The 2021 State of Origin series was the 40th annual best-of-three series between the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland has won 22 times, NSW 15 times, with two series drawn. The venue for Game 1 was originally named as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, however, due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne during the lead up to the match, it was relocated to Queensland Country Bank Stadium in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. Game 2 was played at

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

as scheduled. Game 3 was originally scheduled to be played at

Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stad ...

in Sydney, however was moved, firstly, to

McDonald Jones Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights (National Rugby League) and Newca ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

due to the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in Sydney, before being relocated again, to

Cbus Super Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; t ...

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. These relocations meant that the series was the first entirely staged in a single state and the first games held in both Townsville and on the Gold Coast.

Game I

Game II

Game III

Player debuts

Game 1

* Cap no. 293,

Jarome Luai Jarome Luai (born 16 January 1997) is a international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL (National Rugby League). He won both the 2021 and the 2022 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith club. He has repr ...

* Cap no. 294,

Brian To'o Brian To'o (born 18 August 1998) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He won both the 2021 and the 2022 NRL Grand Finals with the Panthers. He has represented the NSW Blues in ...

* Cap no. 295,

Liam Martin Liam Martin (born 5 March 1997) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward and for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League and Australia at international level. He won both the 2021 and the 2022 NR ...

* Cap no.

218 Year 218 ( CCXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Adventus (or, less frequently, year 971 ''Ab urbe c ...

, Kyle Feldt

Game 2

* Cap no. 219, Francis Molo

Game 3

* Cap no. 296,

Mitchell Moses Mitchell Moses (Arabic: ميتشل موسى; born 16 September 1994) is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL. He also plays for the Lebanon national team. He previously played for the Wests ...

* Cap no.

297 __NOTOC__ Year 297 ( CCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1050 '' ...

Apisai Koroisau Apisai Koroisau (born 7 November 1992) is a Fiji international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. A triple NRL premiership winner with the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Penrith Panthers, he previously ...

* Cap no.

220 __NOTOC__ Year 220 ( CCXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antonius and Eutychianus (or, less frequently, year 973 '' ...

, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow * Cap no.

221 __NOTOC__ Year 221 ( CCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Vitellius (or, less frequently, year 974 '' Ab ...

, Thomas Flegler

Women's State of Origin

References

{{2021 in rugby league State of Origin series