New South Wales take State of Origin series lead

New South Wales jumped out to a 1-0 series lead in the State of Origin after defeating Queensland 18-6 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Zac Lomax scored two early on for the Blues, while Brian To’o added the other.

The Maroons had a mountain to climb, but Xavier Coates, who capitalized on Latrell Mitchell’s handling error, reduced the deficit in the second half.

Seven minutes into the game, Lomax found Connor Watson after a brilliant one-handed move, who set up full-back Dylan Edwards. Any hope the Maroons had of a late comeback were thwarted.

Lomax remarked, “Our fight and courage was incredible, the way we started.”

For the first time since 1998, New South Wales, the defending champions, won back-to-back games at the Suncorp Stadium.