Blues' selection gambles backfire and commentary controversy: The good, bad and ugly of Origin I

😃 The good: Adelaide coming to the State of Origin party

😔 The bad: Massive pressure on NSW after giving away several leads

😡 The ugly: Origin assistant coaches performing commentary duties

Sport's anti-progress brigade told us State of Origin shouldn't step foot in South Australia. And, for a while, they mounted a decent case.

The atmosphere in Adelaide in the lead-up to the series opener was flat, according to seasoned Origin watchers. One television crew hit Rundle Mall on match morning hoping to capture some of the colour and build-up to the big game.

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They searched for someone, anyone, dressed in maroon or blue but admitted defeat after an hour and returned to their hotel room with zero footage. Ticket sales were sluggish and only ticked over the 40,000-mark following a desperate late push from the NRL to avoid embarrassment, with two-for-one deals helping fill seats at famous old Adelaide Oval.

But despite all the doubters, the night proved a massive success because State of Origin is not just a football match, but an event. As Cameron Smith said pre-game, the interstate rivalry is not manufactured and sporting types, no matter their football preference, can sense they are part of something special.

"The hatred that these two teams and these two states have for each other during this period is real," he told Radio SEN. "It's not some made-up thing we try to spin for the storyline."

Still, Adelaide couldn’t give a rat's we were warned. But guess what? The locals did give a rat's, turning out in big numbers.

Taking Origin to the City of Churches wasn't sacrilege after all.

The knives will be out for NSW coach Brad Fittler and a number of his players following the game one disaster. The Blues had enough possession and field position to win the match but were no match for Queensland's relentless spirit and refusal to lose, no matter the obstacles.

The Maroons were busted, battered but never beaten. They just always find a way, coming from behind several times to win 26-18.

And the worst part – from a Blues' perspective – is you just knew it was coming and NSW would not be able to halt it. Changes will be made to the NSW line-up for what looms as Mission (almost) Impossible – beating Queensland at Suncorp Stadium after falling behind 1-0.

It’s hard to see Tevita Pangai Junior hanging onto his spot after the gamble to play the Bulldogs firebrand backfired. It was his ill-discipline early in the second half that opened the door for a Maroons comeback.

TPG gave away a flop penalty to allow Queensland safe passage downfield and then came up with a tackle one turnover that eventually led to Selwyn Cobbo's second try. And as drastic as it sounds, there's talk skipper and fullback James Tedesco could lost his spot to Penrith's Dylan Edwards.

And Fittler's decision to use Nicho Hynes as a No.14 was also a failure. Before the game it was hard to see how the Sharks star could play a significant role unless brought on through injury.

He eventually received his chance at right centre when Tom Trbojevic left the field for an HIA and, understandably, found himself all at sea in defence. You either use Hynes as a starting player or not at all.

It’s not as if Fittler doesn’t have a ready-made No.14 at his disposal. From memory, Matt Burton is his name.

There's been a bit of commentary and criticism around Cameron Smith performing dual roles as a commentator and assistant Queensland coach. Smith was behind the Channel 9 microphone one minute and in the Maroons sheds the next as Billy Slater gave his halftime address.

His critics argue the former Queensland captain should perform one duty on the night – coach or commentate – but not both.

They say it's a conflict of interest. But where do you draw the line?

Johnathan Thurston features on the Origin coverage but also dons a Queensland tracksuit as part of their coaching staff. Nine's Andrew Johns is a member of the Blues set-up and, while not part of the halftime talk, did tip Brad Fittler into a Queensland positional change and urged the Blues to exploit it while they interviewed the NSW coach mid-game.

That could be construed as insider trading. Or is it nothing to worry about and just all part of the Origin theatre?

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