NSW debutants Jarryd Hayne and Jarrod Mullen were gutted for different reasons following their team's 25-18 loss to Queensland in a fast-paced opening State of Origin match in Brisbane.

Winger Hayne, 19, scored a superb try for the Blues right on halftime as he kicked ahead for himself and beat Justin Hodges in a race to the ball.

It enabled the visitors to take an 18-6 lead into the halftime break and left the crowd of 52,489 stunned.

But Hayne's joy turned to heartbreak midway through the second half when the teenager wrongly thought Maroons hooker Cameron Smith's clever downfield kick was a 40-20 as it headed for the sideline.

He dived on the ball and then threw a wild pass behind fullback Anthony Minichiello, with Maroons skipper Darren Lockyer gleefully picking up the loose ball to score a crucial try to break an 18-all deadlock.

"I was just trying to help the team," said Hayne.

"I wasn't trying to be a show pony or anything.

"I thought it was a 40-20 and if it had of gone out they would've got the ball so it was a 50-50 thing. It was my mistake.

"There was a lot of pressure on me and being your first Origin, you don't want to make mistakes. It was disappointing."

NSW coach Graham Murray - who described Queensland's second half as a "relentless onslaught" - defended Hayne: "He was trying to do the best for the football team.

"You've got to support him (but) inside he's got to be upset."

Newcastle halfback Mullen rated his performance a five out of 10 as his kicking game went astray due to the enormous pressure from the Queensland defence.

"I didn't find the grass too much and they pressured me a fair bit which I knew they would," the 20-year-old said.

"Me and BA (Braith Anasta) got caught on the edge a couple of times on the last tackle so it got hard for our kicks.

"We need to work on that for the next game. I'll be stoked if I get picked again but if not I still need to work on my game."

Mullen, his own harshest critic, had 21 of his relatives in the stands watching his debut.

"In think he tried hard," said Murray. "We shouldn't undervalue how big an occasion it was for him.

"I thought he did some good things."

The other Blues debutants were Brett White, Anthony Tupou, and Kurt Gidley, who finished the match with an injured left shoulder.

Bulldogs second-rower Willie Mason suffered a hamstring strain and is in serious doubt for Friday night's NRL clash with North Queensland at Suncorp Stadium.

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