Joseph Suaalii, the NSW centre, was red-carded just seven minutes into his State of Origin debut after a reckless late tackle on Queensland’s Reece Walsh during game one at Accor Stadium.
The Sydney Roosters centre rushed out of the defensive line to deliver a heavy hit on the Queensland fullback, who was leading 6-0 while Queensland were attacking after their first try on Wednesday night.
Walsh had been a target for the Blues’ defense early in the game and lay still on the ground following the impact from Suaalii. Queensland teammates and staff rushed to attend to him on the field.
The game initially continued, but referee Ash Klein eventually halted play and pulled aside Suaalii and Blues captain Jake Trbojevic.
“That is a very dangerous action, there is direct contact to the head. You’re off,” the referee said.
Walsh showed symptoms of a head injury and was ruled out for the game, allowing Queensland to bring on their 18th man, Felise Kaufusi.
Channel Nine broadcasters switched to Billy Slater immediately after Walsh was ruled out, but the Queensland coach was not forthcoming on the incident.
“You probably don’t want to know that,” he responded when asked for his opinion on Suaalii’s action.
In the commentary, NSW legend Andrew Johns criticized the decision to send Suaalii off.
“At club level, yes. It’s unfortunate. It is a send-off, but at this level, I’m really surprised they sent Joseph Suaalii off,” he said.
Suaalii became the sixth player in Origin history to be sent straight from the field, with his tackle casting serious doubt over the Blues’ hopes of starting the Michael Maguire era with a victory.
Suaalii’s send-off also drew attention to Maguire’s decision not to include an outside back on his bench – a selection choice that had sparked debate in the lead-up to Origin I.
