NSW won State of Origin Game 1 22-20 on Wednesday night at Accor Stadium in pouring Sydney rain. James Tedesco crossed the line with 90 seconds remaining for the match-winning try after the Maroons had led 20-0 inside the first 20 minutes. Kalyn Ponga was sent off in the second half, the seventh dismissal in Origin history. The Blues now lead the series 1-0 with Game 2 at the MCG on 17 June. The story of the night reads four ways: the Maroons' 20-0 start, the Ponga send-off, Ethan Strange's clean debut at six in the Moses absence, and the Tedesco-Cleary clutch combination in the wet.
The 20-0 Start Queensland Could Not Hold
The Maroons piled on three tries inside the opening 20 minutes through Selwyn Cobbo, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Jojo Fifita on debut. Sam Walker, the debutant halfback, kicked the conversions to take Queensland to a 20-0 lead. The Blues responded after the half-time turnaround with Brian To'o crossing in the corner off a Cleary cut-out pass. Stephen Crichton scored next. Tedesco set up Tolutau Koula for the third Blues try with a deft inside ball. With the Maroons still ahead late in the second half, Kalyn Ponga was sent off for a high tackle. The seventh dismissal in 45 years of Origin history.
Tedesco the Late Hero, Strange the Quiet Debutant
Tedesco's try came off a Cleary kick that bounced kindly in the in-goal area, with the Blues fullback diving on the ball under the posts. Cleary's conversion sealed the 22-20 result inside the final two minutes. Strange's debut was the encouraging story for the Blues' Game 2 selection. The 22-year-old played the full 80 minutes and held his end up at five-eighth in the wet, with Cleary directing traffic from halfback. Yeo captained from the lock spot. Fonua-Blake's debut produced a strong first stint at prop. Latrell Mitchell, ruled out of the series with the leg injury from Magic Round, watched from the stands.
Where the Markets Land
NSW went around at $1.85 with the line at -2.5 and the late Tedesco try just covered the line for backers, with anyone holding NSW -2.5 collecting on the 80th-minute conversion. Maroons backers who took +2.5 also got home, the 22-20 final reading as a half-point covered margin. The Wally Lewis Medal vote was deliberating overnight, with Cleary, Tedesco, Walker and Cobbo the early frontrunners. Series odds shift hard. NSW shorten to win the 2026 series across our reviewed bookmakers dabble, Ladbrokes and Picklebet, Queensland drift. Game 2 at the MCG on 17 June opens with NSW the favourite, with Moses possibly back pending hamstring scans and Tom Dearden possibly returning from the syndesmosis to fight for the Maroons No.7 spot. Ponga faces an automatic mandatory match ban with the judiciary determining further punishment. Full Game 1 wrap and Wally Lewis vote via ABC Sport.