Queensland fight back to take State of Origin opener

Qld heads for Origin II with the bit between their teeth and Kevin Walters on the cusp of vindication.

Done. Done. Done. Queensland coach Kevin Walters was lampooned for his use of self-ascribed coach whisperer Bradley Stubbs in the lead-up to last night’s opening State of Origin game but he and the Maroons had the last laugh at Suncorp Stadium.

Queensland will head to neutral ground in Perth on June 23 with the bit between their teeth. A win will return the Origin shield to the Maroons. Walters stands on the cusp of the ultimate vindication.

A withering second-half assault was too much for NSW to withstand, their cause not helped by the sin-binning of Latrell Mitchell for a professional foul on Matt Gillett. That decision proved their undoing.

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The try that ultimately decided the result arrived only moments before Mitchell ran onto the field, having completed his stint in the sin bin. As he loosened up, Dane Gagai swooped on a Jack Wighton pass and ran 95 metres, slamming the ball into the turf in sheer elation.

Gagai wasn’t finished there. With nine minutes remaining, Kalyn Ponga found Gagai with a cut-out pass and he went over in the corner, his 11th try in 11 matches for the Maroons. Gagai was named man of the match. It could easily have gone to Ponga or five-eighth Cameron Munster. They tormented the Blues. More sleepless nights lie in wait for NSW coach Brad Fittler.

“I thought it was a tremendous game of football,” Walters said.

“Fortunately for Queensland we were in front at the end of 80 (minutes). We were good enough in that second half to peg them back. We have a lot of work to do — we understand that. It’s not really relief. It is very exciting.”

Stubbs lives by the mantra ‘Done. Done. Done. Expect to win’. Queensland did just that, much to the delight of more than 52,000 who flooded through the gates to ensure the Blues ran out to a sea of maroon.

Dane Gagai beats the tackle of Latrell Mitchell to score for Queensland at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Getty Images

There was no sign of Stubbs in the dressing sheds beforehand. He seemingly spent the days prior to kick-off using social media to propagate stories highlighting his involvement with Walters.

The start wasn’t what Walters, or for that matter Stubbs, would have hoped. Queensland enjoyed the territory but the Blues recorded the first points when Josh Papalii was penalised in the 12th minute for holding down Boyd Cordner.

NSW took the shot at goal and they took a two-point lead. Queensland went looking for a response and they thought they had it in the 17th minute when Oates went airborne and appeared to plant the ball over the line.

Replays, however, showed Oates had his foot on the sideline prior to taking flight, the try ruled out. The Maroons were left to rue that only three minutes later as James Tedesco went to work.

The Blues fullback had been tormenting Queensland with each and every touch and he stepped out of a poor tackle by Cameron Munster and created a sliver of space for Josh Morris.

The 32-year-old forced his way over and Cleary converted to give the Blues an eight-point lead.

Queensland had no answer to the brute force of David Klemmer, who ran for more than 100 metres inside the opening 20 minutes, and the guile of Tedesco and hooker Damien Cook.

They were being sliced to ribbons and battered into submission.

The Blues were in control but Queensland went perilously close to a response with 11 minutes remaining in the half when Cherry-Evans’ kick bounced off the upright and Dylan Napa appeared to ground the ball over the line.

Replays cast enough doubt for the video officials to overrule the decision on the field. Howls of protest showered down from the stands. Queensland gritted their teeth and went back to finding a foothold in the match.

More chances went begging.

“We dodged a couple of bullets,” Fittler said. “I didn’t think we were infallible all the time. Never quite got our edges working together like we would like to.

“I felt pretty uneasy from early in the game right to the end of the game in defence.”

Queensland wouldn’t be as profligate in the second half.

Sure enough, points finally arrived in the 53rd minute and Ponga was at the heart of it. The Maroons No 1 combined with Munster before firing a pass to Oates.

The winger was deprived of a try in the first half but he wouldn’t miss out again, taking to the skies before planting the ball over the line.

Queensland had the wind in their sails and they levelled the scores midway through the second half when Mitchell was deemed to have taken out Gillett.

Mitchell was sent to the sin bin and Ponga kicked the penalty. Queensland would make them pay again as Mitchell prepared to re-enter the fray, Gagai streaking away. It was no less than Queensland deserved as they tore into NSW in the second half, Gagai’s second try ensuring the Maroons will head west with the ascendancy, a late Jake Trbojevic try only serving to fray the nerves.