2022 State Of Origin Series

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

Queensland Maroons

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.

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

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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

{{2022 in rugby league

State of Origin series