Blues plunge in Origin betting after record rout at Suncorp

THINGS could not have gone much better for New South Wales in the opening bout of State of Origin 2017.

Punters had backed them heavily in the week leading up to Wednesday night’s clash in Brisbane, and the Blues duly delivered with a performance for the ages.

James Maloney, Mitchell Pearce, James Tedesco, Andrew Fifita and Jarryd Hayne all crossed the line as NSW stunned the Suncorp Stadium crowd to claim a famous 28-4 victory.

That result has seen their price plunge in the Origin outright betting.

Two weeks ago, online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au had Laurie Daley’s men pegged as +112 outsiders to take the series.

That number has plummeted to a near-unbackable -500 in the aftermath of game one.

They are odds on to wrap things up on June 21 at ANZ Stadium, with William Hill’s -181.82 quote the best available among leading online bookies.

The win up north was all the more impressive for NSW’s casualty list.

Pearce, enjoying his best performance on the Origin stage, was helped off the ground 50 minutes in after running afoul of Will Chambers’ shoulder.

Nathan Peats played the second half on one leg, Brett Morris had a scare with his dodgy knee and captain Boyd Cordner was spotted leaving the change rooms with ice all over his left leg.

Whether any of those knocks are severe enough to keep their receivers out of Origin 2 remains to be seen.

It would be no surprise if Queensland made a few personnel changes, albeit for entirely different reasons.

A lacklustre display from Darius Boyd has left Maroons fans shaking their heads at the shock omission of Billy Slater.

A proven Origin performer, the Melbourne Storm hero has enjoyed a strong start to the 2017 NRL season and will have to come into consideration for game two.

Johnathan Thurston missed out on the opener with a shoulder injury, but the North Queensland Cowboys superstar is on the mend and should be back in action for next month’s trip south.

Even with those potential inclusions, the bookies are predicting tough times ahead for Kevin Walters and his crew.

Sportsbet has pushed the Maroons out to +165 – almost a full dollar above their starting price for Origin 1 – to return the favour and level the series in Sydney.

Things are grimmer still in the series outright betting.

Queensland started Origin 2017 with two home games up their sleeves, but the siege of Fortress Suncorp in game one has rendered that so-called advantage all but irrelevant in the eyes of the price-setters.

Punters chasing a miracle should again head to Sportsbet, which is paying some +350 for the Canetoads to bounce back and steal the series.