Player ratings for the Queensland Maroons side from game one of the 2019 Holden State of Origin series.
1. Kalyn Ponga: NSW were focused on stopping him. That's easier said than done. Ponga made things happen almost every time he touched the ball. What a player. 9/10
2. Corey Oates: Denied a first-half try when he put his foot into touch. Made up for it in the second 40 with a great finish. NSW sent their kicks towards Gagai's wing for much of the night. 6
3: Michael Morgan: A great player in the halves, but was outpointed by Josh Morris playing as a centre. The fact the Maroons won will gloss over some of his short-comings. 5.5
4. Will Chambers: After a rough 2018 Origin series, Chambers was impressive. Won his personal battle with Latrell Mitchell. Could have positioned supports better and set up a first-half try. 7.5
5. Dane Gagai: A brilliant performance. Two superb second-half tries got his team the win. NSW sent plenty of ball his way via kicks and runs and he handled everything with ease. A stirring performance. Out-pointed Addo-Carr. That intercept try was something else. 9
Gagai intercepts Wighton pass
6. Cameron Munster: Apart from missing a tackle which resulted in NSW's first try, the Storm man was on top of his game. Showed why he's one of the best open-field runners going around. 7.5
7. Daly Cherry-Evans: Kicking game was very good, as was his organisational work. Proved himself worthy of the Maroons captaincy. 8
8. Jai Arrow: In his 21-minute stint to start the match, had just two runs for 21 metres. Was much better in the second half. Queensland needed more consistency from one of their starting props. 6.5
9: Ben Hunt: Was very busy, making 30 first-half tackles. Service out of dummy half was fair, but he doesn't offer the constant threat that Damien Cook provides with ball in hand. Makes up for that with effort. 8
10: Josh Papalii: Effort was never lacking. Didn't match the running metres of Blues prop Klemmer but did enough to set a platform for the skilled players in his side. 7
11. Felise Kaufusi: His powerful running game makes him a danger whenever he gets the ball. Queensland know they'll get a good performance out of him in every match. 7
12: Matt Gillett: Tackled strongly, but didn't offer a lot in attack. Has always been one of the more reliable defenders in the game. 6.5
Ponga creates space for Oates
13. Josh McGuire: Never short of advice for opponents, McGuire's work as an irritant was matched by his effort on this occasion. Not the type of player to break a game open, but gets through plenty of hard yakka in the middle of the field. 6
Interchange
14. Moses Mbye: Came on with just eight minutes remaining. Didn't get much in the way of opportunities. 4
15. Joe Ofahengaue: His night was ended by a bad cut on his knee, but played strongly in 33 minutes of game time. Made 113 metres from 11 runs but had a tackle efficiency rating of just 78 per cent. 6
16. Dylan Napa: There's no two ways about it - he should have scored a try in the first half when he fell on a loose ball in the in-goal area. Was his usual aggressive self but lacks foot speed. 6
17. David Fifita: Small sample size (26 minutes) but showed he deserved to be on the Origin stage. 6
