New South Wales got off to a flying start in their State of Origin defence on Wednesday evening.
Payne Haas starred as the Blues took a 1-0 victory north of the Border, outclassing their opponents to clinch an 18-6 victory at the Suncorp Stadium.
However, there was one moment during the match that left rugby league legend Greg Alexander fuming and he did not hold back when blasting referees during Wednesday’s State of Origin Series Opener.
During the 40th minute of the first half, New South Wales winger Brian To’o leapt up to collect a high ball.
The footy star appeared to hold opponent Xavier Coates in the air having realised he’d missed out on taking the catch to his opponent.
Coates subsequently dropped the ball after To’o made contact. On review, the Bunker believed To’o was going for the man instead of contesting the catch.
New South Wales claimed a 1-0 lead in the 2025 State of Origin Series on Wednesday
The Blues got their shield defence off to a great start with an 18-6 victory against Queensland
While the Maroons pleaded for a penalty try, the 26-year-old Penrith star was sent to the sin bin by referee Ashley Klein – a decision that did not go down with Alexander on Channel 9’s commentary.
‘That will go down as the worst (decision I’ve seen),’ Alexander said.
‘We really need to do something about this rule. That is outrageous. That is ridiculous. It is the worst thing I have ever seen.
‘He gets monstered by a taller player. What else can he do? He has eyes only on the ball.
‘Once again slow motion ruins everything. Slow motion makes it look like he actually thought about what he was doing.
‘He was going for the ball but got beaten by a bigger man over the top. He stood his ground. That’s all he did.
‘This rule has reared its head during the NRL. It is a disgrace. They need to look at it. We didn’t bring that rule in for that reason.’
Bulldogs legend Phil Gould was equally fuming.
‘I think it’s a ridiculous exaggeration of the mid-air tackle rule there in the in-goal,’ Gould said on Channel 9.
‘They’re fighting for the ball in the possession.
‘I think that’s a ridiculous interpretation of the rule. And it’s not a sin bin in an Origin match.’
Greg Alexander (right) was left fuming by one refereeing decision during the match on Wednesday
Queensland star Xavier Coates appeared to be taken out of the air by Brian To’o in the first half
To’o (right), who scored during the match, was then sent to the sin bin by the referees
Munster makes brutal admission
Queensland superstar Cameron Munster didn’t have his best performance after an underwhelming first half.
However, the Storm five-eighth, grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the second term – pushing his team on to mount a comeback in the second term.
But a dejected Munster apologised to Maroons fans after the match, for losing on home soil.
‘We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half. Our attack looked a bit scrappy at times,’ he said to Channel 9.
‘It’s pretty frustrating. Unfortunately when you don’t execute or complete sets, it puts a lot of pressure on you.’
Razzle-dazzle footy sees Lomax score.
It didn’t take long for Lomax to get involved after a half break from Mitchell Moses opened Queensland up. NSW’s quick play-the-ball had his other half Nathan Cleary involved before Stephen Crichton used the space and speed to find winger Lomax for the opening four-pointer after 25 minutes.
Cam Munster (front, centre) made a brutal admission about his side’s performance during the game
Latrell Mitchell or Harlem Globetrotters?
Latrell Mitchell reminded 52,483 fans at Suncorp Stadium why he’s one of the best players in the world with a mid-air pass at rapid pace to Brian To’o for the Blues’ second try. The speed of the pass combined with perfect placement to his winger left Xaxier Coates and Queensland fans stunned.
Discipline. Discipline. Discipline.
Queensland were punished by a more astute and disciplined NSW side on Wednesday night. It was exemplified when the Maroons were pinged twice by referee Ashley Klein consecutively then Cleary shored up the right edge and found Dylan Edwards behind a block runner and Lomax bagged his second try.
Nanai’s thumping hit gets Queensland on the board.
The Maroons looked distraught after six players bundled Valentine Holmes into touch early in the second half. Enter Jeremiah Nanai.
The second-rower rushed out of the line and cracked Mitchell, forcing an error, and a quick shift to the right via a beautiful offload from Robert Toia put the Maroons over for their only try to Coates.
Latrell Mitchell reminded 52,483 fans at Suncorp Stadium why he’s one of the best players in the world
After being held scoreless for much of the second half, Lomax reminded Queenslanders why they’ll be having nightmares for a while
High-flying Lomax ensures NSW see off Queensland.
After being held scoreless for much of the second half, Lomax reminded Queenslanders why they’ll be having nightmares for a while.
A chip kick by Cleary was easily snatched from the sky by the Blues winger before a sensational offload led the way for Edwards to ice the contest. Lomax finished the game with two tries, four tackle busts, two line breaks and 177 run metres.
Blues re-write history north of the border.
With their game-one win the Blues have now won two straight at Suncorp Stadium for the first time since 1998.
