Were you paying attention to last night's State of Origin match? Test your memory here
The first match in this year's State of Origin series has wrapped up and the coaches are reviewing the footage.
But let's see how closely you were paying attention — how many players were sin-binned? And how many tries were converted?
If you hit the hay before the game was over last night, or were scrolling social media during the game, we listen and we don't judge — here's a link to last night's live blog if you want a hand with some of the questions.
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The Age
23 minutes ago
- The Age
A season of promise derailed: Four things learnt in Reds' final defeat
The outside centre was about to play his first game in three months after suffering a ruptured hamstring, and since his comeback, the 23-year-old has hardly put a foot wrong. It began with his try-scoring return against the Fijian Drua last week before his exploits on Friday night threatened to get the Reds on thee front foot early. His well-weighted kick in behind the Crusaders while on the run to give his side a golden chance to build some pressure, and he followed it up with a linebreak and brilliant long ball to Lachie Anderson to present another opportunity. Flook was lauded by Wilson as 'our best player on the field tonight' – topping the Reds run metre count with 44 from six carries while beating three defenders, to keep him in the Test hunt to take on the Lions. Did injuries cruel Queensland's cause? This was a Queensland team clearly on its last legs, with their overflowing casualty ward forcing them to use 36 players this year. The Crusaders were clear victors in the territory battle. Rarely did they look flustered at the breakdown, and they were frequently able to exploit gaps behind the ruck. That much was evident as they scored through halfback Noah Hotham in the second half, darting and kicking behind after a pair of strong carries from his forward pack – winning the race to the punt ahead. By contrast, the Reds got too few opportunities to unleash their clinical backline, and appeared unable to string together a consistent run of phases to build momentum and field position to target their strengths. Loading On the sidelines Matt Faessler, Liam Wright, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Alex Hodgman and Massimo De Lutiis with injuries, but perhaps the biggest loss given how the contest played out was Seru Uru. Uru's unpredictability, late offloads and damaging ball carries would have injected some hesitancy in the Crusaders defence, with the Reds not showing some x-factor until it was too late – Harry Wilson's remarkable chip dived on by Frasere McReight to add some respectability to the score. Uru, who just missed out on recovering from a knee injury in time to take the field, has become one of the most innovative forwards in Australian rugby, with Reds and Wallabies lock Josh Canham alluding as much about his teammate's unique skillset. Where to now for the Reds? There is clearly a feeling within this Reds squad they are building towards something special, and Kiss' last season at the helm could be the time to prove it. Second-string halfback Kalani Thomas suggested as much upon his re-signing until the end of 2027 this week, when he hinted at having other options overseas to consider – where he may have had a better chance at starting rather than being stuck behind Tate McDermott. Thomas – who replaced McDermott with 20 minutes remaining – is not alone in extending his tenure at Ballymore, with fellow fringe star Richie Asiata, who became the club's leading hooker in the injury absences of Matt Faessler and Nasser, also signing for 2026 this week. Wallabies superstars Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Filipo Daugunu, Seru Uru, Zane Nonggorr, Flook and Faessler were all joined by Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen and Joe Brial in securing their stay in Queensland. The reality, however, is that the Reds have finished in the same spot as they did last year – fifth, and a limp exit playing in New Zealand. But with other prospects such as Dre Pakeho, Nick Boomfield, Brial and De Lutiis making their mark, Kiss believed next year's outlook was a promising one to break this streak of early finals exits.
Sydney Morning Herald
23 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
A season of promise derailed: Four things learnt in Reds' final defeat
The outside centre was about to play his first game in three months after suffering a ruptured hamstring, and since his comeback, the 23-year-old has hardly put a foot wrong. It began with his try-scoring return against the Fijian Drua last week before his exploits on Friday night threatened to get the Reds on thee front foot early. His well-weighted kick in behind the Crusaders while on the run to give his side a golden chance to build some pressure, and he followed it up with a linebreak and brilliant long ball to Lachie Anderson to present another opportunity. Flook was lauded by Wilson as 'our best player on the field tonight' – topping the Reds run metre count with 44 from six carries while beating three defenders, to keep him in the Test hunt to take on the Lions. Did injuries cruel Queensland's cause? This was a Queensland team clearly on its last legs, with their overflowing casualty ward forcing them to use 36 players this year. The Crusaders were clear victors in the territory battle. Rarely did they look flustered at the breakdown, and they were frequently able to exploit gaps behind the ruck. That much was evident as they scored through halfback Noah Hotham in the second half, darting and kicking behind after a pair of strong carries from his forward pack – winning the race to the punt ahead. By contrast, the Reds got too few opportunities to unleash their clinical backline, and appeared unable to string together a consistent run of phases to build momentum and field position to target their strengths. Loading On the sidelines Matt Faessler, Liam Wright, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Alex Hodgman and Massimo De Lutiis with injuries, but perhaps the biggest loss given how the contest played out was Seru Uru. Uru's unpredictability, late offloads and damaging ball carries would have injected some hesitancy in the Crusaders defence, with the Reds not showing some x-factor until it was too late – Harry Wilson's remarkable chip dived on by Frasere McReight to add some respectability to the score. Uru, who just missed out on recovering from a knee injury in time to take the field, has become one of the most innovative forwards in Australian rugby, with Reds and Wallabies lock Josh Canham alluding as much about his teammate's unique skillset. Where to now for the Reds? There is clearly a feeling within this Reds squad they are building towards something special, and Kiss' last season at the helm could be the time to prove it. Second-string halfback Kalani Thomas suggested as much upon his re-signing until the end of 2027 this week, when he hinted at having other options overseas to consider – where he may have had a better chance at starting rather than being stuck behind Tate McDermott. Thomas – who replaced McDermott with 20 minutes remaining – is not alone in extending his tenure at Ballymore, with fellow fringe star Richie Asiata, who became the club's leading hooker in the injury absences of Matt Faessler and Nasser, also signing for 2026 this week. Wallabies superstars Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Filipo Daugunu, Seru Uru, Zane Nonggorr, Flook and Faessler were all joined by Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen and Joe Brial in securing their stay in Queensland. The reality, however, is that the Reds have finished in the same spot as they did last year – fifth, and a limp exit playing in New Zealand. But with other prospects such as Dre Pakeho, Nick Boomfield, Brial and De Lutiis making their mark, Kiss believed next year's outlook was a promising one to break this streak of early finals exits.
West Australian
27 minutes ago
- West Australian
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has immediately delivered results - but nature of Japan performance may concern
As Aziz Behich's curled effort swung into the net and the Optus Stadium crowd erupted into a frenzy of noise and mess of limbs, Tony Popovic sunk to his knees and let his emotions take over. Normally the cool, calm and composed type, all Popovic could do was release a primal scream of joy into the atmosphere before he was mobbed by his assistants. History is written by the victors and certainly, the Socceroos will be telling the tale of their resolute defensive effort in the face of Japan's dominance and Behich's dramatic winner for years to come. In itself, both the performance and the result will give credence to both Popovic's critics and his supporters. The fact of the matter is, in seven games under Popovic since Graham Arnold's shock departure following a solitary point gleaned from their two opening World Cup qualifying games, the Socceroos are yet to taste defeat. Across those seven games, Australia have scored 14 and conceded just four goals. For the most part, they have looked stable and in control of games. The Socceroos needed fortitude in the wake of Arnold's leave and Popovic has provided that, tinkering with the formation while raising standards. Players have spoken of the newfound intensity which has greeted national team camps and have publicly embraced his team-first defensive ethos. He has taken Australia to the brink of a sixth World Cup in a row, and potentially their first direct qualification since the 2014 tournament — a feat which seemed a long way off after the Socceroos' depressing start to the campaign. 'Popaball', as it is known, relies on soaking up pressure, controlling your opponents movement through your own defensive shape and limiting your opponents' sights on goal. To quote Ron Weasley: 'you're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it'. And it must be said, the Socceroos achieved most of the above against Japan on Thursday night. Pre-game, Popovic spoke of a desire for the Socceroos to improve upon their 1-1 draw with Japan in just his second game in charge. In Perth, Australia enjoyed four per cent less possession and had 14 less passes in their own half than they did in Saitima. Worryingly, the home game came against a second-string Japanese side and off the back of a 10-day training camp in Abu Dhabi. They only surrendered one clear-cut chance inside their own penalty area, a bullet by Takefusa Kubo which went agonisingly close to breaking Australian hearts — but had it gone in, the narrative and result would have flipped. The Socceroos did not control the game in possession, their midfield ran ragged and any attempts to build-up from defence were destroyed by Japan's press and ended in long balls to no one. Popovic deserves credit for being the steadying hand Australia needs and instilling a team-wide defensive mindset. The challenge now will be to evolve the Socceroos' functionality and effectiveness in attack.
