Blues rookie Joseph Sua'ali'i has earned the unwanted record of the fastest send off in State of Origin history after being dismissed in just the eighth minute of the series opener for a high shot on Maroons fullback Reece Walsh.
Sua'ali'i was given his marching orders by referee Ashley Klein after tackling Walsh as he passed the ball to centre Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow near his own 40 metre mark.
Stopping play to call Sua'ali'i out, Klein said: “I don’t want you to say a word. It’s a very dangerous action. There was direct contact with the head. You’re off”.
Walsh was KO’d in the tackle and ruled out of the remainder of the match, forcing a reshuffle in the Queensland backline.
Sua'ali'i was subsequently charged with a Grade 2 Reckless High Tackle offence, and faces 4-5 weeks on the sidelines as a result of the tackle.
Reece Walsh ruled out
Maroons coach Billy Slater, who had been criticised in some quarters for selecting an outside back on the bench, immediately thrust Broncos centre Selwyn Cobbo into action, with Tabuai-Fidow moving to fullback.
“Hindsight is a great thing,” Slater told Channel 9 of Cobbo’s selection. “He is a quality player, he plays that position regularly, so it has worked out that way. These sort of things can happen.”
Rugby union-bound Sua'ali'i became just the sixth player sent off since the Origin concept began in 1980, with the others being:
- Craig Greenhill - 1996
- Gorden Tallis - 2000
- Trent Waterhouse - 2009
- Jarome Luai - 2023
- Reece Walsh - 2023
- Joseph Suaalii - 2024
With four forwards on the bench, Blues coach Michael Maguire was forced to shift second-rower Liam Martin to right centre in place of Suaalii.
Slater came to the sideline to speak directly to Tabuai-Fidow, who repeatedly targeted the side of the field Suaalii would be defending.
After Tabuai-Fidow scored back-to-back tries in the 18th and 23rd minutes, Maguire moved Stephen Crichton from left centre to right centre in a bid to stifle Queensland's attacking raids.