The Queensland Maroons have taken a 1-0 series lead away from home, holding on for a 16-10 win over the Blues in Origin I in Sydney.
Maroons five-eighth Cameron Munster put on another masterful display for his state as the underdog Queensland side won a rapid, gritty affair.
With game two in Perth and a potential decider in Brisbane coming up, the win on enemy soil is a massive step for the Maroons towards winning the shield they have only held aloft once since 2017.
Back in front of their home fans for the first time since the second game two years ago, the Blues drew first blood with a slick move out to the left for Jack Wighton to power through some retreating defence.
On the other side, the Maroons lost left winger Xavier Coates to a nasty ankle injury, after he got it trapped under former Broncos teammate Kotoni Staggs on a trademark charge.
The reshuffled Maroons instead went right for their first try, with a Kalyn Ponga bounce pass sending debutant Selwyn Cobbo down the wing, and he grubbered back in-field for Dane Gagai to score his 12th Origin try.
Valentine Holmes’s conversion allowed Queensland to take a 6-4 lead into half-time, but only after Junior Paulo had a try taken off him for an obstruction with a minute left in the half.
With the all-important first try after half-time up for grabs, Munster made a typically elusive jinking run through the middle, with Daniel Tupou knocking down a Ponga pass to stop more points. But from the back of the ensuing scrum, captain Daly Cherry-Evans skipped over untouched under the posts.
When Ponga put Holmes over with a brilliant cut-out pass soon after, the Maroons had 25 minutes to defend a 12-point lead.
The tiring Blues finally got a look at the attacking end of the field thanks to a rare penalty, and made it count, with Jarome Luai sending Cameron Murray over in the 72nd minute.
But the Maroons held on for the final minutes, with Felise Kaufusi and Ponga making the vital final tackle of the game to stop Isaah Yeo under the posts in the final seconds.
Source: ABC News