Players who made their State of Origin debut as teenagers
Jamal Idris - NSW, 19 and 324 days
The former Bulldogs sensation rubber-stamped his electric surge into top-flight rugby league when he made his Blues debut in game one of the 2010 series.
Idris got a run off the bench as New South Wales fell to Queensland 28-24 at Sydney's Stadium Australia.
The damaging ball-runner was intent on winning back a Blues jumper after having an usual surgical procedure on his hips in 2012, but he struggled to return to his best and finished with only one Origin appearance beside his name.
Idris had bone shaved from both hips so they'd fit better in the sockets, correcting a rare genetic condition that had caused trouble for his gait.
Ben Ikin - Queensland, 18 and 82 days
The Broncos' director of football remains the youngest-ever Origin rep, first wearing Maroon at 18 years and 82 days in 1995.
Ikin's Queensland call-up was such a shock that his own father thought there must have been another Ben Ikin eligible for the team.
In a year that was hijacked by the Super League war, the Origin series went ahead without Super League aligned players, stripping the Maroons of their top talent due to the fact that the Broncos were joining the rebel competition.
Ikin was in his first season with the Gold Coast Seagulls when he was picked to wear No.14.
"The No.14 was Ben Ikin from the Gold Coast Seagulls. We were all dumbfounded," Ikin recalled of his selection.
"The first phone call I got was from my dad. 'Is there another Ben Ikin on the Gold Coast?' he asked, and I told him that I thought I was in."
Brad Fittler - NSW, 18 and 114 days
The games record holder for New South Wales, Fittler was always a special talent and when he debuted in 1990 he was the youngest to ever wear the sky blue or the maroon.
Fittler was also the first player to go from the Australian Schoolboys team to a senior Australian rugby league team in consecutive years. He was the youngest ever Kangaroos tourist (18 years 229 days).
Brett Dallas - Queensland, 18 and 225 days
One of the fastest men in the game in the 1990s, Dallas debuted for Queensland in 1993. At the time the quick-stepping teenager became Queensland's youngest State of Origin player after winning a place in the third match of the series.
Things went down hill the year after when he was dropped to reserve grade at Canterbury and was not selected for the side's grand final clash with Canberra.
Will Hopoate - NSW, 19 and 36 days
Hopoate's mature style of play earned him his New South Wales debut in game two of the 2011 series.
The young winger scored a try in his first Origin game and helped NSW level the series at one-all with an 18–8 win. Hopoate has only been selected four other times for the Blues and now plays for St Helens in England.
Israel Folau - Queensland, 19 and 48 days
Having already become the youngest man to play for Australia at the back end of his rookie year in 2007, Folau added an Origin berth to that the following season.
He made eight appearances for the Maroons between 2008-2010 before sensationally quitting the NRL to join the GWS Giants in a lucrative yet unsuccessful code switch to AFL.
Mitchell Pearce - NSW, 19 and 86 days
The often-maligned halfback had plenty of chances in a sky blue jumper, the first of which came in the 2008 decider.
His 19-game Origin career ended in 2019, with the playmaker finally playing his part in a winning series 11 years after he was first picked.
Jarryd Hayne - NSW, 19 and 97 days
The former Eels star was always a reliable performer for the Blues, getting his first chance in 2007. He would go on to represent New South Wales in each of the three state games that year, scoring two tries in the process. Hayne also made his international debut for Australia in that year.
David Fifita - Queensland, 19 and 100 days
The Titans superstar was sensationally dropped for game one, 2022, but made his debut in 2019 at 19 years, 100 days. He became the first player born in the 2000s to play State of Origin and was the Maroons' 200th capped player.
Lindsay Johnston - NSW, 19 and 106 days
Johnston played just 21 NSWRL games for the Raiders before his New South Wales debut in game two, 1983. He was selected for game three but only ever made two appearances in the Origin arena.
