Selwyn Cobbo might be more than a decade younger than Dane Gagai, but the veteran Maroons centre relished playing alongside the rapidly rising Indigenous star.
Playing at right centre, Gagai made his 20th Origin appearance on Wednesday night with Cobbo making his debut on the wing.
The two Indigenous men, separated in age by 11 years, made for a lethal right-side pairing on paper and were able to combine well in the series opener at Accor Stadium to help Queensland to a 16-10 win.
The duo were split early by Jack Wighton but got one back shortly before halftime to help Queensland move 6-4 ahead.
After collecting a wayward pass from Kalyn Ponga, Cobbo made a dash down the right flank and kicked inside to set up Gagai for a try in the 34th minute.
The thrilling piece of play came after Queensland had struggled to post points in the opening half hour.
Gagai had not scored in eight Origins and was stoked to cross again, but he said he wished debutant Cobbo found the line.
"I would have loved to have put Selwyn over for one," Gagai said.
"He only just turned 20 the other night.
"He is confident and he has just got that X-factor about him. It was nice to get set-up for a try, but it was a real team effort."
Cobbo has been a sensation for club side Brisbane this season, scoring 10 tries in 12 games.
Gagai had been excited to play with the Cherbourg product but was shocked by how vocal Cobbo was on the field.
"He is a pretty laid-back, cruisy type of guy. One thing I liked about him was once we crossed that line his mouth just talked - he doesn't shut up," Gagai said.
"He turns into a different bloke. He is really quite off the field and once we get on there he is a different bloke. I love that he has got that balance where he can go and relax and he kind of keeps to himself, but then when it's time to turn up he turns up.
"I really enjoyed playing alongside him."
Game II will be played in Perth on June 26.
