State of Origin game one 2026 as it happened: Blues secure victory in series opener after controversial Kalyn Ponga send off

Should Kalyn Ponga have been sent straight from the field for hitting Tolu Koula in the head with a shoulder charge? And did it cost Queensland victory?

Those will be the big talking points in the days to come, with TV commentators – and even the majority of NSW fans – convinced Ponga was hard done by.

Read the full story by Christian Nicolussi here and have your say below:

Compared to the most famous of Canberra five-eighths, Ethan Strange entered his first State of Origin match with high hopes of living up to the exploits of Laurie Daley.

He has a long way to match Daley’s achievements as a player, but his debut was fair start.

The 21-year-old Raider was a revelation in the Blues’ astounding come-from-behind victory at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.

Not bad for someone who was only called into the starting side on the eve of the game.

Read the full story by Chris Barrett here.

This was always going to be Sam Walker’s trial by fire; the unveiling of whether the traits he shared with a legend could be transferred to the State of Origin arena.

Yet, with the weight of Queensland on his shoulder, the young halfback silenced his critics and vindicated the faith entrusted in him by Billy Slater, with only one of the most controversial send-offs in the series’ history denying him a winning debut.

Long lauded as the heir apparent to the great Allan Langer, Walker displayed the same tenacity and creative kicking game that made the latter one of rugby league’s most endeared figures.

Read the full story from Nick Wright on Sam Walker here.

Blues coach Laurie Daley looked like a very relieved coach as he walked into the press conference tonight.

Daley was critical of his teams first half performance, but said he was proud of their comeback in the second.

“We didn’t play well in the first half at all. Never really gave ourselves a chance,” Daley said.

“Very happy obviously with the second half, but we just made too many errors out of yardage, put ourselves under pressure, couldn’t do a lot of defending and then all of a sudden, you get fatigued. Queensland shot out to a lead, but I’m just so happy with the boys. They showed fight, and that’s what you want to see.”

Maroons coach Billy Slater was very calm as he headed into the post-match press conference following his team’s shocking loss after Kalyn Ponga’s send off.

“It is what it is,” Slater said. “I haven’t got any problems with it.”

“He feels he’s let his team down, but those things happen in games. They happen really quick. I’ve been in his position, I know how hard it is. Spur of the moment, it’s wet out there, things happen. I thought it was a courageous effort from our players. I’m heartbroken for them – the effort they put in. They played with so much heart.”

Queensland captain Cameron Munster said he initially thought it was head-on-head contact, but that he had to accept referee Ashley Klein’s decision.

“I thought it might have been head-on-head obviously with the split on KP’s ear, but the referee in the bunker saw it differently so at the end of the day, the rules are rules and unfortunately, there’s a bit of force to his head so I’m not too sure,” Munster said.

“We fought our best and unfortunately, it wasn’t enough tonight... When you have 12 men, it takes the gas out of it.”

It was a mixed bag for many players, including Kalyn Ponga who was fantastic for the Maroons, until he was sent off in the 57th minute of the match.

Our experts rated Ethan Strange and Nathan Cleary as the best players for NSW with an 8.5/10, while Sam Walker was rated the same as the best on field for Queensland.

Read our full verdict here.