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Matt Cecchin and Gerard Sutton will referee the 2017 Holden State of Origin I at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday, May 31.

Brett Suttor and Chris Butler will be touch judges for the match, while Bernard Sutton (Senior Review Official) and Ben Galea (Review Official) will officiate from the NRL Bunker.

NRL Head of Football Brian Canavan congratulated all the officials on being named to be part of next Wednesday night’s series opener.

"State of Origin is an incredible rivalry and we need the best officials on the field to ensure the game is officiated well," Mr Canavan said.

"This is an outstanding group of officials and I am confident they will handle this game extremely well."

General Manager of Officiating Tony Archer said Cecchin and Sutton deserved to referee the opening Origin match based on their form and experience in big matches.

"I believe they bring the right form and the right experience to this arena," Mr Archer said.

"Importantly, they both have Grand Finals and State of Origins between them.

"Matt has continued to referee well since last season’s Grand Final.

"They refereed as a pairing in last year’s Grand Final Qualifier and also officiated together in the Premiership this season.

"This is the best combination to take into this game.

"They will be supported by two in-form and experienced touch judges."

The match officials for the opening Holden State of Origin match, on May 31, are:

Referee: Matt Cecchin

Assist Referee: Gerard Sutton

Senior Review Official: Bernard Sutton

Review Official: Ben Galea

Touch Judges: Brett Suttor, Chris Butler

Standby Referee: Alan Shortall

Standby Touch Judge:  Michael Wise

State Against State. Mate Against Mate. Immerse yourself in the heat of the battle at the exclusive Bulldogs State of Origin Pre-Game Function.

Acknowledgement of Country

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs respect and honour the Darug and Eora nations, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.