Ponga, Coates, Toia, Tabuai-Fidow: Holmes, Munster, Cherry- Evans , Fotuaika, Grant, Fa’asuamaleaui Cotter, Nanai, Carrigan. Bench: Dearden, Collins, Fermor, Loiero
HIGHLIGHTS:
2025 State of Origin Match Highlights | Maroons v Blues | Game 1
PRESS CONFERENCE:
Billy “very flat” but refuses to hint at Game 2 changes | Queensland Maroons Press Conference
2025 State of Origin Press Conference | Blues | Game 1
BAROSSA RED WINE OF THE WEEK
One of the many wonderful discoveries from the Northern Barossa winemakers’ event during at the magnificent Stockwell Hotel during Barossa Vintage Festival week:
Levrier (Jo Irvine) 2016 Argos Shiraz
Vale Jim Irvine
Russel Hansen, South Sydney football club diamond member 6199, lives in Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, South Australia. His golden retriever, Murray, is named after the (injured – for the season) South Sydney captain. Twitter/X: @Rabbit in the Vineyard @Russel_Hansen
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About Russel Hansen
Russel Hansen Has worked in schools for over thirty years – as a teacher, coach, coach educator, sports coordinator and in pastoral care roles. Whilst at Brisbane Boys’ College as Director of Athletics, he led teams to six GPS premierships in track and field, and cross country. He has coached (athletics) at all levels from school to international. His squad at the University of Queensland (to January 2023) included Lachlan Kennedy OLY, Paris 4x100m relay runner, Australian record holder. He is married to Heidi, a Primary school principal, and is father to two adult daughters. Twitter: @Russel_Hansen
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Thanks for this report, Russel.
As a neutral (southern) observer who really enjoys SoO, I thought last night was really lacking in some of the spirit and competitiveness that make it such a great spectacle. I actually turned it off prior to the game’s final whistle – a first for me. Queensland were flattered by the final score, in my opinion.
I didn’t see the game, RITV, as I was on a modest TER train from Dijon to Lyon at the time. Yes, very poor planning. Maybe just as well I missed it by the sounds of it. But I have to agree that the Blues have a side (and depth of back-up) to dominate Origin for a few years to come.
At least the women’s side fought back for a gutsy win today (while I was out wine-tasting along the Rhone River – very tasty, but also very pricey!)
The most significant item from your report for me, RITV, was the final one. When I was a member of the Henley Wine Club, Jim Irving was a regular guest, and he was passionate and fascinating. I learnt much from listening to him and he probably did more than any in Australia to promote merlot as a stand-alone varietal. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.