A blockbuster crowd of 48,613 people flocked to Adelaide Oval on Wednesday 31 May to watch the Queensland Maroons beat the NSW Blues by 8 points in the opening match of the NRL Ampol State of Origin series.

The game attracted more than 13,000 interstate visitors to South Australia, boosting hotel occupancy rates and packing out pubs, bars and restaurants across the CBD.

The night of the match sits behind the Saturday of WOMADelaide 2023 (9757 rooms) and the night of the Ed Sheeran concert in March 2023 (9938 rooms) with the greatest number of hotel rooms sold, at 9681.

This was the second time the State of Origin opener had been played in Adelaide, the first time in 2020 in front of a COVID-restricted crowd of 25,000.

Meanwhile, can you tell Rugby League from Rugby Union? Our friends at The Post put together a handy explainer, to help you understand the key differences between the codes.  Read it now.

The Post also asked some of Adelaide's dogs to predict who would win the clash - the Blues or Maroons?  Watch the video and see if the pooches' prediction came true!