T he first fixture of 2024’s State of Origin series last night effectively ended after less than eight minutes of play. Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i, the 20-year-old NRL prodigy turned prodigal son, flew out of the line and hit star Maroons fullback Reece Walsh flush in the head with his shoulder. As Walsh lay on the ground, referee Ashley Klein pointed up the tunnel, Blues captain Jake Trbojevic gawped like a bumpkin at the county fair, and months of the annual regulation hype otherwise known as “Origin fever” fell in a heap.
Besides his likely suspension for up to four weeks, Sua’ali’i’s punishment for ruining everyone’s fun is only just beginning. The sports pages of today’s Sydney and Brisbane papers are making hay out of his apology on Instagram , the reactions from fans on social media, and the implications of his sending off for the rest of the series and the wider game. Blues unravel as Joseph Sua’ali’i hit goes down in Origin’s hall of infamy Read more “Sua’ali’i’s reckless tackle on Walsh was rugby league at its worst,” wrote Courier Mail columnist Robert Craddock .
“The mood in NSW before the match had a feverish ‘get Walsh’ [quality] about it with Benny Elias and Mark Carroll labelling Walsh a lair and a series of stories published in the build-up about the Blues plan ‘to terrorise’ the flashy fullback.” Characteristically, the News Corp papers have been quiet on any role they might have played in stoking “Origin fever�.