It was a case of so close yet so far for Andrew Fifita and the NSW Origin team, with Queensland escaping with an 11-10 victory in game one of the series.
NSW led after the first 40 minutes however a number of errors saw the Queenslanders camp in their attacking zone before levelling the scores courtesy of a Will Chambers try out wide.
While Johnathan Thurston couldn’t kick his team to the front with the conversion attempt, his halves partner came to the rescue just six minutes from full-time with the field goal that would ultimately propel his team to a one-point victory.
As for Shark Fifita, he paced the bench in the first half waiting for his opportunity, before being injected into the game at the 30 minute mark.
In all Fifita would play 27 minutes in two separate stints, racking up 103 metres on 12 hit ups while making 25 tackles in a busy display.
It was a performance which will likely warrant and game two recall, with Sharks teammate and NSW skipper Paul Gallen racing the clock to be fit for the Cronulla v Roosters game in round 13, then State of Origin 2 in Melbourne on June 17.
NRL films have provided the highlights of the first state of Origin match from ANZ Stadium last night, which are now playing on Sharks TV.
Also available are both press conferences, with the NSW captain-coach pairing of Laurie Daley and Robbie Farah and Queenslanders Mal Meninga and Cameron Smith.
NSW press conference – CLICK HERE
Queensland press conference – CLICK HERE
