Queensland’s tally of just 16 State of Origin captains to NSW’s 22 is heavily affected by Wally Lewis skippering the Maroons in 30 of the first 33 matches from the concept’s birth in 1980.
After appointed five different captains in the first 11 Origin fixtures, the Blues have produced a host of long-serving and successful leaders – including seven who have led the state in 10 games or more.
Tom Raudonikis – 1980 (1 match)
Incumbent Test halfback and Western Suburbs legend Raudonikis was in his first season with Newtown when he led NSW in the inaugural Origin match in 1980.
The 30-year-old scored a try in the 20-10 loss at Lang Park in what would prove the last match of a decorated rep career, while he came to embody the Blues’ spirit as Origin coach in 1997-98 – ironically a decade after unearthing champion Maroons halfback Allan Langer as coach of Ipswich.
Raudonikis was the first former NSW Origin player to coach the state.
Steve Rogers – 1981 (1 match)
‘Sludge’ was established as one of the all-time greats of the game by the time he featured in the first four Origin matches.
Born in Queensland, the brilliant Cronulla centre was chosen to skipper NSW in the one-off clash in 1981 – a 22-15 loss at Lang Park – and scooped the Dally M Player and Captain of the Year awards later that season.
Rogers featured in the 1982 Origin series and played the last of 26 Tests for Australia in 1983.
Max Krilich – 1982-83 (5 matches)
Manly’s 1978 premiership-winning captain’s ascent to representative leadership greatness began with taking over as NSW skipper for the first Origin series in 1982.
Later that year, the veteran hooker was captain of the ‘Invincibles’ Kangaroo Tour. ‘Thrower’ was at the helm for the Blues for the first and third matches of the 1983 series, finishing with an Origin captaincy record of one win and four losses.
Ray Price – 1983-84 (3 matches)
Revered Parramatta lock Price led NSW to victory in the second match of the 1983 series and to losses in the first two matches in 1984. He was subsequently ousted for the vacant Australian Test captaincy by Queensland’s Wally Lewis.
Price retired in 1986 after skippering the Eels to grand final victory over the Bulldogs.
Steve Mortimer – 1984-85 (3 matches)
Though his tenure spanned only three matches, brilliant Canterbury halfback Mortimer holds a cherished place in NSW Origin folklore.
The Blues won all three games under ‘Turvey’s’ captaincy – the 1984 dead-rubber, and the first two matches in 1985 that secured NSW’s maiden series triumph.
The images of an emotional Mortimer celebrating the series win provided unequivocal evidence that passion in the Origin arena was not purely the domain of Queensland.
Wayne Pearce – 1985-88 (10 matches)
NSW’s most-capped skipper of Origin’s first 18 seasons, Balmain back-row icon took over for the 1985 dead-rubber loss before leading the Blues to the first-ever 3-0 whitewash the following season.
‘Junior’ was the Blues’ captain of the 2-1 series loss in 1987 and the 3-0 defeat in ’88. The Australian vice-captain skippered the Tigers in heartbreaking grand final losses in 1988-89.
Peter Sterling – 1987 (1 match)
Parramatta wizard Sterling played 13 Origins from 1981-88 and was the captain in one match – the 30-18 ‘exhibition’ victory in California played after the 1987 series proper.
Sterling was man of the match in the Blues’ win, but his stateside jaunt is arguably more remembered for getting tangled up in the banner while running onto the field.
Gavin Miller – 1989 (3 matches)
Recalled for NSW by incoming coach Jack Gibson after a six-year absence in 1989, genius ball-playing second-rower Miller was a shock choice as Blues captain.
Though Cronulla stalwart Miller performed admirably, his side was hammered 3-0 by a rampant Queensland outfit in what would prove his last representative matches.
Ben Elias – 1990-91 (6 matches)
Controversially left out of the NSW side in 1989 despite being the incumbent Australian hooker, Elias was recalled by Gibson in 1990 – and made skipper.
The combative No.9 guided the Blues to a drought-breaking 2-1 series win, subsequently securing the vice-captain duties for the Kangaroo Tour. Elias captained NSW in the 2-1 loss in 1991 – with each match decided by two points – but was replaced the following season.
Elias’ stellar 19-match Origin career wrapped up after a third straight NSW series victory in 1994.
Laurie Daley – 1992-94, 1998-99 (13 matches)
Just 22 years old with five appearances for NSW when handed the reins, Daley became one of the great Origin captains – proving himself a natural leader as the Blues won three straight series for the first time from 1992-94.
The Canberra superstar skippered his country in one Test in 1993 and was vice-captain on the 1994 Kangaroo Tour, but the succession plan to take over as Australian captain following Mal Meninga’s retirement was scuppered by the Super League war.
Playing under Brad Fittler’s captaincy in 1996, Daley led NSW to Super League Tri-Series glory in 1997 before contentiously receiving the Australian duties for the Anzac Test and NSW’s top job for the Origin series in 1998.
Fittler regained both roles in 1999 but Daley was captain in his last of 23 Origin appearances that year – the 10-all draw in the decider.
Brad Fittler – 1995-96, 1999-2001 (14 matches)
Thrust into the NSW and Australian roles before his time by the Super League war, notorious larrikin Fittler became on of the great captains – despite starting ignominiously as the skipper of the Blues’ shock 3-0 series defeat in 1995.
‘Freddy’ led Australia to World Cup triumph later that year and atoned with NSW in a 3-0 whitewash in 1996. Out injured in 1997, Fittler played under Daley in ’98 before being restored to the Blues captaincy in ’99.
Fittler helmed a record-shattering Origin cleansweep and another World Cup win in 2000, and a 2-1 Blues loss and an Ashes triumph in 2001 in his representative swansong. He answered an SOS to help NSW to win the 2004 series, taking his then-Blues record tally of appearances to 31.
Geoff Toovey – 1997 (3 matches)
Manly’s 1996 premiership-winning skipper, who also captained Australia in a post-season Test against Papua New Guinea that year, was an obvious choice to lead NSW in Fittler’s absence in 1997 – and the halfback/hooker guided his state to a 2-1 series victory.
Toovey finished with 15 appearances for the Blues from 1990-2000, along with 13 Tests for Australia.
Andrew Johns – 2002-03 (6 matches)
The incomparable ‘Joey’ captained Newcastle to the 2001 premiership and was the natural successor to long-serving Fittler as NSW and Australian captain the following season.
Johns was at the peak of his powers in the drawn 2002 rubber and the Blues’ convincing 2003 series victory. He captained the Kangaroos in mid-season Tests in both seasons, but a run of serious injuries saw the state and national jobs to Danny Buderus and Darren Lockyer, respectively, long-term.
Danny Buderus – 2004-08 (15 matches)
Stepping into the breach left by Knights teammate Johns, Buderus took over as NSW skipper in just his third series – and set new Blues records for most consecutive games (21) and games as captain (15).
The champion hooker was instrumental as skipper of NSW’s 2004-05 series wins, while he remained among the Blues’ best from 2006-08 as the Queensland dynasty gathered steam, prior to Buderus’ move to Super League.
Buderus also captained Australia in four of his 25 Test matches.
Kurt Gidley – 2009-10 (5 matches)
The streak of Newcastle players captaining NSW stretched to nine series and 26 matches, courtesy of the ultra-versatile Gidley succeeding Johns an Buderus in 2009.
Gidley was the Blues’ fullback throughout the 2-1 series loss in 2009 and the series opener in 2010, while he created history in the second game of the latter series by skippering his state despite starting on the bench. He retained an interchange spot for the dead-rubber but surrendered the captaincy.
Trent Barrett – 2010 (1 match)
Brilliant five-eighth Barrett began his Origin career as a teenager in 1997, while he was a regular in the NSW and Australian teams during the first half of the 2000s.
After a two seasons at Wigan, the former St George Illawarra captain joined Cronulla in 2009 and earned a Blues recall. The following season, the 32-year-old Barrett was chosen to captain the Blues in game three – a 23-18 loss that saw Queensland achieve their first cleansweep in 15 years.
Paul Gallen – 2011-16 (16 matches)
NSW’s heart and soul through the tail-end of Queensland’s run of eight straight series wins and the eventually drought-breaking Blues triumph, Gallen set a new record by captaining the state in 16 of his 24 appearances.
Taking over in 2011, the indefatigable Cronulla forward produced one of the all-time great captain’s knocks in game two of that series – earning Origin’s first perfect ‘10’ rating from Rugby League Week magazine.
Gallen was frequently outspoken but always led from the front, typifying NSW passion in leading his side to an emotional series victory in 2014. The 32-Test veteran hung up the representative boots after subsequently Origin series losses in 2015-16.
Robbie Farah – 2013, 2015 (2 matches)
Influential hooker Farah played 16 matches for NSW from 2009-16 and became Wests Tigers’ first and only Origin captain when he deputised for Gallen in the 2013 decider (a 12-10 loss) and the 2015 series opener (an 11-10 loss).
Boyd Corndner – 2017-20 (10 matches)
Installed as Sydney Roosters co-captain in 2017, NSW regular Cordner took over the state job that season following Gallen’s rep retirement.
The second-row workhorse suffered a 2-1 defeat in his first series as skipper but led NSW to Origin glory and the Roosters to grand final victories in 2018 and ’19.
The latest in a run of head knocks ruled Cordner out of the last two games of the post-season Origin series in 2020 after he had skippered NSW in the opener, which ultimately proved to be his last game of rugby league – retiring during 2021 due to ongoing symptoms.
James Tedesco – 2020-23 (11 matches)
An automatic selection for NSW at fullback after debuting in the 2016 dead-rubber, Tedesco succeeded Roosters teammate Cordner as state skipper during the 2020 series.
It started a run of 11 straight matches as Blues captain that encompassed the 2021 series victory and demoralising 2-1 losses in 2022-23.
Initially dropped for the 2024 series opener, Tedesco was recalled following an injury to Dylan Edwards and extended his record mark of consecutive games for NSW to 23.
Jake Trbojevic – 2024 (3 matches)
Something of a surprise pick as NSW captain in 2024, popular Manly veteran Trbojevic led the Blues to a 2-1 triumph – albeit while averaging only 28 minutes a game across the series.
Injury ruled the prop/lock out of Blues contention for the 2025 series opener.
Isaah Yeo – 2025 (2 matches)*
A four-time premiership-winning co-captain at Penrith alongside superstar halfback Nathan Cleary, Yeo was handed the NSW role solo this year – despite Cleary’s return to the Blues line-up after missing the 2024 series with injury.
Yeo, who was bumped back to the bench for all three games of the 2024 series but was restored to the No.13 jersey this year, will play his 17th consecutive Origin match in the upcoming decider in Sydney.