The Avengers-less Queensland succumb to the Baby Blues - but stay tuned for the sequel

It has helped Queensland dominate the annual bi-state series – winning 12 of the past 13 years.

But 2018 marks a huge change in the landscape of Origin. Three Queensland legends have stepped down from Representative rugby – Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston – a trio who between them represent some of the greatest players to pull on any jersey in the history of the game.

A fourth member of the Maroons magnificent quartet – Billy Slater – is retiring from Origin this year but was ruled out of game 1 with an injury.

To give you an idea of the hole this leaves in the Queensland side – and how much these players have contributed over the last 13 years – it would be like The Avengers without Captain America (Smith), Iron Man (Cronk), Thor (Thurston) and Spider Man (Slater).

Against this depleted Maroons line up stood NSW’s Baby Blues – including 11 debutants – a gang of bright faces, brash and supposedly unscarred.

The thinking from new NSW coach Brad ‘Freddie’ Fittler was in order to instill some belief in his squad he ditched the bulk of last year’s squad, tainted by another heart-breaking series loss after winning the first match 28-4 and leading 16-6 at halftime in the second.

These talented but inexperienced youngsters had one thing in common – they had not tasted defeated at Queensland’s hands.

The setting was perfect.

The same city where the (short-lived) NSW dynasty ended and the Queensland dynasty started 12 years ago. On that night back in 2006 at the nearby Telstra Dome, now Etihad Stadium, Queensland trailed 14-4 with less than ten minutes to go in the deciding third match.

But two late tries saw the Maroons home 16-14. Few there that night would have guessed they were watching the birth of a dynasty

From there Queensland won the next eight series, briefly interrupted by a Blues win in 2014, before claiming three more.

And from the kick-off it looked like that pattern would continue in 2018, new faces or not.

The much vaunted NSW attack was limp – one out, disorganized – and the defence struggling.

Queensland, as always, were poised, confident, expansive, precise. Just like the All Blacks – another team even more dominant than the Maroons.

These young Blues were meant to be fearless, bold – instead they looked like deer caught in the headlight.

Queensland didn’t necessarily have the better players – they just have a winning culture. They have belief. No matter what the scoreline they simply believe they will win and 12 years out of the last 13 they have.

NSW had a brilliant fast young team – but they still had to have the belief to use that talent.

Somehow NSW survived the first 6 minutes without conceding but the sense was that soon enough one of Queensland’s superstars would break the match open.

The first points came after 16 minutes with NSW taking the two on offer when a better bet may have been to go for six with the Maroons defence exhausted.

But even when they are exhausted the Maroons still seem to hang on so NSW took two, better than coming up empty handed.

Queensland then wasted a half break when Will Chambers dropped a Felise Kaufusi pass, that he should have taken, and NSW made him pay soon after when young dummy half Damien Cook sprinted away to set up fullback James Tedesco for the opening try.

But like all great teams, Queensland are the masters of controlling the pace of the game. Conserving their energy and only using it when it will be most effective – and most damaging to the opposition.

NSW were also inviting problems, the line speed way too slow in defence giving the Maroons precious metres to build momentum.

This was now the time – as so often in the past – when Queensland would strike. Would it be the same for this new generation?

Of course. Just when Queensland were on the ropes they found a way out, Valentine Holmes scooping a perfect intercept from NSW five-eighth James Maloney and running away, 80 metres untouched, to score – at the very moment when it looked like the Blues would increase their lead.

Queensland then scored early in the second half through the ‘one-handed’ Dane Gagai, and Holmes’ conversion made it 12-8. It looked like yet another victory for the Maroons.

But suddenly the Blues’ flipped the script.

NSW hit back with two quick tries – one due to the power of centre Latrell Mitchell, the other to the aerial skills of one time Sydney Swans target Tom Trbojevic to give NSW a 18-12 advantage.

But surely the composure and experience of Queensland would shine through? There was still a long way to go. The Maroons line speed was still excellent and just one mistake would open the door again for the champions.

But NSW held on as the seconds ticked away and the crowd of over 85,000 waited for the killer blow to be struck.

And it came – but this time not from the northerners, but from NSW – James Tedesco slicing through in the 70^th minute after another Cook break, then as he was falling he found tyro prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard who passed to Maloney who floated a superb long ball to winger Josh Addo Carr who beat Will Chambers to dive over.

22-12. Surely NSW could not lose this from here…

There was a late flurry when Queensland half back Ben Hunt executed a perfect 40-20 to put the Maroons deep on attack – but this time there was no final minute heroics. The Baby Blues had won.

Of course Queensland will not be overly concerned. They lost the first match of last year by an even bigger margin. They will still have that unshakeable belief that this year will be no different, starting with game 2 in Sydney on June 24.