Game 2 of the 2025 State of Origin Series takes place on Wednesday night, with the series between Queensland and New South Wales heading west to Perth. The Blues comprehensively defeated the Maroons in Game 1 at Suncorp Stadium three weeks ago, so obviously it’s backs against the wall time for Queensland. Can they bounce back and push the series to a decider, or will the Blues take their second straight State of Origin series? I can’t wait to find out!
Draftstars have several contests on offer for Origin 2, including a massive $30,000 guaranteed prize pool for the big game as well as qualifiers for the $1 million AFL Star contest:
Origin Maroons vs Blues - $30,000 ($15 buy-in)
Origin Maroons vs Blues - $3,000 High Roller ($150 buy-in)
Origin Maroons vs Blues - $2,000 Mini ($2 buy-in)
There are plenty of other contests that will tickle your fancy, so get involved and make the greatest game of all even more exciting. And if you're new to the Daily Fantasy scene, simply join Draftstars via this link!
NRL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: State of Origin Game 2
Maroons vs Blues: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Kurt Capewell ($9,040) gets the call up for game 2, and as long as he keeps his starting spot when final teams are named, Capewell is a great value pick up here. Whilst Capewell isn’t the most attacking edge in the game, he will get through a mountain of work in defence and do his fair share of work in attack. The concern is obviously a late shift by coach Billy Slater, so if you can, make sure you wait until final team lists before committing to Capewell. If he is benched, he could be destined for a 15–20-minute stint, and that would not be ideal. Otherwise, you can expect 60 odd minutes, and 30+ points safely for Capewell.
Max King ($10,540) was tremendous on debut for the Blues off the bench in game 1, so much so that he has taken over the starting role from Mitch Barnett, who was ruled out for the rest of the series through injury. King managed a very respectable 37.6 points in game 1 in just 39 minutes of game time, and all of that was in base stats. King has shown he can play good minutes in the middle, and he should realistically get the minutes of Barnett from game 1 (41) and potentially another 5 minutes. This should have King’s base score around the 40-45 mark, and that is very handy for someone priced just above $10k.
Maroons vs Blues: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Zac Lomax ($11,040) was in the mix for Man of the Match in game 1 and could potentially feel a little miffed that he didn’t take it out. Lomax again showed he belongs in Origin, running for 209 metres and scoring two tries, along with two line-breaks. He is the X-Factor for this team, and just seems to be in the right place at the right time more often than not. Still underpriced in my opinion, and with the possibility of his taking over as the full-time goal kicker with Nathan Cleary’s struggles, the base stats for a winger is something you can’t leave out. His try scoring ability (five tries in four Origins) make it almost impossible to leave the Eels’ winger out.
Angus Crichton ($13,550) is once again one of my favourite selections for Origin. Is priced almost identically to game 1, where he scored 45.5 in base and base power stats, showing this is his floor for Origin 2. Crichton is always a chance at attacking stats, and I would back him in to score a try in game 2. If this happens, he will score you 60+, and for a price of $13.5k, you cannot afford to leave him out. Routinely plays the full 80 minutes at this level and does not shirk his workload in both attack and defence. Another to leave out at your own risk.
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Maroons vs Blues: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Payne Haas ($19,320) was named the Game 1 Man of the Match, after his best performance in the Blues jersey. Haas played just 58 minutes in game 1, which is nothing to sniff at, but as can be seen by his play week to week for the Broncos, he is capable of playing more. Despite the 58 minutes, Haas still managed a score of 60.6, making 30 tackles, running for 156 metres, busting three tackles, and popping three offloads. A similar performance, and therefore a similar score, should be expected here for the big Broncos forward, and with the ability at attacking stats and the likelihood of the Blues once again dominating in the middle, Haas is as close to a sure thing as anyone. There are other options around the same price, and I can get around Isaiah Yeo being played over Haas; however, I just love how Haas looked in game 1, and he seems more likely to get attacking stats.
Nathan Cleary ($22,210) was phenomenal from a Draftstars point of view in Game 1, as he stuffed the stat sheet with just about every stat you can think of. Cleary made 22 tackles, ran for 136 metres, broke an astonishing 10 tackles, popped 3 offloads, and kicked for well over 400 metres in general play, for a tremendous score of 94.4. Whilst his goal kicking radar was off, I think Cleary did exactly what was needed of him throughout the game, as he managed the Blues to a convincing win off the back of a dominant performance from the Blues’ forward pack. The scary thing for non-owners of Cleary in game 2, is the fact Cleary had zero attacking stats in game 1, and also only kicked one goal. Cleary has easily the highest ceiling in the game, and whilst his price is insane, it feels very hard to leave him out. Whilst I don’t advocate a blanket exposure to Cleary in all your teams, he will more than likely be on most of the teams that win big money in the State of Origin Draftstars contests.
Suggested State of Origin Game 2 Draftstars Team
NRL State of Origin Betting Markets
Odds: Queensland ($2.73) vs New South Wales ($1.46)
Line: New South Wales -7.5
Points: 41.5
Also, be sure to check out our full NRL State of Origin Prediction & Tips for each match. Our experts break down each game of the series and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
