After months and months of build-up and hype, State of Origin Game 1 is nearly upon us.
With a convincing 2018 series win behind them and the Maroons seemingly rebuilding, New South Wales enter this series as warm favourites. But, they have to navigate a difficult first game at Suncorp Stadium if they want to get off to a start.
With a somewhat inexperienced and understrength side, how do they get the crowd out of it early and escape Brisbane with the crucial first victory?
We got Roar rugby league expert Tim Gore onto the Game of Codes podcast to run over the keys to the game for the Blues.
Listen to the discussion:
New South Wales will be looking to win consecutive State of Origin series’ for the first time since they won three in a row from 2003 to 2005. They broke Queensland’s incredible streak of series wins in 2014, but had to wait until last year to taste success once more.
Playing at Suncorp Stadium hasn’t been easy for the Blues, however, with the side winning just two of their last 12 games at the venue. That said, those two victories both came in Game 1 of a series.