Brilliant tries to Michael Jennings and Jarryd Hayne put NSW in command of the opening State of Origin clash, giving the Blues a 14-0 half-time lead.

The match erupted just before halftime, with NSW skipper Paul Gallen sparking a wild brawl after trading punches with Queensland enforcer Nate Myles.

Gallen was penalised for a swinging arm, and then cautioned by referees for fighting – before complaining about perceived illegal tactics by Myles.

“He’s been twisting my knee every tackle … He’s been doing it series after series,” Gallen fumed.

The Blues, under rookie coach Laurie Daley, couldn’t have asked for a better start to the series with fullback Hayne crossing after just five minutes.

Hayne burst onto a sharp inside pass from Luke Lewis and broke tackles from Justin Hodges and Billy Slater to reach out and slam the ball down.

His effort was shaded by Jennings, who produced a wonderful solo try shortly before halftime in which he beat five hapless Queensland defenders.

The Sydney Roosters centre regathered a loose ball which had rebounded off a Maroons defender, and scooted 15 metres to dot down next to the posts.

NSW had all the running in the first half, also taking penalty goals when hot on the attack rather than press for more tries.

Debutant five-eighth James Maloney slotted one of two penalties, giving the Blues an eight point lead.

The Maroons had their chances, with winger Darius Boyd forcing a wonderful cover tackle from Blues centre Josh Morris.

Myles also went close, but spilled the ball with the tryline beckoning.

The Maroons targeted rookie Blues winger Blake Ferguson with testing bombs early in the fixture, but the Canberra star successfully defused every offering and the tactic was soon shelved.