State of Origin: Harry Grant Is The Key For Queensland

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The Queensland Maroons are underdogs at Suncorp Stadium for Game 1 of the 2025 State of Origin series. It’s just how they like it…

While Billy Slater’s “we’re Queenslanders” gear is bordering on meme levels should they not be relatively successful this year, they’ll look to use that backs-against-the-wall mentality for the series opener.

As is often the case, the New South Wales Blues have the better-looking team on paper. They have the bigger base to select from, which has helped as much as it has hindered them over the years, and are once again stacked for this one.

I’ve already covered how Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses can share the load in the halves.

So, what is the key to causing an upset for the Maroons?

Slater isn’t short of game-winners. Kalyn Ponga, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Daly Cherry-Evans are among the best players in the world for their position. Give them a chance late, and you’re backing Queensland in.

The challenge, however, is being in a position to win it late.

Despite the question marks around some of the selections in the Blues pack, they look the better of the two teams heading into Game 1. Mitch Barnett and Payne Haas can set the tone early and provide Isaah Yeo, Cleary and Moses with the platform to attack from. They only need a handful of opportunities to put Latrell Mitchell, Stephen Crichton, Brian To’o and Zac Lomax into try-scoring positions.

With that in mind, field position is crucial. Regular go-forward and kicking from good positions will determine Queensland’s success.

Harry Grant will determine Queensland’s success.

He’s best known for his running game and ability to create behind a quick play-the-ball. Grant is able to jump out from behind the ruck and make good decisions at speed to get up the field himself or tip a teammate into a spot. However, his deception and footy IQ in yardage will be the difference on Wednesday night.

It’s not glamourous and doesn’t generate SuperCoach points, but the ability to play forwards onto the ball and roll forward is what separates the good attacking hookers from the great.

It’s identifying the numbers, a late retreater or a tired defender. It doesn’t always have to translate into a linebreak, but a try in the corner so often starts with a hooker making the right pass two or thee tackles earlier.

Origin football isn’t always pretty. We love the aggression and arm wrestle on a Wednesday night, but it’s not the sort of rugby league that would be celebrated for 27 weekends of an NRL season. It’s slow, the ruck is barely officiated, and points are hard to come by.

Generating momentum through a set is difficult, and it takes the best #9’s in the game to do it. If Grant can roll Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Moeaki Fotuaika and Patrick Carrigan onto the ball and into the spots on the field Queensland are targeting, they can find points late in the match.

Opportunities are few and far between in State of Origin footy, and it will be up to Grant to ensure the Maroons take theirs on the night when they enter good ball.

Going back to Round 1, this is still one of my favourite plays all year and a classic for any young hooker to study.

By the numbers, it appears as a four-v-four shortside on the last tackle. However, the simplest of plays out of dummy half changes the look of the defensive line and presents Ryan Papenhuyzen with the cue to score.

By jumping out and engaging the marker, Grant changes the movement of the line. All of a sudden, they don’t have the coverage inside, and that winger deep out wide becomes a problem.

Kelma Tuilagi knows it, and rather than moving up and across as the ball moves through the hands, he doesn’t get off the line square. With the cue in front of him and the marker tied up inside, Papenhuyzen bounces off his left foot and eventually gets the ball over the line.

It’s nothing without Grant identifying the opportunity and executing on the simple play around the ruck, though.

Queensland’s weapons are on the edges. In a slow game lacking momentum, providing those weapons with clean ball will be difficult. It all starts in the middle with the work Grant can do to tie up markers and engage A and B defenders.

While Slater leans heavily into the idea of Queenlanders being Queensland enough to Queensland their way to a win for Queensland on Wednesday to the media, I’m sure he’s working alongside Cameron Smith in the back room and scheming up a plan for Grant to be most effective. If it comes off, we might be in for an upset and a better State of Origin series than most are anticipating.