Hayden Watson was the headliner in the U19 State of Origin game on Thursday night, captaining the Queensland Maroons to a 28 to 12 victory over the NSW Blues.
Watson came off the bench in the Maroons' victory last year in the 14 jersey; however, this year was promoted to a starting position at halfback, where he proved himself to be a star of the future.
The young gun was awarded 'Player of the Match', and whilst many are familiar with his junior career, some still wondered which club had created such a talent...
To nobody's surprise, he belongs to the Melbourne Storm.
Watson was a part of the Storm's SG ball side this year, also making his NSW Cup debut for the club off the bench in Round 10.
Since then, Watson has made another two appearances, starting at halfback in Round 13, where he secured a double in their 60 to 6 defeat against the Roosters.
Last night, Watson brought his clubland talent to the representative stage and showed why he has been locked into the Storm system until the end of 2030.
Watson showed brilliance with a try, a try assist, nine runs for 98 metres, nine tackle busts and two line breaks. The halfback's try assist was iced by his fellow Storm teammate Alize Clarke, with the centre also securing a try assist, one line break and six tackle busts.
Another standout for the victorious Maroons last night came from Tupou Francis, one of the three QLD forwards who played up an age.
Francis crossed for an impressive double on Thursday; however, his defence and consistency were just as impressive, securing 39 tackles along with zero errors throughout the contest.
The Broncos forward currently plays for the Burleigh Bears in QLD Cup, making his debut in Round 10.
Francis has already been touted as the long-term successor of Payne Haas, earlier this year securing an extension at Red Hill until the end of 2028 on around $600k a year. The schoolboy star earned one of the largest salaries for a teen in Broncos history.
Thursday night's clash was more than just an under-19s Origin fixture.
The performance offered a glimpse into the future of State of Origin, with Watson particularly proving the next generation of Maroons talent is already knocking on the door.
For their respective clubs, it was another reminder that their future is in safe hands.
