'It's great to be back': Tedesco chasing more Origin memories

James Tedesco didn't realise how much he missed State of Origin and now the former Blues captain wants more.  

Recalled from a two-year exile for the series opener at Accor Stadium, the veteran fullback delivered another iconic Origin moment as he soared above Queensland's Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Selwyn Cobbo with 90 seconds remaining to score the match winning try.

“Another Origin moment to remember,” Tedesco told NRL.com. “That feeling, coming down with it, it’s something I’ll remember for a long, long time.

"It’s great to be back.”

Tedesco's emotional return to the Origin arena is set to become one of the defining stories of the 2026 series.

In his 24th appearance for New South Wales, Tedesco didn’t just return to the Blues side, he won the game.

Trailing by four points inside the final two minutes, halfback Nathan Cleary launched a towering bomb, and the two-times Dally M Medallist rose above the pack, juggled the ball under pressure and planted it down in front of 79,186 fans.

It was vintage Tedesco.

“I bombed one earlier, so I thought I had to make up for it somehow,” he said.

“I’ve been competing all year to get one of those and I haven’t got one, so I’m glad I somehow came down with this one.”

Tedesco has built a career on delivering in the big moments. 

His famous series-winning try in the dying seconds of the 2019 series is memorialised with a giant poster in the gym at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence as inspiration to Blues players.

And after missing out on selection since Game 1 of the 2024 series, Wednesday night carried extra meaning.

“I was just so proud,” Tedesco said.

I didn’t really miss it until I came back and realised how good this is.

"To be around the best players in the game, to run out at home in this atmosphere, in front of this crowd.

“I was really stoked to be back and just wanted to soak up every moment and enjoy it.”

Despite the fairytale finish, Tedesco knows the job is far from over for NSW.

The 33-year-old admitted the Blues still have plenty to improve on heading into Game Two at the MCG on June 17, with memories of last year’s series loss still fresh.

“A few of the boys did this last year, won the first game and lost the last two,” Tedesco said.

“It’s a three-game series and you need to get up for the next one.

“We know we weren’t at our best tonight, there’s plenty of improvement in us and we have to be better for Game Two.”