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State of Origin Game 1 Man of the Match Tips - Value bets to be best on ground in Origin 1

Ryan Tucker

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Last updated: 30 May 2023

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Ryan Tucker 30 May 2023

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State of Origin 2021 kicks off on Wednesday, May 31
Who will be named Man of the Match in Game 1?
Our best on ground selections are below

Expired

Payne Haas is among our best on ground tips (Getty Images)

Who is going to stand out and take State of Origin 1 by the horns is a hard call and there is plenty to consider when predicting who will be the most influential player of the opener?

Three players stand out as best bets for Man of the Match in State of Origin Game 1.

Key Stats

Since 2017, 6 forwards, 5 fullbacks, 5 halves and 2 centres have won the MOTM honours.
Over the last 6 years, the Game 1 - Man of the Match has been evenly split between the two teams. Three Queenslanders and three New South Welshmen have each taken the honours.
Of the current players James Tedesco has won MOTM 4 times, while Nathan Cleary (2) and Cameron Munster (2) are the only other players selected that have won the award multiple times
Only once in the NRL era has a player from the losing team received MOTM - Josh Jackson in 2017

Payne Haas

Payne Haas has been an absolute workhorse in 2023, getting through an immaculate amount of hitups when the Broncos have the ball in hand.

The New South Welshman leads all forwards in the NRL in average Runs (17) and Run Metres (165) and tops the league in Post Contact Metres (71).

Generally Game 1 is a battle in the trenches and we expect a big performance out of Haas.

His consistent workload and power to back it up will cause problems for QLD and will play a large role in NSW winning the all important battle of territory, allowing his clinical outside backs to do what they do best once he piggybacks them down the field.

Patrick Carrigan

If anyone knows how to slow down Payne Haas, it is his Broncos counterpart Patrick Carrigan. The Brisbane lock has been phenomenal in defence, leading his team with an average of 31 tackles a game and a tackle efficiency of 95.5%.

What Carrigan does in defence he matches in attack, ranking second amongst his Broncos forward pack in average Runs and Run Metres, behind only Haas.

Carrigan, bears the responsibility of being the young leader of the big men and has shined in the role. His confidence and leadership has been a game breaker for Brisbane in 2023 and he will need to do the same for QLD in game 1 if they are a shot of getting the upper-hand on the Blues.

Latrell Mitchell

If Latrell Mitchell is in the mood it is tough to see QLD stopping him and the Blues will take a comfortable victory in game 1.

After a quiet start to the year the Taree junior has exploded since round 6, scoring 9 tries in just 7 games including 3 multi-try games. He has been the catalyst in the rise of South Sydney to second on the NRL ladder.

Mitchell has the ability to turn game 1 on its head in a matter of a few short moments, either giving the Blues the edge they need in a tight contest or by simply blowing the Maroons apart. If he is on, there is nothing or nobody that can do anything about it.

Verdict

Queensland v New South Wales

Being game 1 of the series we are leaning towards a big performance from one of the men fighting it out in the middle, that’s why we like Payne Haas or Patrick Carrigan, who have been standouts in the NRL so far for Brisbane.

Latrell Mitchell has been in unstoppable form for Souths this season and if he is in the right mood on Wednesday he can break this game wide open.

Latrell Mitchell

Man of the Match

$13.00 - 1 Unit

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Payne Haas

Man of the Match

$17.00 - 1 Unit

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Patrick Carrigan

Man of the Match

$21.00 - 1 Unit

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Great odds on Australian racing

Our bet365.com.au referral code is BESTBETS. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers but can be used during registration. 18+ only. T&Cs apply. Imagine what you could be buying instead.Call Gambler's Help; National Gambling Helpline: 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au 18+

Bet at bet365 Australia