NSW Win State of Origin Opener
NSW win the opening clash of the 2025 State of Origin series, defeating Queensland 18-6 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night. In front of a roaring crowd of 52,483, the Blues dominated the first half and held off a Maroons fightback to grab the early lead in the best-of-three series.
Zac Lomax stole the show. He scored twice and assisted the final try to seal the result for NSW. His performance gave coach Laurie Daley a dream start in his return to the Origin arena. Daley previously led the Blues from 2013 to 2017. He took over from Michael Maguire, who stepped aside after a winning campaign last year and later joined the Brisbane Broncos.
From the outset, the Blues played with purpose and physicality. They absorbed early pressure before breaking through Queensland’s defence. In a four-minute burst, Lomax and Brian To’o crossed the try line, stunning the home crowd.
Lomax added a second try before halftime with a spectacular dive in the right corner. NSW could have widened the gap further, but Nathan Cleary missed three conversions from wide angles, keeping the Maroons within reach.
Queensland entered the series looking to recover from last year’s narrow loss. But they failed to find momentum in the first half. Just before the break, they scored through a penalty kick from Valentine Holmes. The opportunity came after To’o received a yellow card for a mid-air tackle on Xavier Coates.
Early in the second half, the Maroons capitalized on the extra man. Coates dived over the line to bring Queensland back into the contest. However, NSW soon regained control. Lomax capped his night by setting up Dylan Edwards for the match-sealing try.
NSW’s win marked their second straight victory at Suncorp Stadium — something they hadn’t done in nearly 30 years. The result puts pressure on Queensland, who now
