The 2022 State of Origin series was the 41st annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 22 times, NSW 16 times, with two series drawn.
Game I Game One was played at Sydney's Accor Stadium, and was won by Queensland, 16 points to 10.
Blues centre Jack Wighton and Queensland five-eighth Cameron Munster produced performances of note, with the latter named Man of the Match. The match was also notable for its high attendance of 80,512 people, the highest rugby league attendance since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Game II Game Two, held at Perth's Optus Stadium, before a sellout crowd of 59,358, saw Matt Burton and Nathan Cleary masterclasses deliver New South Wales a 44-12 victory to level the series at 1-1. Cleary scored 2 tries and 8 goals for a combined points total of 24, the second highest behind Ryan Girdler's 32 in New South Wales' 56-16 demolition of Queensland in Game III 2000.
Game III Game Three, held at Suncorp Stadium started with three players being knocked out in the opening three minutes of the contest (Cameron Murray, Selwyn Cobbo and Lindsay Collins). After this, Queensland scored the opening try, before NSW exploded to take a 12-6 lead with tries to Jarome Luai and Jacob Saifiti. However, Queensland drew back within two points just before half time, capitalising on a dropped bomb from Daniel Tupou.
The second half began with a brawl between Queensland centre Dane Gagai and New South Wales centre Matt Burton. Gagai and Burton were both sent to the sin bin. From this moment on, Queensland began to wrestle momentum back through the kicking game of Daly Cherry-Evans and Ben Hunt, pinning New South Wales down their own end. The match was won by a try to Kalyn Ponga and a sealing chargedown try to Hunt, who sprinted 80 metres to score.
Teams
New South Wales Blues PositionGame 1Game 2Game 3Fullback James Tedesco (c)Wing Brian To'oCentre Kotoni Staggs Matt BurtonCentre Jack Wighton Stephen CrichtonWing Daniel TupouFive-eighth Jarome LuaiHalfback Nathan ClearyProp Payne Haas Jake TrbojevicHooker Damien Cook Apisai KoroisauProp Reagan Campbell-Gillard Jake Trbojevic Junior PauloSecond row Tariq Sims Cameron MurraySecond row Liam MartinLock Isaah YeoInterchange Junior Paulo Jacob SaifitiInterchange Cameron Murray Angus CrichtonInterchange Stephen Crichton Damien CookInterchange Ryan Matterson Siosifa TalakaiReplacement Nicho Hynes Jack WightonCoach Brad Fittler
Queensland Maroons PositionGame 1Game 2Game 3Fullback Kalyn PongaWing Selwyn CobboCentre Valentine HolmesCentre Dane GagaiWing Xavier Coates Murray Taulagi Corey OatesFive-eighth Cameron Munster Tom DeardenHalfback Daly Cherry-Evans (c)Prop Tino Fa'asuamaleaui Lindsay CollinsHooker Ben HuntProp Josh PapaliiSecond row Kurt CapewellSecond row Felise Kaufusi Jeremiah NanaiLock Reuben Cotter Tino Fa'asuamaleaui Patrick CarriganInterchange Harry GrantInterchange Lindsay Collins Jai ArrowInterchange Patrick Carrigan Tino Fa'asuamaleauiInterchange Jeremiah Nanai Tom GilbertReplacement Jai Arrow Tom Dearden Thomas FleglerCoach Billy Slater 1 - With Paul Green fired after an uninspiring 2021 series, Billy Slater took over for his first series as Queensland coach.
2 - Despite making his Queensland debut in 2018, 2022 was the first time that Kalyn Ponga played in every game of an origin series.
3 - Corey Oates made his return to State of Origin, named for his first start at winger since Game 3 of the 2019 series.
Player debuts
Game 1 Cap no. 298, Kotoni Staggs Cap no. 299, Stephen Crichton Cap no. 300, Ryan Matterson Cap no. 222, Selwyn Cobbo Cap no. 223, Reuben Cotter Cap no. 224, Patrick Carrigan Cap no. 225, Jeremiah Nanai
Game 2 Cap no. 301, Matt Burton Cap no. 302, Siosifa Talakai Cap no. 226, Murray Taulagi
Game 3 Cap no. 303, Jacob Saifiti Cap no. 227, Tom Dearden Cap no. 228, Tom Gilbert
Men's Under 19 State of Origin
Team details FB 1 Terrell Kalo KaloWG 2 Utuloa AsomuaCE 3 Paul AlamotiCE 4 Brad MorkosWG 5 Jack BostockFE 6 Thomas WeaverHB 7 Jonah PezetPR 8 Max BradburyHK 9 Tyler MoriartyPR 10 Justin MatamuaSR 11 Oryn KeeleySR 12 Brandon TumethLK 13 Trey MooneyInterchange:IN 14 Jack ColeIN 15 Toby CouchmanIN 16 Larry MuagututiaIN 17 Jacob Webster 18 Charlie Thompson (not used)Coach: Andrew Ryan FB 1 Isaiah IongiWG 2 Jacob MeneCE 3 Sosefo FifitaCE 4 Robert ToiaWG 5 Xavier Chatfield-MookaFE 6 Harradyn WilsonHB 7 Tom DuffyPR 8 Xavier Va'aHK 9 Blake MozerPR 10 Paul BryanSR 11 Eddie HampsonSR 12 Jack HowarthLF 13 Luke JackInterchange:IN 14 Jye GrayIN 15 Ben Te KuraIN 16 Josiah PahuluIN 17 Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 18 Kaleb Ngamanu (not used)Coach: Kurt Richards Touch judges: Cameron Paddy and Nick Pelgrave
Women's State of Origin
The 2022 Women's State of Origin game was played on 24 June at GIO Stadium, Canberra. It was won 20–14 by New South Wales. The women's under-19s match, won 22–6 by New South Wales, was played the day before as a curtain raiser for the under-19 men's game at Leichhardt Oval, Sydney.
Wheelchair State of Origin The Wheelchair State of Origin game was played on 23 July at Townsville Stadium, Townsville. Queensland won the game 49–24 to retain the title.
Squads On 30 June 2022, the New South Wales Rugby League named the New South Wales team for this match: Jason Attard ( Wests Tigers), Cory Cannane ( St George Illawarra Dragons), Craig Cannane (c) ( St George Illawarra Dragons), William Derederenalagi ( Parramatta Eels), Rick Engles ( St George Illawarra Dragons), Brad Grove (c) ( Wests Tigers), Diab Karim ( Parramatta Eels), Liam Luff ( Parramatta Eels), Chris O'Brien ( Canberra Raiders), Toby Popple ( Canberra Raiders), Reserves: Zac Carl ( Canberra Raiders), Edge Iole ( St George Illawarra Dragons).
On 2 July, the Queensland squad was announced: Shaun Harre (), Zac Schumacher (cc), Peter Arbuckle, James Hill, Matty Lodewikus, Cory Mostran, Gage McAlpine, Bayley McKenna, Chris Robson, Adam Tannock, coach: Jack Brown.
See also 2022 Australian football code crowds
References