State of Origin 2021: New South Wales Blues thrash Queensland Maroons 50-6 in series opener

Penrith winger Brian To'o (second right) scored his two tries in his first Origin appearance for the Blues

Tom Trbojevic scored a hat-trick as New South Wales delivered a superb display to thrash Queensland in game one of 2021 State of Origin.

Debutant Brian To'o and Latrell Mitchell both scored twice while Daniel Saifiti crossed to give the Blues victory in the Queensland heat.

Queensland replied through Kurt Capewell, but were unable to master the Blues' relentless pack of forwards.

Game two is in Brisbane on 27 June and the decider in Sydney on 14 July.

Having moved the game from Melbourne because of Covid-19 bubble-related factors to Townsville for the first time, Queensland had extra an home game but were unable to take advantage.

Blues coach Brad Fittler went back to his old club - the National Rugby League leaders Penrith - for a large chunk of his Blues squad and their fingerprints were all over this impressively-dominant display.

Cleary, who was bloodied after a first-half incident, kicked beautifully while his combination with Jarome Luai opened up the Maroons throughout.

To'o took his tries well, particularly when he was put in by a superb pass out of the tackle by Tariq Sims, as part of a three-quarter line, comprising two regular full-backs in Manly's Trbojevic and South Sydney's Mitchell, that caused havoc.

The former made his fellow centre's first try with a sublime left-foot kick in behind, while Trbojevic took a superb James Tedesco flick-pass to pick up his treble.

Newcastle prop Saifiti steamed through to score as the Blues forwards, featuring Panthers Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin, bossed the middle with talismanic Maroons prop Christian Welch ruled out early on by a failed head injury assessment.

Paul Green's Queensland, barring a fightback just before the break, barely threatened and were punished for silly mistakes such as when Kyle Feldt obstructed Josh Addo-Carr, and the Blues scored on the back of it.

Another Penrith player, Capewell, got their only try, as the creative talent of Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans and Harry Grant were largely quelled.

They wilted in the steamy Townsville temperatures and now must win at Suncorp in Brisbane - again on home turf - to avoid being deposed as Origin champions in 2021.

Queensland: Holmes; Coates, Capewell, Gagai, Feldt; Munster, Cherry-Evans; Welch, Grant, Fa'asuamaleaui, Kaufusi, Fifita, Arrow

Interchanges: Brimson, Su'A, Fotuaika, Ofahengaue

New South Wales: Tedesco; To'o, Mitchell, T. Trbojevic, Addo-Carr; Saifiti, Cook, J. Trbojevic, Murray, Sims, Yeo

Interchanges: Wighton, Paulo, Haas, Martin