State of Origin 2021 Game 1: live stream NSW Blues vs Qld Maroons from anywhere

It’s Origin time! Kick-off for this year’s State of Origin series opener is not far off and we’ll soon find out if the NSW Blues are as good on the field as they look on paper.

Game 1 of the 2021 State of Origin series is tonight at 8:10pm AEST in Townsville, Australia, and if you want to watch the game’s biggest rivalry, here’s how you can get a live stream of the first match no matter where you are.

• Watching from outside Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands? Try Watch NRL

Following Melbourne’s recent Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown, Origin’s Game 1 has been moved to much-less neutral territory in Townsville, Queensland – giving the Maroons the home-team advantage.

Despite this setback, the NSW Blues are looking strong. The team is stacked with players from the Penrith Panthers, who have dominated the NRL series this year. Panthers making their Origin debut in the series opener include Brian To’o, Jarome Luai and Liam Martin.

Blues coach Brad Fittler will be looking to make the most out of these players’ familiarity with each other’s style of play. They’ll also be joined by their Panthers teammate Nathan Cleary on the field. 

The NSW Blues have certainly got star power in their Origin lineup, including Latrell Mitchell, Josh Addo-Carr and James Tedesco. Queensland’s coach, Paul Green, conceded that the Maroons have had disrupted preparation, and the Blues were, “on paper, a better team”.

But as we know, Origin is a different kind of beast and anything can happen. Queensland won last year’s State of Origin series in what was a huge upset for the NSW side, who were again the more experienced squad in 2020, though it never paid off.

Tonight, the NSW Blues will be looking to turn their fortunes around, while Queensland will be hoping to put on a powerful performance for the home crowd, despite being plagued by injuries during preparation.

Want to see the series opener? Here’s how to watch State of Origin Game 1 live no matter where you are.

How to watch the State of Origin Game 1 in Australia

All three State of Origin games will be shown live and free on Channel 9 in Australia. You can watch Game 1 tonight, Wednesday, June 9 at 8:10pm AEST. You can also live stream the game from Channel 9’s streaming platform, 9Now.

It will also be aired on a delayed broadcast on Fox Sports and streaming service Kayo after the game is over.

Kayo Sports basic package | 14-day free trial, then AU$25 per month

Kayo’s Basic package will let you live stream and catch up on over 50 sports on two devices at the same time. You’ll have access to Kayo’s features such as SplitView, and you can cancel any time as there’s no lock-in contract.

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How to watch the State of Origin Game 1 from overseas

Fans living outside Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands can catch the State of Origin online with the Watch NRL streaming service.

Watch NRL requires a subscription and has three different plans to choose from:

Weekly: US$17 / £13 / €17 / AU$20
Monthly: US$33 / £25 / €33 / AU$39
Annual: US$165 / £130 / €155 / AU$199

Watch NRL | US$33 / £25 / €33 / AU$39

The contents of this streaming service are only available to view outside of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, but a subscription can be purchased from anywhere. Watch NRL allows you to pause and rewind live matches, and also lets you download matches for offline viewing. While you can watch the live stream on desktop via the website, the Watch NRL app is also available for iOS, Android and Apple TV. You can even cast onto a TV via AirPlay or Google Chromecast.

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How Australians live stream State of Origin Game 1 from abroad

If you’re an Aussie that wants to catch that free Channel 9 coverage but are currently abroad, then you’ll discover that the access is geo-blocked. It’s annoying, but not unsurpassable, as you could try using a VPN to set the IP address of your laptop, phone or streaming device back to one in Australia and watch as if you were in the country.

Use a VPN to stream the State of Origin from anywhere

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