State of Origin 2018: Date, Start Time, Live Stream for Blues vs. Maroons Game 1
The Queensland Maroons will be seeking to extend their recent dominance in the State of Origin series against the New South Wales Blues, starting on Wednesday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Following a 2-1 win for Queensland a year ago, they've won 11 of the previous 12 competitions between the two states. However, they head into the 2018 edition without some players that have previously been key to their stranglehold on the tournament.
The Blues will be looking to capitalise on this in front of a home crowd on Wednesday. They won the opener in Brisbane a year ago but fell to defeat in the two subsequent clashes.
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Read on for all the details you need on where to catch Game 1, as these two great rivals get ready to lock horns again.
Date: Wednesday, June 6
Time: 8 p.m. (Local), 11 a.m. (BST), 5 a.m. (ET)
TV Info: Channel 9 (AUS)
Live Stream: 9 Now (AUS)
Blues Out to End Barren Run
Although the dominance of the Maroons has got followers of New South Wales a little weary when it comes to the Origin series, there's reason for the Blues to be positive going into the latest edition.
A trio of players who have caused them so much heartache down the years won't be involved. Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith will leave a big hole in the Queensland team in terms of quality and leadership.
"I hope they (NSW) are sitting back thinking it is an easy win not having those players, but I will tell you right now we are up for the challenge—we are pumped and ready to go," said Maroons prop Jarrod Wallace, per AAP via FOX News. "There's no panic here."
Their absence offers a potential opening to some younger players to start cementing their own legacies in the competition.
We may have already witnessed one of those in action, as Cameron Munster was effective in the decisive match of the 2017 series on his Origin debut. Additionally, Valentine Holmes, just 22, scored a hat-trick of tries as Queensland secured another series.
As noted by 7 News Brisbane, Holmes has been in fine form in the buildup to this meeting in Melbourne too:
In some respects, it's also the beginning of a new era for the Blues. Per the NRL website, they have 11 debutants in their squad, while coach Brad Fitter will lead the team into a series for the first time too.
The boss will be relying on some of his more experienced men to help the team through in a high-pressure environment as a result. James Maloney, the top points score in the 2017 Origin, is a man with the potential to manage a game and keep the scoreboard ticking.
Some of the new players will also be important with refreshment vital after such a tough run for New South Wales. Per the NRL Twitter account, Josh Addo-Carr is someone who may provide that:
Given they are at home and given three key players are no longer with the Maroons, the pressure is on New South Wales in this one. If they can snatch victory here, with a home tie to come in the second leg in Sydney too, they'll have a brilliant chance of finally putting some blue on the board.
There's still class in the Maroons team, and it would be unwise to write them off as such. However, there are some gaping holes that won't be filled in the 2018 Origin series, and, in the first fixture at least, they will struggle to overcome that.
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