The greatest sporting rivalry in the world enters another chapter on Wednesday when the 2019 State of Origin series gets underway in Brisbane as the Queensland Maroons take on the New South Wales in Game 1 of the series.
New South Wales hold the shield heading into this series but they will be away from home in two of the three matches. The first of those is on Wednesday when the Suncorp Stadium plays host to the series opener.
Queensland
You get the feeling we could be entering a tough period for the Queensland Maroons. They had built up something of a dynasty but their experienced campaigners are largely finished at this level now and the new breed is kind of coming through without too much in the way of seasoned guidance. That is never easy in this battle which is brutal, physical and extremely tough so they need to hit the ground running.
Throughout the recent seasons, when Queensland have been successful it has largely been done through the spine of their side so all eyes will be on their half-backs to see if they can control the flow of possession. In defence Queensland will have to muscle up down the middle and be at their best on their line if they are to head to Perth with the lead.
New South Wales
It is a different mindset for the New South Wales Blues now with them being the hunted, the champion side expected to retain the Shield and form a little bit of dominance of their own. They are certainly in a better place of the two in terms of Origin experience and knowing what to expect but it is never easy for the Blues to go to Brisbane and win, so this will be a real test of their credentials.
New South Wales look particularly strong in the forward area and I expect them to get plenty of go forward. They are complimented nicely with some serious pace in the backs so I’m expecting some pretty deep runs in their attacking play. The question mark over the Blues is whether their half-backs can get control of the game and dominate the kicking game. If they can NSW could be tough to stop.
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Team News
It is all change for Queensland now with Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk all big players who are now a thing of the past. Daly Cherry-Evans has taken over as captain with Kalyn Ponga making his second Origin appearance.
New South Wales are a much more settled side than their opponents in this contest with Boyd Cordner leading them into battle once again. Cody Walker has been rewarded for his efforts in the NRL this term.
Betting
I think this could be a tough series for the Queensland Maroons and as such I like the New South Wales Blues here. I’m a little bit surprised they are not shorter than they are. I guess a lot of that is down to the fact that this match is played in Queensland country where the Blues haven’t won since the opening game of the 2017 series.
Sometimes though you have to ignore history and bet on the here and now and given the lack of experience in this Queensland side and the potential struggle they will have up the middle I’ve got to take the New South Wales Blues to come through this one. They lost the only game in Brisbane last year but they had already won the series. I expect them to start here with a resounding win.
Tips
Back New South Wales Blues to beat Queensland Maroons for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Betway
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