Origin in Melbourne is not the way to go

Roar Guru

By Alan Nicolea, 3 Nov 2008 Alan Nicolea is a Roar Guru

Tagged:: AFL, Craig Bellamy, Kangaroos, North Melbourne Kangaroos, Queensland, Rugby League, State Of Origin, Test match

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So, the news is in: State Of Origin – league’s pinnacle event in Australia – will be staged in Melbourne, sucking the life out of one of the biggest drawcards in the game. It’s stupid.

Although crowds for Test matches and Origin games in Victoria have been pleasing, there is no foreseeable way that league will take over the AFL as the most played sport in Melbourne.

Yet, the ARU continues to promote a code that is not attractive to the Melbourne audience.

They invariably have to stay up until midnight to see the Storm play the brand of football that has now dominated the competition for three seasons running.

And the Storm have done a magnificent job in drawing substantial crowds to their games, helped by the star roster they possess.

But why bring rugby league’s pinnacle event down South when it is a series that hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders and New South Welshman are desperate to attend?

It is depriving true fans of the game the opportunity to see the toughest contest sport has to offer, right there in the flesh – all because the ARL wants to broaden its horizons.

Origin will be played at the Telstra Dome in 2009, meaning the Maroons will not have the critical two game home advantage next season.

If anyone can see positives in this move it is the Blues. They have lost the last three Origin series to the Maroons and are up against it again next year.

But consider them favourites next season because they will not have to contend with a return trip to Lang Park – the true home of Origin football.

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The Crowd Says (13) | Page 1 of Comments

oikee said | November 3rd 2008 @ 10:10am | Report comment

Its good to play the 3 games at and in different staes Alan. No team then has a advantage, and also the queensland league fans flock to melbourne for this game, who cares if melbourne dont like the game, you cant deny the fact its a true contest at the highest level. I for one will be off to the game and i am sure their is plenty more who give anything to get behind the team.

Also the ever increasing storm supporters will be there. I would also like to see the game go to perth if they can get a good stadium built in the future. We also hopefully will see maybe a tonga verse samoa game being introduced next year, maybe they could play that at suncorp as well, would also get a good following.

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True Tah said | November 3rd 2008 @ 10:17am | Report comment

Alan I dont know about hundreds of thousands of NSW residents being deprived of Origin, when they struggle to sellout Homebush Stadium.

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Michael C said | November 3rd 2008 @ 10:37am | Report comment

oikee -

reality is that playing a NRL SoO match in Melbourne just makes plainly obvious that the Storm is represented by relocated QLD and NSW lads. And that Victoria not just isn’t ‘competitive’ in SoO, but, doesn’t have any known representatives in the NRL. (if there are, forgive me, I’ve not seen any mention of them – although there might be a Vic acadmey ‘graduate’ on the books at South Sydney??

btw – do you recall back in about 1990, a NSW ‘SoO’ side defeated a very good Victoria ‘A’ side on a very wet SCG – - – granted, that included players from Corowa, Albury etc, and the ACT too I believe, and bent most rules to include guys as readily as possible – - such that the joke was if you’d ever flown across part of NSW that you qualified.

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alan nicolea said | November 3rd 2008 @ 11:21am | Report comment

Oikee

Origin is all about Qld and NSW. origin just wont be the same in Melbourne. When they played the Origin in 2006 at the Dome, the atmosphere was not the same for me. If league wants to promote the game, internationals should be played more often at the venue. but Origin should stand alone as a NSW and QLD thing. That is what makes it so special after all.

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oikee said | November 3rd 2008 @ 11:34am | Report comment

Not aware of that game M.C but as you know there is plenty of juniors coming through in melbourne, give it time. we only have got serious about melbourne the last 10 years unlike rules which has been played in other states for the last 150 years .
Alan i know what you are saying, and that telstra dome is not a good league or soccer or union ground as you are 2 far away from the action, but give it time and hopefully when they get that new stadium built we could see a nice cosy 35 thousand attend. Thats the trouble with melbourne, they only know aussie rules and have not really catered for other codes.

We might have better opportunity in Perth future. Still the dome is good if the atmosphere is right, with the queensland crowd you get that, hopefully we get 20 thousand queenslanders down there hey.

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Mokicat said | November 3rd 2008 @ 1:29pm | Report comment

Alan do you really mean the ‘ARU promotes a code that is not attractive to Melbourne audiences’. After Saturdays snorefest in Hong Kong that code is not attractive any where.

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Alan Nicolea said | November 3rd 2008 @ 3:23pm | Report comment

Mokifat

That was Union played in Hong Kong not league. I’m sure League would have provided the hong kong faithful with more tries and open play, just like the Kangaroos did against England at the Dome

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Millster said | November 3rd 2008 @ 3:35pm | Report comment

Umm… Alan… I would not be highlighting Aust V England as a good example of any sport anywhere on the planet. You could barely even call it a contest. Kind of equivalent to Manchester United playing the Acacia Ridge under 13′s. Though I agree the Bledislowe in HK wasn’t the best either, although at least both sides were competitive. But anyway, on this comment, and going back to your post before where you say “If league wants to promote the game, internationals should be played more often” I think quite the opposite. League internationals currently do nothing at all for the game when they involve Australia, in fact they make it look a touch ridiculous. SoO is much better at promoting a skilled hard-competed contest.

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Alan Nicolea said | November 3rd 2008 @ 5:45pm | Report comment

Millister

I think SOO should stand on its own. Its the pinnacle of rugby league in Australia and when the rest of the world, let alone melbourne, know what league is about, then Origin should be played in those parts of the world. If it reaches that stage, no doubt league will be a great success.

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Michael C said | November 3rd 2008 @ 7:48pm | Report comment

Alan nicolea -

Melbourne has been exposed to State of Origin RL semi regularly since 1994.

The main benefit for Melbourne is for interstaters to fly in for it – good for business, as, the Northerners (heat affected) don’t like coming to town for the Storm as it’s too cold.

Personally, back when the VFL reigned and Vic vs SA was the pinnacle State of Origin, sheesh, why the heck would you play it in Sydney?? But, back then, we only played 1 game for each match up, and having more than 2 primary states makes it harder to work out……..especially when there’s another 125-150 or so players representing the ‘minor’ states. If the Vics manage to one day have 3 or 4 players………….which state will they be permitted to ‘qualify’ for?

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