The Queensland spirit has struck again, with the Maroons digging deep to defeat NSW 26-18 in a thrilling State of Origin I at Adelaide Oval.
Trailing 18-16 with seven minutes ago and down to 12 players with Thomas Flegler in the sin-bin, the Maroons were seemingly out on their feet in front of 48,613 enthralled spectators.
But they refused to give up, and late tries to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (converted by Valentine Holmes) and Cameron Munster saw them claw their way over the line to take a 1-0 series lead.
The Maroons, who led 10-6 at half-time, were forced to play much of the match without back rower Tom Gilbert, who left the field with a dislocated right shoulder in the 19th minute.
Flegler's sin-bin in the 68th minute for a high shot on Tom Trbojevic — who subsequently failed an HIA — was another challenge, as was losing two-try hero Selwyn Cobbo to injury in the second half, yet once again the Maroons found a way to win.
Maroons workhouse Reuben Cotter — in just his second State of Origin appearance — was a worthy player-of-the-match, leading the tackle count with 48 for the evening.
The two sides will next meet at Brisbane's Lang Park on June 21, with the Maroons now in the box seat to retain the series trophy.
After hostilities threatened to boil over in the early exchanges, it was the Maroons who settled to be the first to get on the scoreboard.
Camped deep in Blues territory, they moved the ball left to find Munster, who placed a well-time grubber kick into the in-goal area.
A flying Tabuai-Fidow raced through to touch down for the first try in the seventh minute, with Holmes adding the conversion.
The Maroons extended their lead to 10-0 only three minutes later via a Cobbo try in the right-hand corner.
The Blues had a chance of opening their account on the scoreboard in the 20th minute when they were on attack down the right edge.
James Tedesco got over the line, but desperate Maroons defence held the Blues skipper up.
The Maroons repeated the dose again, when Blues back rower Tyson Frizell was denied a try by the bunker after appearing to crash over for a four-pointer.
The Blues finally got on the board in the 32nd minute via a converted try to Liam Martin after he finished off some neat lead-up play from his Panthers teammates.
From a midfield play-the-ball, the Blues went left through the hands of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, who timed his offload to find Martin running a brilliant line to steam through a hole on his way to the line.
Cleary converted to cut the Maroons lead back to four points.
The Blues continued to apply the pressure in attack, having dominated possession late in the half, but the Maroons held their opponents out to stay in front at the break.
However, the Maroons relinquished the lead soon after the resumption of play when Api Koroisau pounced on a loose ball 15 metres out from the line.
Cleary added the extras to establish a 12-10 lead.
The Maroons did not bow their heads and as the second half approached the midway mark, they struck back to regain the lead through Cobbo's second try.
A sweeping movement to the right edge led to debutant Reece Walsh landing a cut-out ball into the arms of Cobbo, who beat two defenders to slide in for the try in the corner.
Holmes's conversion had the Maroons 16-12 in front.
The Blues regained the lead in the 67th minute when Cleary converted a Stephen Crichton try and it appeared the momentum was in their favour, especially with Flegler sent to the sin-bin only moments later.
But Tabuai-Fidow and Munster both crossed for tries in the space of three minutes to clinch another memorable triumph for the Maroons.
Look back at how at the action unfolded in our blog.
To leave a comment on the blog, please log in or sign up for an ABC account.
Live updates
OK, let's wrap this up
By Simon Smale
We're going to wrap things up for now.
Thanks very much for being with us this evening.
There will be plenty more coverage to come in the next couple of hours, with Nick Campton analysing what just happened, if he can get his head around what we've just seen, and all the fall out over the next few days ahead of Game II at Lang Park on June 21.
We'll be back then, I hope you will be too.
Congratulations Queensland and commiserations to the Blues, who will no doubt be wondering how they lost that game until they run out at Lang Park in three weeks time.
Catch you next time.
The wounded ducks of Queensland
By Simon Smale
QLD lulled NSW into complacency with their wounded duck routine.....again.
- Mike
Never sleep on a wounded duck, you know that Mike.
Tries flow when the players are off the field
By Simon Smale
Always a couple of tries while someone's in the sin bin... Usually the other way though
- Josh
You're not wrong.
It was a superb response to what was a hugely controversial sin binning.
Origin debut was 'everything and more' to Reece Walsh
By Simon Smale
Reece Walsh was a controversial call to include in the match ahead of Kalyn Ponga.
Seems funny to say that now.
The Broncos fullback was excellent and it's safe to say he enjoyed his night out.
"Everything and more," he says of his debut.
"When I was a little kid, you dream to put in that Maroon jersey and I was full of nerves today.
"But am very proud of today. But am very proud of the boys today.
"They didn't need me to do anything less a more. Just do my job."
Reuben Cotter has won player of the match
By Simon Smale
He says he can't believe he was awarded player of the match, but Cotter optimised the Maroons never say die attitude in that game.
"I can't explain it. It was so good to get the win and how we stuck in there and fought hard in the second half especially. A man down, and just stuck in the fight," he says.
Freddy does need a hug
By Simon Smale
I think Freddie needs a hug
- Mike
I'd reckon so.
I can't imagine he would have ever felt the game was won before it was over, but with the Maroons down to 12 men and down 2 points heading into the final 10, there's no doubt he would have been at least a little bit confident.
Tedesco bemoans poor final 10 minutes
By Simon Smale
Blues fullback James Tedesco has told Channel 9 he was disappointed the Blues could not hold out the Maroons in the final 10 minutes.
"They had some good efforts and they took their chances and kept their ball security really well," Tedesco said.
"The last 10 minutes, a man down, there was a chance to be patient and grind out a win but some of their big players turned up with some good plays."
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow: 'It's wonderful'
By Simon Smale
Here's the two-try hero, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
"I can't express this feeling. The boys dug deep. It's wonderful," he says.
"We all had trust and we all believed in each other there and it showed when Flegler did go down.
"We stuck in, we scored a couple of tries and never gave up."
'I guess that's Origin': Cameron Munster
By Simon Smale
Cameron Munster is speaking on Channel 9 right now.
"I guess that's Origin. It's an 80 minute game," he says.
"When you get a team like Nathan Cleary and James Tedesco together, give them some momentum and how to handle but I thought we dug deep.
"The boys worked really hard for each other and when I put the Queensland jersey on, regardless of form in the NRL, they somehow left and our middles done an outstanding
job.
"That's Origin footy, you're playing against the best and you have to be at your best. And there's a lot of aggression."
QUEENSLAND WINS ORIGIN I!
By Simon Smale
Queensland scored two tries when down to 12 men, while trailing.
Is this one of Queensland's greatest ever wins?
It really could be, you know.
What an extraordinary night.
79' Crichton passes the ball out of play!
By Simon Smale
The Blues have to throw caution to the wind and Crichton has blown that pass to To'o, the ball just sailing over the sideline to effect the handover to the Maroons with less than 60 seconds left.
77' Another short kick off, another knock on
By Simon Smale
The Maroons will be looking to manage the game from here, with just two and a half minutes left, but baring a disaster this will be a Maroons win.
The referee says, "no time wasting now" so he is going to be aware of any shenanigans.
An incredible Maroons win. An impossible one really.
Queensland are still down to 12 men, remember.
76' QUEENSLAND HAS SCORED AGAIN!
By Simon Smale
Cameron Munster scoots over after Lindsay Collins plucked the ball out of the air over the head of James Tedesco!
Front rowers should not be able to jump over the best fullbacks in the world! But he did!
It was a perfect kick, matched by the chase and the Maroons, from nowhere, have a 26-18 lead.
The kick is missed, but the lead is out past a converted score.
The Blues look stunned!
75' Blues knock on the short restart
By Simon Smale
The Blues had to go short, and it was knocked on by Hudson Young.
The Maroons have the ball on their own 30.
73' TRY QUEENSLAND!
By Simon Smale
OUT OF NOTHING! IT'S HAMMER TIME AGAIN!
The Maroons shift the ball left through Cameron Munster and then a long ball finds Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow on the right, who shrugs off Josh Addo-Carr and then James Tedesco slipped off the step from Tabuai-Fidow and the 12-man Maroons have scored and taken the lead!
The kick is good, its 22-18 to the Maroons!
72' Murray Taulagi has been told to leave for an HIA!
By Simon Smale
Taulagi has been knocked in the head in a tackle by Cleary, and the TV doctor has seen that and has told him to take a spell for an HIA.
The Maroons are seriously undermanned here now with the injuries.
71' The Blues defuse the kick!
By Simon Smale
There was a chip kick ahead by Cherry Evans but there were no Queenslanders there to contest.
The Blues are working the abb out of their zone nicely, to the 40 and then Walsh kicks to the 10.
70' Penalty Queensland!
By Simon Smale
The Queenslanders get a penalty for a dangerous tackle from Crichton on Walsh.
70' Short drop out from Queensland!
By Simon Smale
The Maroons come away with the ball and that's their only chance to stay in this game, a player down with 10 minutes remaining.
69' Penalty Blues, Fleger in the bin!
By Simon Smale
It's a high contact on Tom Trbojevic, but there was no high tackle there, it was just a head clash. In Union that would probably be a red card, but League tends to let things go? Flegler has been put on report.
HANG ON! HE'S BEEN SENT TO THE BIN!
That's ludicrous!
It's not even a penalty week in week out outside of Super Rugby, but in this Origin game it's considered a sin binning? Wow.
That will bring Turbo off the field, but he'll be replaced by Nicho Hynes and he gets a huge cheer, the Dally M winner from last year.
