Here’s why we just witnessed the worst State of Origin match ever

Spencer Leniu of the Blues and Harry Grant of the Maroons during the State of Origin game one match between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
State of Origin is supposed to be fierce. It’s supposed to be unpredictable, physical, and even dramatic.
Born from State vs State, mate vs mate, Origin represents the very best of rugby league – built through decades of blood, sweat, and raw emotion.
New South Wales may have won 18-6 in Game I of the 2025 State of Origin series on Wednesday, but no one was really talking about their dominance – or Queensland hanging in there, which only really looked close thanks to some dodgy kicking from the Blues.
They were asking something else: was that the worst Origin game ever?
Flat build-up
Let’s be honest: Origin week didn’t feel like Origin week.
The usual heat just wasn’t there. Okay, it started with a bit of spice around what might happen after Spencer Leniu’s sideline blow-up at Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston.
But most of that drama came manufactured from Brisbane’s Courier Mail, who plastered Leniu on the back page with the headline: ‘Smash this Blues grub.'”
It should have started a fire. And within Leniu – it surely did.
But any embers that the headline created were quickly snuffed.
Leniu along with Latrell Mitchell was ordered to stay silent by the Blues.
The result? A build-up that felt quieter than mid-table Sunday arvo game in round three.
Origin thrives on rivalry and trash talk. The pressure builds and builds – and is let out on the field in a game of intense passion.
Even the late spy-gate story around leaked footage of a closed training session was dismissed by the Blues to be dealt with in a post-game review…. How very, shall we say, corporate?
‘Not up to standard’ say the experts
When you’ve got die hard Blues like the immortal Andrew Johns calling it out after a victory at Suncorp, you must admit, there’s something amiss.
“It didn’t feel like a genuine Origin game,” Johns said post-match on Channel Nine. “For me, it was like a good club game.”
He wasn’t the only one scratching his head.
Queensland Maroons legend Cameron Smith added to the sentiment that it just didn’t feel like Origin.
There wasn’t the usual fire or physicality.
No real momentum swings. Just a lot of errors, stop-start sets, and on top of that Queensland’s big guns – Munster, Ponga, Grant, Hammer – never really showed up to the party.
Fans left disappointed
The hordes of fans watching from home weren’t impressed either.
While the TV ratings were strong, the game itself didn’t win anyone over.
Across social media, league fans were calling it out in real time.
“Was that the worst quality Origin ever?” said one punter.
“So many errors. QLD were their own worst enemy,” said another.
Queensland’s disallowed try late in the game to keep the Maroons alive summed it up perfectly – even if it had counted, no one was jumping out of their seats…
The game was already dead.
Queensland labelled as soft
As highlighted above, there was really one big story line heading into Game I had promise – Spencer Leniu vs Queensland.
He was public enemy No. 1. He seemingly lapped up the Queensland boo’s as he entered the cauldron in the 30th minute.
This is it. Here we go… Fan’s on both sides of the boarder were eagerly awaiting his first touch of the ball.
And then… nothing.
The Maroons actively decided to kick the ball away from him.
“You’re sh** scared,” Willie Mason said on the Levels Podcast. “That’s a win for us. You don’t even have the balls to kick it to me.”
Queensland had their chance to live up to the tough talk. Instead, they bailed.
They literally avoided him. Even Shaun Johnson saw the writing on the wall:
“They had the chance to go after the alpha in their own backyard… but they kicked away.”
It was the softest moment of the night – and probably the most telling.
Not only did they flinch, but they gave Leniu and the Blues the mental edge.
The Blues enforcer sprayed back at the Maroons fans who were peppering him with colourful compliments, no doubt – while peacocking up and down the touch line.
He knew he had won that battle. Queensland went soft.
Blues afraid to speak up
One of the most bizarre parts of the week was how little anyone engaged with the press.
Latrell and Leniu both dodged the media in the lead-up, with NSW coach Michael Maguire happy to let them do their thing. But it rubbed some the wrong way.
Legendary rugby league commentator Andrew Voss didn’t hold back on the matter: “When you get to Origin level you don’t have the right to say ‘I’m not doing media.’ It’s part of your job.”
And who can argue. Origin is theater, and players dodging the media doesn’t just rob journalists of headlines – it robs fans of the spectacle.
It’s hard to build a buzz when the biggest names in the sport all decide to take a vow of silence.
Even in full support of protecting players’ mental health – let them draw their own line.
It’s clear Leniu had a lot more to say, at least… Just read his lips after Queensland didn’t kick to him.
Was this the worst Origin game ever?
No doubt there have been bad games before. We’ve seen blowouts – much worse than this – but in those moments we have felt the pain. The embarrassment. The resentment.
You just know your mates who support the other state are going to give it to you at work the next day.
But the worst crime in Origin: is being forgettable.
No one is trying to take away the Blues victory here. It was thoroughly deserved. But if the energy for Game II doesn’t bounce back in a big way, 2025 might go down as the year Origin lost its edge.
The year slick professionalism and corporate polish smothered the raw personality and tribalism that made Origin the greatest spectacle in Australian sport.