STATE of Origin stars rose and fell in Game 1 at ANZ Stadium.

Unfortunately for NSW, too many key players fell hard.

Here are our player ratings for Game 1.

NSW

1. MATT MOYLAN: Showed he can handle football at Origin level, but has not done enough to be certain of keeping James Tedesco away from his No. 1 jumper. Unfortunately, this Panther had about the same number of sightings as the mysterious Lithgow Panther. Ranking 6/10.

2. BLAKE FERGUSON: Simple communication issues with Moylan under the high ball really hurt NSW at times. Put his hand up to do plenty of work, but struggled to make an impact. Rating 5.5/10.

3. MICHAEL JENNINGS: Made meaningful runs, but was wrapped up by Justin O’Neill one-on-one just a couple metres from the try-line in the first half. Rating 6/10.

4. JOSH MORRIS: Shut down Greg Inglis and played bodyguard for James Maloney at times, but also made a number of mistakes. Rating 7/10.

5. JOSH MANSOUR: Came into the game late and would have put NSW ahead if not for the fast hands of Dane Gagai. Rating 6.5/10.

6. JAMES MALONEY: Looked to be playing Aussie Rules with the number of times he hit Darius Boyd on the chest, but a sub-standard kicking game was his only blemish. Defended well and set-up the Blues’ only try. Rating 8/10.

7. ADAM REYNOLDS: The scared look on his face was the same expression seen on the security guards that had to tackle Origin streaker Wati Holmwood. Didn’t want the ball in his hands and looked uncomfortable when unable to pass immediately. The losing halfback is always an easy target, but on this occasion it’s justified.Rating 4/10.

8. AARON WOODS: Fought the Maroons pack to a stalemate. Would have been lost in the fray if not for that striking mop and headband combo. Rating 6/10.

9. ROBBIE FARAH: Had a golden boot at times and was a huge asset to the Blues’ attack. Guilty by association of failing to straighten-up the Blues’ attack when his halves kept trying to run around the outside. Rating 7/10.

10. PAUL GALLEN: Led the NSW side from the front, but never threatened to strike a blow against the Maroons. Must have been tempted to put one on Nate Myles’ button. Rating 7/10.

11. BOYD CORDNER: Extremely impressive performance. Ran smart lines and hit the holes hard. Made Maroons playmaker Cooper Cronk work hard in defence all night. Rating 8/10.

12. JOSH JACKSON: Solid in defence, but will be one of the men under the pump to keep his spot in Game 2. Rating 6/10.

13. GREG BIRD: NSW appeared to grow a leg when Bird stepped onto the field. Didn’t seem to know what to do with himself in a game seriously lacking in hatred and biff. This was not an Origin for his unique skill set. Rating 7/10.

14. DYLAN WALKER: Oh dear. State of Origin has another Jamie Buhrer. Remember that guy? Laurie Daley didn’t seem to know what to do with his bench utility. Walker’s selection will give him nightmares the likes of which he hasn’t seen since the great Origin chair-theft debacle. Eleven tackles. Nine metres gained and nine minutes for his Origin career. Rating 0/10.

15. JAMES TAMOU: One decision Daley got perfectly correct was the selection of Tamou in the starting side. Aussie Jim got NSW on the front foot at times and was one of the few Blues forwards prepared to take hit-ups early in the tackle count. Rating 7.5/10.

16. DAVID KLEMMER: Made an immediate impact. His mere presence on the sideline was enough to rattle the Maroons and have medical officials pre-emptively punching in 0-0-0 for emergency services. His hit on Michael Morgan was the most brutal act of Game 1. Rating 8/10.

17. ANDREW FIFITA: Gave NSW another dimension in attack with a series of offloads. Unfortunately, he was one of the Blues’ most reliable attacking threats. Strong claim for more game time in Game 2. Rating 7/10.

Total: 106.5

QUEENSLAND

1. DARIUS BOYD: Unlucky not to be named man-of-the match. All signs suggest the Blues would have preferred to have Greg Inglis running the ball back at them. You may never see that again. Rating 8.5/10.

2. COREY OATES: Hasn’t had so many problems with falling balls since his teenage years. Made up for his handling errors with some strong runs. Rating 6/10.

3. GREG INGLIS: Out-pointed by Josh Morris. No Goanna celebration. No nothing really. Rating 5/10.

4. JUSTIN O’NEILL: Recovered from a error-riddled first half to be one of the most crucial players on the field for NSW. Made important tackles when they really mattered. Rating 7/10.

5. DANE GAGAI: Was targeted in the first half when NSW could sniff the Knights star wasn’t 100 per cent fit. His incredible decision to make a play at Matt Moylan’s pass to Josh Mansour seems certain to go down as the game-saving play that won’t get the credit it deserves. Rating 7.5.

6. JOHNATHAN THURSTON: Mesmerising. Once again controlled the game with his boot and was the architect behind the set play that saw Dane Gagai score in the first half. He’s only getting better. Rating 8.5/10.

7. COOPER CRONK: Mike Munro’s Missing Person’s Unit was out looking for Cronk in the first half before he popped up just in time to gift Boyd Cordner a try with some bizarre back-tracking defence. Showed class in the second half to close out the game. Rating 6/10.

8. MATT SCOTT: Will be content at having wrestled the bigger Blues’ forward pack to a standstill. Was among Queensland’s best despite looking exhausted from about the fifth minute. Those burning lungs and tired legs spent more time in the Blues line than Dylan Walker. Rating 6.5/10.

9. CAMERON SMITH: Simply knows how to win football games. Another professional performance. Didn’t offer much in attack after having to make a game-high 49 tackles, according to Fox Sports Stats. Rating 7.5/10.

10. NATE MYLES: Didn’t make a mistake. He was calm, composed and controlled everything NSW threw at him. Probably a sign of the Blues’ failure to spend the time needed to soften up the Queensland middle third. Rating 6/10.

11. MATT GILLETT: A safe man-of-the match in a contest that can only be described as safe. The Blues tested him, but never appeared to be anywhere near cutting a hole through Gillett’s edge. Rating 7.5/10.

12. SAM THAIDAY: Strong on the field, but his greatest contribution was on the microphone after the match when he dusted off some old material to compare Game 1 to the mess of “losing your virginity”. Rating 7/10.

13. COREY PARKER: Still the greatest workhorse in rugby league and ran for more metres-gained than any other forward. That iconic grey patch on top of his melon suited the slower pace of the contest. Rating 8/10.

14. MICHAEL MORGAN: Was thrown to the wolves coming on in the first half and must have cursed his luck when he saw a heaving hotplate of hazard in the form of David Klemmer running at him. He won’t want to remember that tackle for some time. Fortunately, the concussion test results suggest he won’t have to. Rating 3/10.

15. JOSH MCGUIRE: Didn’t have anywhere near the same impact as the NSW bench forwards. Although, you can only assume the Broncos’ chief rat was in someway responsible for the Maroons camp sniffing out the Blues’ game plan on a whiteboard at ANZ Stadium leading into the series opener, so you can’t say he didn’t have an impact. Rating 6/10.

16. AIDAN GUERRA: Warmed the pine for most of the night. Was strong in the 30 minutes he played. Rating 7/10.

17. JOSH PAPALII: Made some tough runs and put on some tough hits. Did enough to put NSW on the backfoot, but didn’t have the same could-eat-your-face-off-at-any-moment factor as David Klemmer. Rating 7.5.

Total: 114.5