For the first time game one of the series was played in Melbourne.
The stakes were high for New South Wales in the face of the genuine
possibility of a four consecutive series defeat - never yet suffered
since the introduction of the three match series format.
Blues selectors opted for eight debutantes, dropping fourteen of the
seventeen players who appeared in game I of 2008. The new faces were
McManus, Jennings, Stewart, Campese, Farah, Creagh, Weyman and Poore.
With abundant talent and experience to choose from, Queensland
selectors opted for the international backline who had represented
Australia in April against New Zealand, meaning Slater at fullback
dislodged incumbent Maroon fullback Hunt to the interchange bench.
The entire Queensland squad had previous Origin experience with
thirteen of them having represented on six or more occasions.

03 June, 2009 Queensland 28 - 18 New South Wales

Etihad Stadium, Melbourne

Attendance: 50,967

Referee: Shayne Hayne, Tony Archer
Man of the Match: Johnathan Thurston

Queensland
Tries: Greg Inglis 15', 43'
Billy Slater 10'
Johnathan Thurston 18'
Darius Boyd 80'
Goals: Johnathan Thurston (4/5)

New South Wales
Tries: Ben Creagh 33'
Craig Wing 61'
Jarryd Hayne 69'
Goals: Kurt Gidley (3/4)


New South Wales took a 2-0 lead after an early penalty goal but then in
the eighth minute an apparent try to their winger Hayne was controversially
disallowed after a long video-referee deliberation. This appeared to rock
the confidence of the young Blues squad and soon after Queensland took a
commanding lead with a succession of tries to Slater, Inglis and then
Thurston. Creagh crossed for the Blues before half-time picking up an
obviously forward pass from Hayne after he had chased a kick. The scoreline
was 18-6 at the break.

As the second half kicked off, Inglis struck quickly with a spectacular try
from long range to take the score to 24-6 and his tally to two. New South
Wales from that point found some structure and the game played more like the
traditional origin arm wrestle till Craig Wing made his entrance from the
Blues interchange bench at the 53 minute mark. Two minutes later, off a
deflected kick, Wing scored to bring New South Wales within twelve and the
Blues dummy halves - Wing and Farah double tagging in the role - began to
find gaps in amongst the tiring Queensland forwards. In the 69th minute,
another lucky kick deflection, this time off Maroons prop Steve Price and
into the hands of Farah which was then passed to Hayne, resulted in Hayne's
second try and a 24-18 scoreline with 10 minutes to go. However, in the 78th
minute, following a handling error from Blues fullback Kurt Gidley, Darius
Boyd crossed in the corner after the scrum, to seal Queensland a 28-18 victory
and first blood in the series.

The game was watched by a national audience of 3.48 million people which was
a record.

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