Game one of the 2008 State of Origin series kicked off in Sydney last night, and while the build up was quiet - the action on the field was anything but.

Queensland came into the game as red hot favourites, and with their backline full of superstars you could see why.

But somebody obviously forgot to tell the NSW boys that they were the underdogs, and they came out firing.

Within just four minutes, NSW were on the board thanks to some slick work from Ryan Hoffman and Brett Stewart, who set up winger Anthony Quinn for his first try of the night. Craig Fitzgibbon slotted the conversion to give NSW a 6-0 lead early on.

Quinn didn't have to wait long for his second try, scoring in the corner off a Peter Wallace kick. If these young rookies were nervous, they definitely weren't showing it.

Queensland had very few opportunities on attack in the first half, as they struggled to break the NSW defence - which commentator Ray Warren described as 'intense'.

Fullback Billy Slater was targeted all night, and took a lot of punishment from the NSW forwards. They showed that the best way to stop him is just to hit him hard - and boy, it worked.

In the 35th minute Mark Gasnier made a break to set up up Stewart for the third try of the night, and all of a sudden it was 14-0 in favour of NSW. If they'd landed their conversions, their lead would have been even greater.

With time almost up in the first half, Jonathan Thurston was finally able to weave some of his magic by putting a well timed grubber into the corner for Brent Tate to pounce on. The video ref had no problems awarding the try, and at halftime the score read 14-4 - giving Queensland a glimmer of hope.

The second half began with a brilliant break by Gasnier, who seemed to have few problems breaking the Queensland line - he was on fire. Queensland managed to withstand the early onslaught, but in the 66th minute Gasnier carved through the middle to set up debutant Anthony Laffranchi for his first Origin try. It would prove to be the final nail in the Queensland coffin, who just couldn't get anything going.

Both Tate and Justin Hodges were denied trys due to some great cover defence, before Israel Falou crossed in the corner for a last minute consolation try. The final score - 18-10 in favour of NSW, and a well fought win.

The NSW halves - Greg Bird (who was named Man of the Match) and Peter Wallace - were outstanding as they directed their side around the field. Wallace's kicking game was spot on, silencing those who doubted his selection in the team. Both Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper were strong in the centres - Gasnier especially, who really ripped apart the Queensland defence. A solid effort by the forwards, who laid a great platform for their backs to shine, rounded off a terrific all-round performance.

For Queensland, the big problem was their inability to get any real forward momentum going, and the defence of NSW was absolutely relentless. Both Cameron Smith and Jonathan Thurston were unusually quiet, and that's a bad sign for the Queenslanders. Karmichael Hunt was sensational on defence, though - just ask Hoffman, who seemed to get hit by Hunt every time he got the ball. Unfortunately, all of his efforts in defence drained his energy, and left him unable to make a major impact on attack.

Brent Tate kept busy all night, and was deservedly rewarded with a first half try. Both Greg Inglis and Israel Falou, however, seemed almost invisible out on the field - another bad sign for Queensland.

Surely they'll have to bring in Scott Prince for game two? His NRL form has been brilliant, and his presence in the team would be a massive boost. We'd like to see him on the bench in place of PJ Marsh, who really doesn't offer the same skill sets as someone like Prince.

It will certainly be interesting to see if Mel Maninga makes any changes, as Queensland has traditionally been reluctant to make unforced adjustments to their team. We'll watch this space, but whatever happens they'll need to step it up big time for game two on their home soil.

Hats off to Quinn, Laffranchi, and Falou, who all scored on their debuts, while Wallace, Hannant, and Ben Cross can all be proud of their debut performances.

And last-but-not-least - spare a thought for Michael Crocker, who FINALLY tastes defeat for the first time in 32 games of footy...

Fantastic run, Mick.

Final result:

New South Wales: 18 (Trys - Quinn (2), Stewart, Laffranchi; Conversions - Fitzgibbon 1/3, Wallace 0/1)

Queensland: 10 (Trys - Tate, Falou; Conversions - Thurston 1/2)