Maroons coach Billy Slater praised Dane Gagai for an "outstanding" performance in Wednesday's 16-10 win over the Blues, saying the veteran outside back had "never let Queensland down" in any of his 20 Origin appearances.
Gagai scored the Maroons' first try at Accor Stadium to help them take a 6-4 lead into halftime.
The Queensland centre had gone eight Origins without scoring and his try in the 34th minute came after the Maroons had struggled to crack the Blues in the opening half hour.
Gagai ran onto a kick, which his outside winger Selwyn Cobbo had placed after making a dash down the right edge, to cross 10 metres in from touch.
It was one of three tries Queensland scored to claim the series opener in what was the first game in Sydney since 2020 and the first full house at the stadium since 2019.
Defending inside Maroons debutant Cobbo, Gagai was also going to have a job on his hands to hold up Queensland's right edge and he did a fair job despite missing a game-high nine tackles and Blues centre Jack Wighton breaking between the pair to score the opening try.
Asked about the nine missed tackles and Gagai's overall performance after the game, Slater said the 31-year-old centre had been "outstanding".
"He played his 20th Origin tonight. It's the Dick 'Tosser' Turner award for us," Slater said, in reference to the award Queensland players receive for making 20 appearances.
"Dane Gagai has never let Queensland down in any one of those 20 Origins.
"He was outstanding again tonight.
"He does whatever the team needs him to do."
The Maroons trailed 4-0 early but scored 16 unanswered points to edge far enough ahead to hold on for victory.
The Blues hit back to reduce the deficit to only six points with eight minutes left to play but it was too little too late.
NSW struck first when centre Wighton split through Queensland's right-side pairing of Gagai and Cobbo for the opening try in the 14th minute.
A forward pass was all that stopped fullback James Tedesco from scoring NSW's second late in the first half and a couple of minutes later the Maroons had their own try at the other end.
Winger Cobbo collected a bouncing pass from Kalyn Ponga and raced down the right touchline before kicking inside for Gagai to score his 12th Origin try, and first since 2019, in the 34th minute.
WOW 🤯🤯
— NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2022
What an assist from Selwyn Cobbo! #Origin pic.twitter.com/FFZcbKAHn0
NSW threatened in the final couple of minutes of the half and prop Junior Paulo crossed from close range but the Bunker ruled he had run behind teammate Cameron Murray.
A few minutes after halftime, Cameron Munster made a break downfield and looked to blow a try when he failed to pass to Ponga on his inside.
It didn't matter though as Queensland got a fresh set of six and halback Daly Cherry-Evans scurried away from the back of a scrum on the 10-metre line to score behind the goalposts.
It gave Queensland an eight-point lead with half hour left to play,
Kalyn Ponga set-up Queensland's third try with one of his typical left-side runs, throwing a cutout pass for winger Valentine Holmes to cross in the 53rd minute.
Ponga with a PERFECT pass 🎯#Origin pic.twitter.com/H0KDwaxrKA
— NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2022
NSW finally hit back with nine minutes left to play when Cameron Murray found a hole on the left edge to set up a frantic end to the game but the Maroons held on.
It was Queensland's first win in Sydney since 2017.
The two sides meet again in Perth on June 26.
