The 2015 State of Origin series was the 34th time the annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams to be played entirely under 'state of origin' rules (1980 and 1981 were only one game series). It was the third series to be administered by the Australian Rugby League Commission which was created in a major restructure of the sport's administration in Australia.
| 2015 State of Origin series | |
|---|---|
| Won by |  Queensland (19th title) |
| Series margin | 2-1 |
| Attendance | 224,135 (ave. 74,712 per match) |
| Player of the series | Corey Parker |
| Top points scorer(s) | Johnathan Thurston – 26 |
| Top try scorer(s) |  Josh Morris Michael Jennings Greg Inglis Will Chambers Matt Gillett(All 2 Tries Each) |
This series had one game played in each of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with Game I played at the 83,500 capacity ANZ Stadium, Game II played at the 100,024 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, and Game III played at the 52,500 capacity Suncorp Stadium.[1]
Former Canberra, Queensland and Australian captain Mal Meninga was coach of the Queensland side, whose eight-year State of Origin series winning streak was ended by New South Wales in 2014. The Blues were coached by former Canberra, NSW and Australia captain Laurie Daley for a third consecutive year.
Game I
editWednesday, 27 May 2015
8:05 pm |
| New South Wales | 10 – 11 | Queensland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Morris (21') 1 Scott (27') 1 Goals: Hodkinson (28') 1/2 |
Report |
Tries: 1 (14') Cronk 1 (55') Chambers Goals: 1/3 (15') Thurston Field goals: 1 (74') Cronk |
National Anthem: Josh Piterman
Game II
editWednesday, 17 June 2015
8:16 pm |
| Queensland | 18 – 26 | New South Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Scott (11') 1 Inglis (33') 1 Gillett (48') 1 Goals: Thurston 3/4 (12', 48', 57' pen) |
report |
Tries: 1 (4') Jennings 1 (27') J Morris 1 (62') Woods 1 (71') Dugan Goals: 5/5 Hodkinson (6', 28', 39' pen, 64', 72') |
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Attendance: 91,513 Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins Player of the Match: Michael Jennings |
National Anthem: Claire Lyon
Game III
editWednesday, 8 July 2015
8:00pm |
| Queensland | 52 – 6 | New South Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Gagai (15') 1 Papalii (27') 1 Inglis (35') 1 Gillett (42') 1 Morgan (50') 1 Boyd (57') 1 Chambers (68') 1 Guerra (78') 1 Goals: Thurston 9/9 (9' pen, 16', 29', 33' pen, 37', 42', 52', 58, 69') Hodges (80') 1/1 |
Report |
Tries: 1 (61') Jennings Goals: 1/2 (6' pen) Hodkinson |
Suncorp Stadium
Attendance: 52,500 Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins Player of the Match: Johnathan Thurston |
National Anthem: Australian Girls Choir and Danielle de Niese
Corey Parker was awarded the Wally Lewis medal for player of the series.
Teams
editThe 18th, 19th & 20th man are reserves to cover for any forthcoming injuries to the selected squad and, unless chosen, do not actually play.
New South Wales Blues
edit| Position | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fullback | Josh Dugan | ||
| Wing | Will Hopoate | ||
| Centre | Josh Morris | ||
| Centre | Michael Jennings | ||
| Wing | Daniel Tupou | Brett Morris | |
| Five-eighth | Mitchell Pearce | ||
| Halfback | Trent Hodkinson | ||
| Prop | Aaron Woods | ||
| Hooker | Robbie Farah (c) | Robbie Farah | Michael Ennis2 |
| Prop | James Tamou | ||
| Second row | Beau Scott | ||
| Second row | Ryan Hoffman | ||
| Lock | Josh Jackson | Paul Gallen (c)1 | |
| Interchange | Trent Merrin | ||
| Interchange | Boyd Cordner | ||
| Interchange | David Klemmer | ||
| Interchange | Andrew Fifita | Josh Jackson | |
| Coach | Laurie Daley | ||
| 18th Man | Tyson Frizell | Tariq Sims | |
| 19th Man | Ryan James | Dylan Walker | Alex Johnston |
| 20th Man | Matt Moylan | ||
1 - Gallen retained the captaincy role from Farah in Game II.
2 - Robbie Farah was originally chosen to play in Game lll but withdrew due to a hand injury, he was replaced by Michael Ennis on game day.
Queensland Maroons
edit| Position | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fullback | Billy Slater | Greg Inglis | |
| Wing | Darius Boyd | ||
| Centre | Greg Inglis | Will Chambers | |
| Centre | Justin Hodges | ||
| Wing | Will Chambers | Dane Gagai | |
| Five-eighth | Johnathan Thurston | ||
| Halfback | Cooper Cronk | Daly Cherry-Evans | Cooper Cronk |
| Prop | Matt Scott | ||
| Hooker | Cameron Smith (c) | ||
| Prop | Nate Myles | ||
| Second row | Aidan Guerra | ||
| Second row | Sam Thaiday | ||
| Lock | Corey Parker | ||
| Interchange | Michael Morgan1 | ||
| Interchange | Josh McGuire | Josh Papalii | |
| Interchange | Matt Gillett | ||
| Interchange | Jacob Lillyman | ||
| Coach | Mal Meninga | ||
| 18th Man | Dylan Napa | Josh Papalii | Edrick Lee |
| 19th Man | Dane Gagai | ||
| 20th Man | Korbin Sims | ||
1 - Daly Cherry-Evans was originally selected to play in game one but withdrew due to injury. He was replaced by Michael Morgan, then Morgan retained his spot on the bench in Game II and III.
Residents
editUnder-20s
editWomen's Interstate Challenge
editRecords
editGame II achieved the highest ever attendance for a State of Origin Game, with a crowd of 91,513 people in attendance.
Game III saw numerous records broken:[2]
- Game III achieved the highest ever attendance for a match at Suncorp Stadium, with a crowd of 52,500 people in attendance.[3]
- Queensland captain Cameron Smith made his 36th Queensland appearance, drawing level with Darren Lockyer for most appearances for Queensland.[4]
- Johnathan Thurston scored 18 points, equalling Lote Tuqiri's for most points in a single match by a Queenslander.[5] In addition, Thurston kicked 9 goals from 9 attempts, an Origin record.
- With a 52-6 victory, Queensland equaled their record for highest State of Origin score, and broke the record for largest winning margin in State of Origin history, with a 46-point winning margin.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Origin venues locked-in for 5 years". Abc.net.au. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "Queensland break State of Origin records with 52-6 win". The Roar. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ Badel, Peter. "State of Origin: Maroons maul NSW to clinch decider". The Courier Mail. News Corporation. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ Tomarchio, Cameron. "The big State of Origin talking points". Herald Sun. News Corporation. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ Webeck, Tony (8 July 2015). "State of Origin III: Five key points". nrl.com. National Rugby League. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "State of Origin decider: Queensland vs NSW at Suncorp Stadium". News.com. News Corporation.