Game I
| 22 May | New South Wales | 32–4 | Queensland | Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 55,421 Referee/s: Bill Harrigan Man of the Match: Andrew Johns |
| Andrew Johns (9 - 1t, 4g) Brett Hodgson (6 - 1t,1g) Matthew Gidley (4 -1t) Jamie Lyon (4 - 1t) Timana Tahu (4 - 1t) Trent Barrett (1 -1fg) |
(Report) | (4 - 1t) Lote Tuqiri |
A young and enthusiastic New South Wales side proved far too good for their older opponents when they ran away with a 32-4 win in game I. The result suggessted a bright future for the Blues who unearthed a number of new stars in fullback Brett Hodgson, centre Jamie Lyon and forwards Luke Bailey, Steve Simpson and Australian Test hooker Danny Buderus. Lyon showed his worth early with a remarkable try in the 24th minute off an Andrew Johns grubber kick on halfway.
Johns was named man of the match but it was Hodgson who stood tall after many had questioned the ability of the diminutive fullback to withstand the physical demands of Origin. The Parramatta Eels fullback ran for a record 390 metres - more than twice that of any other player on the field - and capped his night with an 80 metre run from the scrumbase to score under the posts.
Read more about this topic: 2002 State Of Origin Series
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