[ad_1]
Queensland are on the brink of a third straight win Country of origin series triumph over NSW after a dramatic 38-10 win in front of 77,214 fans in Sydney on Wednesday night.
The series opener reached an extreme flashpoint in just the eighth minute when Maroons star Reece Walsh was concussed by Blues debutant Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
WATCH ABOVE: Joseph Swaalihi sent off after brutal tackle on Reece Walsh.
Get the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
Suaalii was promptly sent off and his short-manned side conceded two tries to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the next 15 minutes to ensure it would be an uphill battle to get back into the race.
NSW put up an impressive fightback to score early in the second half and stay in it, even threatening in attack after Queensland were denied two tries.
But the game was wrapped up moments later when the Maroons drove the length of the pitch for Ben Hunt to score his second goal of the night.
The Blues’ tired legs were made to pay again when Isa Yeo was tackled inside the 20 by Queensland captain Daley Cherry-Evans, who sprinted down the field and picked out Xavier Coates.
Tabuai-Fidou, the man moved to full-back to replace Walsh, bagged his hat-trick in the 78th minute to put an exclamation point on the Maroons’ dominance.
“It was unreal,” he told Nine.
“I took some reps at fullback during the week. Obviously in Origin anything can happen, luckily we trained for that.”
Cherry-Evans was Queensland’s man of the match but No.17 Selwyn Cobo made an impressive case after being called into a center game when Walsh was ruled out and Tabuai-Fidow went to full-back.
He unloaded early to a try for Tabuai-Fidow and dismissed Zac Lomax to swap his makeshift No.1 for another.
“We believe in Billy. He puts Selwyn on the bench, it’s a master move,” said Cherry-Evans.
Billy Slater now has the chance to make it three for three in his Origin coaching career before the Maroons even play in Brisbane this year, with Origin II taking place at the MCG in Melbourne on June 26.
NSW, on the other hand, were left to rue Suaalii’s sacking after a woeful build-up under new coach Michael Maguire.
Maguire made the call to drop acting captain James Tedesco, only to have to call on the full-back when Dylan Edwards suffered a quad strain early on.
Starting midfielder Nicho Hynes also entered the game with a calf complaint but played the full 80 minutes.
“There’s something to take from it, a disappointing night, but we have to come back bigger and better next game,” said Blues captain Jake Trbojevic, who played just the first 25 minutes in the opener and four minutes in the second half.
[ad_2]
