Who starred and who stank from game one of the 2013 State of Origin series

WHO starred and who stank from game one of the 2013 State of Origin series.

WHO starred and who stank from game one of the 2013 State of Origin series.

QUEENSLAND

1. Billy Slater - Brought the ball back willingly all night but failed to have a major impact and was among players who let Jennings score late in the first half. 6.5

2. Darius Boyd - Gave away needless penalty early and twice should have done better with early try-scoring opportunities before his belated four-pointer. 5.5

3. Greg Inglis - The best player in the NRL was well contained, apart from when he was finally able to get on the outside of the Blues defence, which led to a Boyd try. 6

4. Justin Hodges - The Maroons' best player. His work out of dummy half was exceptional as were his hands for the majority of the match. 8

5. Brent Tate - Rarely got into the contest but didn't let anyone down. Solid. 5.5

6. Johnathan Thurston - Obviously wasn't 100 per cent but did his best to motivate the quiet Queenslanders, particularly in the second half. 6.5

7. Cooper Cronk - Took some wrong options with his kicking game, which needed to be better in lieu of Thurston's problems. 5.5

8. Matt Scott - Got through plenty of work in defence but didn't have a major impact on proceedings. 5

9. Cameron Smith - Got through a mountain of work in defence, but had a bad miss for Jennings' try. Also penalised for a double movement. 6

10. David Shillington - The Maroons needed more from the big prop who had a quiet night. 5

11. Nate Myles - The victim of Paul Gallen's spite got the plenty of work via hit-ups and tackles. 6

12. Sam Thaiday - Did plenty of work in defence, but his hands let him down in the dying stages when Queensland were desperate for possession. 6

13. Ashley Harrison - Quiet for the most of the contest. 5

14. Corey Parker - Made a good contribution off the bench when the slow-starting Maroons needed some bite. 6.5

15. Matt Gillett - Added some spark off the bench and also made his share of tackles. 6

16. Ben Te'o - Should not have played, but did a decent job off the bench. 5.5

17. Chris McQueen - Had little impact with his limited opportunities off the bench. 5

NEW SOUTH WALES

1. Jarryd Hayne - Excellent performance in scoring a try, taking bombs and not shirking responsibilities. Showed he should always be the Blues fullback. 8

2. Brett Morris - Did what was necessary in bringing the ball back but otherwise quiet. 6

3. Michael Jennings - Bamboozled Maroons defence with crucial try before halftime. Poor hands late in game, but was dangerous. 7

4. Josh Morris - Did well in defence against Inglis, apart from when fended off in Queensland's only try. 6

5. Blake Ferguson - Made a nervous start when he dropped the ball, but settled well on debut and coped with the Maroons' tactic of bombing him. 6

6. James Maloney - Early bombs had Queensland under pressure immediately. Good debut and kicked well. 7

7. Mitchell Pearce - Poor pass to Lewis put Blues under unnecessary pressure in the first half but was solid enough for the winners. 6

8. Paul Gallen - Disgraceful punches on Myles should have led to his send-off and overshadowed any of his game-high 20 hits-ups and 31 tackles. 6

9. Robbie Farah - Chalked up a game-high 46 tackles and was strong out of dummy half. Threw poor pass in second half, which led to attack for the Maroons' only try. 7

10. James Tamou - Poor hands early on and was generally quiet on a winning side. 5

11. Luke Lewis - Good hands helped create opening try and got through a ton of work in attack and defence. 8.5

12. Ryan Hoffman - Not scared to do the hard yards early and did his job without being spectacular. 6

13. Greg Bird - Workmanlike effort in both attack and defence. Great tackle late in the game on Thaiday. 7

14. Andrew Fifita - Had an immediate impact when he entered the contest in the 15th minute, but was ruffled in the second half. 6.5

15. Trent Merrin - Did his share of work in defence and attack off the bench. 6

16. Josh Reynolds - Player who was called in as a replacement for the injured Kurt Gidley didn't get a run. N/A

17. Anthony Watmough - Got involved without resorting to any dirty tactics. 6