Origin in Melbourne is great for rugby league in Victoria
Roar Guru By Cameron Larkin, 23 Feb 2012 Cameron Larkin is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Dane Nielsen, Greg Inglis, NSW Blues, Queensland Maroons, State Of Origin, State of Origin 2012
169 Have your say
4,425 readsFor the sixth time in NRL State of Origin history, the canetoads and cockroaches will clash in Melbourne, this time in game one of the series.
It will be the second time that the series will kickoff in Melbourne. The first, in 2009, saw Queensland win 28-18 in front of 50,967. Melbourne Storm fans were treated several times, with Greg Inglis crossing the line for two tries and Billy Slater one.
Being a passionate rugby league fan, I was thrilled when the NRL announced that one of the greatest rivalries in sport would be again making the trip south.
To have game one of the State of Origin being played away from the two powerful league states is massive news for rugby league in Melbourne.
Melbourne would challenge any other location worldwide for sporting passion. One thing is guaranteed – the game will be a sell out. Passionate fans and casual observers alike will don either blue or maroon to get behind their team.
Besides the profits generated via gate takings and sponsorship, the game will have a hugely positive impact for rugby league in an AFL-mad state.
The game is continuing to grow in Victoria. Like any sport, support starts at the grass roots – in the schools. Although AFL rules Victoria, 50,000 school children attended rugby league school programs in 2010.
School camps like this provide pathways for prospective league players who traditionally didn’t have many opportunities outside of Australian Rules football.
In Victoria, the NRL and Melbourne Storm will always be second to the all-powerful AFL. However, the Storm’s crowd numbers continue to rise and the colour purple increasingly lines the Yarra River on game day.
Aside from those attending the match, the game will promote league in other ways. In the lead-up to the series, Victorian newspapers and television will be unusually full of rugby league.
Being a Victorian, I chose many years ago to side with the Maroons. This is partly because my father is from New South Wales and I wanted to create an inter-family rivalry.
I have grown up cheering the likes of Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Alfie Langer and Fatty Vautin. Now, I cheer for Cam Smith, Billy Slater and Jonathan Thurston.
Last year Melbourne fans were fortunate enough to have 2011 Wally Lewis Medal winner and Melbourne Storm captain Smith along with crowd favourite and 2011 Dally M Medal winner Slater starring in the Queensland side.
In addition to Smith and Billy, Storm boys Cooper Cronk and Dane Nielsen were in the team. All four are likely to be back in the maroon jersey this year.
Game two of the series will be back in Sydney at ANZ Stadium. Game three, the potential decider, will take place at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium with Queensland aiming to win their seventh straight State of Origin series.
February 23rd 2012 @ 8:27am
Paul said | February 23rd 2012 @ 8:27am | Report comment
You should be ashamed of yourself. SOO,Test Matches even city v Country is about heritage for me. You Dad was a Blue you grew up in Melb and you support QLD, thats a disgrace, Didnt you get along with your oldman or something ? You were suppose to go to the game or watch on TV and cheer along with your dad, not be disrespectful to him just for the sake of it. Shame on you. You prob think its ok that Ingliss plays for the Toads aswell?
Go The BLUES
February 23rd 2012 @ 8:40am
Patrick Angel said | February 23rd 2012 @ 8:40am | Report comment
Lol, it starts earlier every season.
February 23rd 2012 @ 8:56am
Paul said | February 23rd 2012 @ 8:56am | Report comment
Lol, it never stops !!
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:30am
Cameron Larkin said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Ha ha, calm down. Nah got along well – the old wager makes it a good time watching the game.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:42am
Paul said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:42am | Report comment
lol, i get so passionate about it my wife goes out, If i had a bet aswell i think id explode lol
February 23rd 2012 @ 8:36am
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Its certainly great news for the Victorian economy with huge numbers from the RL States descending on Melbourne. I remember the crowd at Etihad in 2009, I’d say 80% had NSW or QLD jumpers, the rest Storm fans and the odd corporate guest like myself.
Long may it continue, it all helps to strengthen Melbourne’s grip as the number one domestic tourist location in Australia, a position it holds due to an events strategy that dates back to the mid 1990s.
February 23rd 2012 @ 9:16am
Boomshanka said | February 23rd 2012 @ 9:16am | Report comment
That’s right Redb, you just keep telling yourself that no self respecting Victorian would actually pay to go to a Rugby league game in Melbourne. They all Kiwis, Queenslanders and expat New South Welshmen.
Shame when the fans stay on in Melbourne for the weekend they have to endure a four hour delay to watch rugby league on the Friday night. Demonstrates quite nicely to all who visit why and how the AFL is the top rating game south of the Barassi Line.
February 23rd 2012 @ 9:32am
me, I like football said | February 23rd 2012 @ 9:32am | Report comment
Yeah, that has to be the reason :rolleyes:
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:01am
B.A Sports said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:01am | Report comment
Everything is delayed by four hours in Melbourne. Ever tried to catch a plane out of the joint!?!
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:02am
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:02am | Report comment
RedB
Always a pleasure to do our bit for the Victorian economy.
Read the same stuff from you before.Cut and paste LOL.
And perhaps as you polled every attendee at that SOO,you extrapolated they were all born north of the Murray,were Nz expats ,and there was no born and bred Victorian ,worthy of mention apart from yourself,in attendance.
Scoop! we have now established there are northerners ,residing in Victoria,some may be actually Storm fans,but there are no Victorian true believers who attended, unless it was a freebie.Crikey there may be a couple of ru fans in attendance ,wearing a Maroon or Blues jumper.
That’s the trouble with promotions ,sometimes they are demonstrated in non heartland areas,how unimaginative.
if 80-90% wore respective jumpers,one can suggest the merchandise counters were doing OK.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:14am
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:14am | Report comment
I only reporting a first hand account.
No self respecting Victorian would wear a NSW or QLD jumper. Your dreaming.
Most Vics would support QLD but would hardly purchase a jumper.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:23am
Pot Stirrer said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Red B, all your posts are just the same old dribble, Biased,negative, & uninformed. How about you have an original idea
and post something intelligent for a change.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:31am
Brian said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:31am | Report comment
Unfortunately Redb those supporters will spend a drop in the ocean compared to what us AFL fans in Victoria are doing to subsidise the NSW economy through GWS. Every year TV rights money paid because Victorians watch AFL is streamed into GWS.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:38am
Boris said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:38am | Report comment
With respect Brian, whoise fault is that?
Red B has a point in saying that Vics wouldn’t buy a Qld or NSW jumper. If there was an AFL game between Qld and Victoria I might poke along but I wouldn’t buy a jersey of either state as I’m from NSW.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:58am
Boomshanka said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:58am | Report comment
I’ve lived in victoria for the last 15 years ( I pay taxes and contribute to the economy down here – so call me a victorian).
I bought a Queensland Maroon shirt in Melbourne a couple of years ago so it does happen.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:41am
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:41am | Report comment
Well techinically Brian it’s TV money from networks based in Sydney & generated by subscriptions to Foxtel that has a greater base comes from NSW/QLD.
Vic fans pay membership to their clubs.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:32am
Cameron Larkin said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:32am | Report comment
Good call Pot Stirrer.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:34am
clipper said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:34am | Report comment
Redb – your reporting corresponds with what people from Sydney who went down last time have told me. A very informed comment about how no Victorian would ever wear a NSW or QLD jumper. It does make me wonder if Australia could do a little better if all the states didn’t hate each other so much, put that belongs to politics and the need to abolish the state structure.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:39am
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:39am | Report comment
Clipper, yep & the irony of most of these comments is that they were not at Etihad in 2009.
February 23rd 2012 @ 4:51pm
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 4:51pm | Report comment
And to the people who reside in Victoria and attended,you no doubt canvassed them in toto Clipper LOL.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:34am
Football United said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:34am | Report comment
thats rubbish. Heaps of Vic RL supporters have QLD and NSW heritage and eagerly stock up on new merch every year
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:16am
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:16am | Report comment
Storm ave crowd is 10-12k, 50k at Etihad.
February 23rd 2012 @ 1:07pm
Boomshanka said | February 23rd 2012 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
And growing!
2010 Storm Average Crowd 14,340
2011 Storm Average Crowd 14,897
February 23rd 2012 @ 4:52pm
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 4:52pm | Report comment
Wrong again RedB.
February 23rd 2012 @ 5:51pm
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 5:51pm | Report comment
Origin game was in 2009.
February 23rd 2012 @ 8:42pm
p.Tah said | February 23rd 2012 @ 8:42pm | Report comment
Boom, but their home attendance is going the other way
2010 14670
2011 14244… But really it’s minimal difference.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:42am
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:42am | Report comment
Insecurity RedB,that seems to be the theme of your trolling.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:48am
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:48am | Report comment
Insecure how? I said long may it continue. lol
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:15am
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:15am | Report comment
Repeating the same old excuse or apparent intimate knowledge of every rl attendee in Victoria,as to their origin and preferences,as soon as any rl match is mentioned in that state.Alarm bells ringing!
If one was secure within themselves,they would consider it no big deal and get on with life,instead of pretending to speak for all who attended..
February 26th 2012 @ 5:33pm
Boomshanka said | February 26th 2012 @ 5:33pm | Report comment
I was there.
Redb doesn’t speak for me, nor I feel the people around me, who came from Melton, Glen Waverley and a bloke from Geelong, who well and truly converted to rugby league.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:14am
Renegade said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:14am | Report comment
The quality of posts from Redb is declining at a fast rate, they seem to be getting more and more delusional….
February 23rd 2012 @ 9:26am
Mark said | February 23rd 2012 @ 9:26am | Report comment
It is a fact thousands of interstates fly to Melbourne.
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February 23rd 2012 @ 9:44am
Mark said | February 23rd 2012 @ 9:44am | Report comment
Well……. They must all be Victorians hey. Roll my eyes!!!!!
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February 23rd 2012 @ 10:04am
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:04am | Report comment
No one suggested there were no interstate attendees.it ahppens in ALL codes.
February 23rd 2012 @ 9:57am
Xman said | February 23rd 2012 @ 9:57am | Report comment
Interesting these claims that RL is growing in Melbourne. What exactly is this opinion based on? Only a single year’s participation rates were quoted in this article so this cannot be used to gauge growth. The Melbourne Storm have also failed to grow with more people attending their year 2000 season than last year, despite the fact they now play in a spanking new stadium, and their regular appearances in the NRL GF, 5 times in 14 years. Once they become a mediocre team their crowds will dwindle even further.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:40am
oikee said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:40am | Report comment
The Storm are better supported outside Melbourne. You have to laugh.
You are better off living in London than Melbourne if you want to watch the Storm, they show them live.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:45am
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:45am | Report comment
New teams formed in teh juniors such as the NW Wolves.
Hmm a salary cap scandal in 2010 hardly conducie to growth incrowd numbers in 2011.
Yes Xman all mediocre teams in non heartland areas ,will suffer downturns.Keep that in mind with your mob.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:47am
Pot Stirrer said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:47am | Report comment
My opinion is based on you reading and posting on RL sites and knowing the the stats for the Storm. There are 50 times more AFL fans reading and commenting on RL articles that for me its pretty clear theres more closet RL fans in Melb than vice a versa. Also funny how you all get Jealous about SOO or Test Matches becuase AFL cant offer any thing but your standard comp that can only be won by 3 or 4 teams every year. Unless you count the crap Gaelic Footy thats only plaayed in Ireland who havent won a Major Team sporting event in anything. But they can beat you!!
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:47am
samwise said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Only won by 3 or 4 teams every year? Hardly.
Many sports struggle to have a consistently diverse mix of finalists. At least none of the leagues in Australia are anything like the Scottish Premier League!
February 23rd 2012 @ 7:11pm
steve.h said | February 23rd 2012 @ 7:11pm | Report comment
Ireland has won the 6 nations and triple crown and munster won the Heineken Cup, but I understand what you getting at.
February 23rd 2012 @ 12:03pm
Cman said | February 23rd 2012 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
Same could be said about the AFL in Sydney, TV rating are so bad the Swans can’t beat their Saturday night nemesis, the Iron Chef after millions and millions spent over 32 year in Sydney despite the fact they have regular appearances in the finals and 2 AFL GF. Once they become a mediocre team their TV ratings will dwindle even further.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:34am
Boris said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:34am | Report comment
It’s crap that a showpiece match between NSW and Qld is being played in Victoria ‘to grow the game’. It should be in NSW or Qld fullstop.
Even if some Victorians are interested in the game it does not involve a team from their state so it shouldn’t be there.
Also the game would be well attended anywhere and the composition of the crowd doesn’t really matter does it? It’s the number of bums on seats that gets recorded.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:20am
Jeff McGinn said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:20am | Report comment
Where it does make sense is that neither team has an unfair advantage of two home games… SOO is a true spectacle that raises passions and may it stay that way forever!. Racing has the Melbourne Cup, Cricket – The Ashes, Soccer the FA Cup … AFL has …. whoops what do they have?… lol
February 24th 2012 @ 12:26pm
oikee said | February 24th 2012 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
Hey Boris, you have got to love Frank’s passion i read this morning on a site.
Vistoria and New Zealand first need to earn the right to hold the series. They need to suffer years of abuse, neglect, bad calls, backroom deals, player pilfering and biased decisions from NSW before they could ever understand what Origin is all about. We need it to stay in QLD as we still need to take it all in as we grind the opposition into the Lang Park turf. We still have a lot of healing to do and the best therapy for us is always a good thrashing of the Blues at Lang Park. Only when we are satisfied, then we may consider giving thought to giving the game to another venue.
February 26th 2012 @ 7:01pm
Ticker said | February 26th 2012 @ 7:01pm | Report comment
rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes rolleyes
You’ve won six in a row. Enough with the siege mentality already.
Save your whinging for the ref after the Blues taste glory in 2012.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:42am
Boris said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:42am | Report comment
“In Victoria, the NRL and Melbourne Storm will always be second to the all-powerful AFL.”
Debatable statement. The Rebels and Victory appear to edge the Storm and Heart are on the rise too.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:48am
oikee said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:48am | Report comment
They are one team Boris, nobody is saying they are bigger than afl in Melbourne. The Storm are doing fine.
If you dont like them Boris, dont worry about them, ignore them.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:16am
Boris said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:16am | Report comment
And I didn’t say they are bigger than AFL oikee. The Rebels, Victory and Heart are not AFL teams. I don’t have a problem with the Storm but they are one of several non-AFL clubs in Melbourne, and I’m not sure that any of them is significantly above the others.
February 23rd 2012 @ 10:52am
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
At the risk of being accused of trolling, the statement is correct, certainly for the foreseeable future.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:46am
Cman said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:46am | Report comment
With the new ARL commission and massive TV money coming into RL I to would start to be very worried if I were you Redb.
The AFL couldn’t take RL down when it was on it’s knees and had one arm tied behind its back a few years ago.
Be afraid, Be very afraid!
February 23rd 2012 @ 12:22pm
oikee said | February 23rd 2012 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
Like Mrs Bucket, i say this in the nicest possible way. So rugby league around the world is doing society a service. We account for the poeple others leave behind. It just so happens that these people are the meanest, nastiest hardcore dont look at me i will tear you a new one types of players our game needs. We then go about turning these people into angels, which we do really well, better than any other code.
In the animal world, rugby league would be known as the bottom feeders, take away the bottom feeders and your tank becomes dirty very quickly, you all want dirty tanks. ??? No, i thought not.
Rugby league fans on the other hand are the nicest people you would ever meet, i happen to be one of them.
So, Melbourne is very lucky to have Queenslanders decend on their city in the mids of winter. We normally dont venture to far away from home.
February 23rd 2012 @ 12:38pm
Redb said | February 23rd 2012 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
Oikee,
Enjoyed the chants of Queenslander.
February 23rd 2012 @ 12:51pm
oikee said | February 23rd 2012 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
Sits nicely along with a massive hit half way through Queenslnader, then becomes QueenslandWhoaaaa, yeah baby.
And i also got my post wrong, we try to turn them into angels, with Todd Carney, he is a dark Angel, and even now he is on his 7th chance at Cronulla. Still got our fingers crossed on that one.
We could have thrown him to the wolves, even they might have spit him out.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:18am
Crosscoder said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:18am | Report comment
The Storm are doing just fine,and formed a nice base on which to build.It’s all good RedB.
Look forward to Perth Reds v Storm matches in the future,with all those expat attendees.
February 23rd 2012 @ 5:15pm
Nathan of Perth said | February 23rd 2012 @ 5:15pm | Report comment
Perth Reds v Melbourne Storm would have homegrown fans and attendees because those will be critters of the local communities. I don’t know why people expect native Victorians to go any jump on a Qld v NSW bandwagon per se, though. Certainly any true son of the Swan who bought a NSW jersey without a very good excuse would be at risk of bring run out of town on a rail, ditto the V jumper of Victoria! That just isn’t kosher!
I’ll cheer on QLD because NSW is chock-full of New South Welshmen, which makes them hard to support, but its not done out of a great and abiding passion for all things Queensland.
This one is a weird one for me. State of Origin is a tremendous event and a tool for showcasing the game but in an oddball kind of way because it relies on state affinity its less likely to draw a particularly passionate crowd. But at the same time, its always a cracking game so its worth seeing.
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:38am
Matt_S said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:38am | Report comment
Storm actually averaged over 14,000, so they have gained 2000 new supporters, so that’s growth.
What time again can we watch the storm on TV in Victoria?
February 23rd 2012 @ 11:50am
samwise said | February 23rd 2012 @ 11:50am | Report comment
Can anyone tell me which team a Victorian, with no links or heritage to NSW or Qld, should support in origin? Perhaps I should just cheer for the annual punch-on or maybe just whichever team has more Storm players?
February 23rd 2012 @ 12:18pm
Renegade said | February 23rd 2012 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
NSW – because your geographically closer to us than the banana-benders up top!!
February 23rd 2012 @ 12:24pm
samwise said | February 23rd 2012 @ 12:24pm | Report comment
But maybe NSW is too close for comfort? Plus QLD has the golden one known as Billy…although I do feel that a NSW series win is due!
February 23rd 2012 @ 8:07pm
Football United said | February 23rd 2012 @ 8:07pm | Report comment
QLD, because as a vic you should hate NSW more.