2025 State of Origin Game 1 Queensland vs New South Wales - Who will be Man of the Match in the Origin 1?

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Wed. 28 May 2025 07:25

Jeremy Darke 28 May 2025

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Who will be named Man of the Match in Game 1?
State of Origin 2025 Game One kicks off on Wednesday, May 28th
Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Zac Lomax are key contenders for this year's MOTM honors.

Man of the Match picks for the opener.

2025 State of Origin Queensland vs New South Wales Man of the Match Predictions

The 2025 State of Origin series is here and the Man of the Match market is always a hot one during the series. Last year it was back line dominance for the honours with two halfbacks and a fullback taking out the award, but that is not always the case.

Sometimes it is grit and grind from the engine room that gets rewarded as it was in the opening two games of the 2023 series for Queensland with Rueben Cotter and Lindsay Collins taking out the MOM award.

Will it be flare or will it be muscle that gets rewarded in Game One of the 2025 series?

Bets.com.au has put together their picks for the MOTM Award for Game 1 of the 2025 Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland.

Since 2017, 8 forwards, 8 halves, 6 fullbacks and 2 centres have won the MOTM honours.
Daly Cherry-Evans, Mitch Moses & Dylan Edwards won Man of the Match in the 2024 series
Only once in the NRL era has a player from the losing team received MOTM - Josh Jackson in 2017

Check out our Game 1 Match Predictions and First Try Scorer Picks by following their links.

Queensland - Tino Fa’asuamaleaui

Tino Fa'asuamaleauiMan of the Match$34.00

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Big Tino is a bit of a bolter for the award but teaming up with his Titans prop Mo Fotuaika in the front row is going to unlock the Gold Coast captain.

Tino plays lock for the Titans but doesn’t have to worry about being a ball player and can simply focus on what he does best, going forward and being a tackling machine.

The 25-year-old missed the series last year and the hole that he left in the Queensland pack was never filled. His matchup on the other side in Payne Haas is going to be one of the highlights of the whole series and the two bulls will go head to head with the winner of this eternal battle playing a big role in who will win this match.

New South Wales - Zac Lomax

Zac LomaxMan of the Match$34.00

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After just one game back from a fractured foot, Zac Lomax fitness will be put to the test in the Origin arena and the Eels winger will be up to the challenge.

Lomax had an outstanding Origin debut in 2024 and was unlucky not to walk away with the Man of the Match honour in Game 2 after a two-try performance, with halfback Mitch Moses edging him out.

The former Dragon was spectacular in his return for the Eels last week against the Knights, scoring two tries and tacking 27 runs in the match with a linebreak and a linebreak assist.

Lomax will be on the end of plenty of backline plays and if the ball is not coming to him you can expect him to go in and get it.

Verdict

State of Origin Game 1: QLD v NSW

A big workhorse performance from Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is needed for QLD to get victory otherwise the likely superstar for the Blues is Zac Lomax.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui

Man of the Match

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Zac Lomax

Man of the Match

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