Walsh knocked out but Blues down and out in Origin thrashing

Walsh Knocked Out, NSW Stunned

Queensland star Reese Walsh was belted unconscious but it was the New South Wales team that was left on the floor after a flogging in the first State of Origin clash.

Playing in front of a vocal 80,000-strong home crowd, New South Wales got off to a shocker when Queensland captain Dale Cherry-Evans made a clever dummy half run and then slipped an inside ball to Ben Hunt to give Queensland the lead after only six minutes.

NSW’s Struggle with One Man Short

NSW’s fate was effectively sealed two minutes later, when Joseph Sua’ali’i was sent off for a horrific high and late hit on Queensland fullback Reece Walsh. The hit left the star Queensland fullback unconscious and motionless on the turf, ruling him out for the rest of the match,

Sua’ali’i was sent to sheds for the late hit, leaving his team with only 12 men and also setting a record for the quickest send-off in Origin history.

From then on, the Queensland juggernaut rolled on, as NSW regularly leaked tries, leading to a 38-10 loss, the Blues’ worst-ever home defeat.

The Blues fought bravely despite being one player short and gave the NSW fans a glimmer of hope early in the second half when they closed the gap to 20-10 after tries from James Tedesco and Zac Lomax.

But the Blues’ hopes were fleeting as Queensland once again proved too strong.

Queensland’s Commanding Victory

The Maroons crossed the line six times, with try-scoring machine Hamiso “Hammer” Tabuai-Fidow recording a hattrick, Ben Hunt improving his already excellent Origin record with two tries and Xavier Coates adding another to his tally.

Queensland are now firm favourites to win the series, with the next two games heading to Melbourne and then Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

NSW will need to win two away games to steal the series, while the Queenslanders need to win just one to secure their third consecutive series win.

Walsh will miss the next two games for the Brisbane Broncos but should be back in the Maroon jersey in time for Game 2 in Melbourne in three weeks’ time.