State of Origin 2023: Game 1 key battles

Author Photo
Nathan Cleary / Reece Walsh / Tevita Pangai Junior
(Getty Images)

State of Origin has finally arrived, with excitement building ahead of the series opener on May 31st.

Billy Slater emerged triumphant in his first series as Queensland coach but will be under no illusion of how difficult this year will be after New South Wales have reacted by picking a side full of mongrel. 

Here's the three key battles that will decide State of Origin Game I.

Tevita Pangai Junior vs Queensland's pack

Call it Freddy fighting fire with fire or Freddy rolling the dice – make no bones about it, Tevita Pangai Junior has been brought in to bring an extra layer of chaos into a match which is already infested with it.

MORE: Tyson Frizell won't die with the music in him ahead of NSW Blues return

The role of the enforcer is a dying art in today’s game but one Pangai Jr still clearly relishes when he picks a victim, and ruthlessly goes after them with the sort of white-hot intensity that Origin has built its reputation on.

Regardless of what happens when he is unleashed and it is Pangai Jr vs Everybody, you can be sure there will be a clip or two to forever splice into the Origin highlight reels that get wheeled out each year to illustrate the game’s brutality.

But besides the obvious caveat that his opening salvo and second stint will cause carnage, Pangai’s inclusion also raises the question around how Fittler plans to utilise his bench.

The Canterbury prop isn’t exactly renowned for having a big gas tank and has been averaging around the 45-minute mark in the NRL. This leaves plenty of work for Payne Haas and Junior Paulo to get through, while also having backrowers Cam Murray and Liam Martin possibly pitching in through the middle.

There is a lot to say for Jake Trbojevic’s dependability up front - he goes about chopping opponents down with textbook tackles, making the odd carry and linking play all while clocking long minutes.

In reality, Pangai Jr offers none of this with his skillset at the opposite end of the spectrum for a front-rower. He is all about the big play. He enjoys nothing more than putting the team on his back and forcing the issue.

"Origin is tough, you can’t back down and you can’t be stood over, I think through the series that we’ve been involved in there have been occasions where that has happened," NSW advisor, Greg Alexander, told SEN

"They’ve got a very good front row, we’re hoping Tevita can shake that up a bit and put them on the back foot in the opening 20 (minutes)."

Forever Blue 💙Get Origin Ready Now

Pangai's left-field selection may prove a masterstroke although it is certainly a gamble when compared to Queensland’s forward options on their bench.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Reuben Cotter and Jai Arrow will maintain the Maroons' metre-eating ability which Lindsay Collins and Tom Flegler will offer from the start.

The trio are all able to clock big minutes in the engine room and suggest a midfield slog for the series opener. 

Billy Slater has shown his hand with a forward-heavy game plan set to try and dominate territory and negate the impact the likes of Tom Trbojevic and Nathan Cleary can have in attack. 

Meanwhile, Fittler has put the sunglasses on indoors and pulled his hoodie up over his head with the role of Nicho Hynes as yet undetermined and the gamble on his bench through the selection of Pangai Jr a question mark which will remain until around 10pm on Wednesday night.   

Reece Walsh vs James Tedesco

The incumbent has been supported despite suffering from poor form and there being other candidates who it could be argued would be more deserving of selection in the side this year. 

Yet the roles have flipped between the states with James Tedesco backed by NSW, while Queensland opted to snub Kalyn Ponga in favour of Reece Walsh.

The Roosters and NSW captain was always a certainty to be picked given his past exploits in the Blues jersey and a similar mode of thinking revolved around Ponga’s fullback spot. 

After all, he did do it when it mattered most last year, lighting up the series decider to help guide his state to a 22-12 victory to steal the shield back from out of NSW’s grip.

But in the end, this wasn’t enough to ward off the presence of Walsh, who has claimed his first Maroons jersey after having the opportunity cruelly taken away from him two years’ ago due to an injury sustained in the captain’s run.

Walsh has been electric for the Broncos since his return to Red Hill, posting four tries and 13 assists in his 11 appearances to date.

MORE: How Reece Walsh became Queensland's No.1

Teddy has struggled in a Roosters side bereft of confidence and seemingly any sort of attacking plan. He has scored three tries and provided four assists in his 10 appearances this season.

Walsh trumps Tedesco’s attacking numbers, but it will be the veteran's experience which he will be able to draw on to even up the fight between the two No.1’s.

Tedesco has been there before and performed on the biggest stages, while Walsh hasn’t - yet.

Api Koroisau vs Ben Hunt and Harry Grant

Api Koroisau won the battle at hooker between himself and Damien Cook with his selection providing a key insight into NSW’s game plan.

Once again, Fittler will lean into the combinations Penrith have built up over their years of dominance with Cleary, Jarome Luai and Isaah Yeo reunited in the spine alongside the crafty No.9.

His inclusion is aimed at trying to get the best out of Cleary with the 26-year-old halfback set to commence his sixth campaign with the Blues.

In that time, he has struggled to dictate the flow of the contest in ways many expected him to be able to do but he has still won seven of his 13 matches. 

In the era of the Panthers, Koroisau and Cleary built a solid understanding with the hooker manipulating the space around the ruck to get his pack rolling forwards which allowed Cleary to implement his running and kicking game. 

This is what NSW will be hoping to replicate once again at the Adelaide Oval, but the Tigers' skipper will have his hands full. 

MORE: Jarome Luai and Selwyn Cobbo feud - NSW playmaker fires back at 'grub' sledge

The one-two punch of Ben Hunt and Harry Grant proved incredibly effective for the Maroons last year and was a blueprint Fittler mirrored when Cook and Koroisau were used in tandem to counteract them.

This year, that plan has been abandoned with Koroisau given the sole responsibility out of dummy-half.

This brings on the question around how Hynes will be utilised by the Blues.

The reigning Dally M Medal winner’s role has yet to be defined by Fittler and probably won’t be until he’s unleashed onto the field.

The Cronulla halfback loves getting his hands on the ball and is adept at attacking from all areas of the pitch. Yet his influence in the ruck, if he’s needed to cover for Koroisau, will be a hard-fought battle. 

"I’m lucky, I’m working with two of the best in the business, Benny Hunt and Harry Grant, they’ve been doing it for a while now, particularly Ben Hunt and we all know what he’s produced at Origin," Queensland assistant, Cameron Smith, told SEN

"It’s just working with those two guys, first and foremost around their own games making sure that they’re taking opportunities when they see it.

"But also thinking on the bigger scale, 'How can I allow our big men, our forwards to gain momentum, to apply pressure with our attack and with our running game.'"

Author(s)
Mark Molyneux Photo

Mark Molyneux is a content producer for Sporting News Australia.