Queensland have snatched the early momentum in State of Origin 2022, toppling archrivals New South Wales 16-10 in the series opener at Sydney's Olympic Stadium.
After being embarrassed in last year's series - played entirely north of the border, due to COVID-19 - the Maroons rewarded new coach Bill Slater with an inspired performance that gave them early momentum in the three-match interstate classic.
After taking a narrow 6-4 lead into the halftime break, the Queenslanders broke the contest open with consecutive tries to captain Daly Cherry-Evans and winger Valentine Holmes, then withstood a spirited Blues comeback that threatened to steal their thunder.
New South Wales took the early advantage, when centre Jack Wighton split two defenders to score, but Queensland countered with a well-taken try, after debutant winger Selwyn Cobbo kicked ahead and centre Dane Gagai touched down for the 12th time in his Origin career.
The Maroons had to reshuffled their line-up a couple of times, after losing winger Xavier Coates and then rookie forward Jeremiah Nanai with injuries. Coates' exit saw Nanai introduced early, with Kirk Capewell shifting from the forwards to centre and Holmes moving to the wing.
Nanai was soon carried off the field by teammates with an ankle injury, necessitating another adjustment in the defensive formation, only to miraculously return midway through the second half to close out the game.
NSW forward Junior Paulo seemed to cross for a go-ahead try just before the break, but the score was waved off for obstruction on the Queensland defenders.
They had their chances to snatch victory late, but handling errors in key positions let them down badly.
"That's the response we wanted," said Cherry-Evans. "Any player who played in last year's series, we just wanted a chance to come back and show that this jersey means something to us.
"This is a good start - the series is not won, but it's a good start."
In 2021, the Maroons were demolished 50-6 in the series opener at Townsville, before a 26-0 shutout at Brisbane. They restored some dignity with victory at Gold Coast, but clearly the result left a bitter aftertaste.
"At the end of the day, we spoke about doing whatever it takes," said Cherry-Evans. "We knew we would be there for each other and that's only going to give us more confidence through the series."
The second match of the series is scheduled for Optus Stadium, Perth on June 26, with the third at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 13.
Queensland 16 (Gagai, Holmes & Cherry-Evans tries; Holmes 2 conversions) NSW 10 (Wighton & Murray tries; Cleary conversion)
