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Let's move on folks, time to leave the Origin cliches behind

Bring back the good old fashioned Origin scraps and lower the admission prices. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Roar Rookie
24th May, 2016
28

Both teams have been announced, which means Origin is now officially here. Within a few days we will have gone through the obligatory dissection of both teams and declared how bad the NSW selection panel is (again).

After that, we will be left with the excruciating cliché period.

This is the time when, while the rest of us are trying to have a sensible conversation and share ideas and opinions about the games to come, there will be a number among us who cannot get past the same tired arguments that don’t advance anyone’s knowledge or lead anywhere.

Here are some ‘arguments’ that will be trotted out at some point within the next week, and will not stop until approximately two days after full time in Game 3.

More Origin
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» Thanks for the memories Hoffman, Ennis and Scott
» The big losers from NSW’s Origin team announcement
» NSW Blues team for State of Origin Game 1: Expert reaction
» No excuse for NSW come Game 1

Loyalty
Yes, we know Queensland have picked a largely unchanged side for the past ten years, while NSW have chopped and changed every year. What we also know is that it’s a whole lot easier to be loyal when your selection ‘menu’ includes all delicacies Queensland have.

The NSW selectors, on the other hand, are perusing an RSL club bistro menu, and not a great one at that, so putting together an inspired feast is much more difficult.

So let’s please all remember that NSW had plenty of loyalty when we had a steady stream of legends lacing up the boots.

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Where is Greg Inglis from?
Just to show this article is unbiased, I’m from NSW… So can we please get over the Greg Inglis thing? Please!

Whatever the backstory, whatever the result, he’s played for Queensland for many years and is probably approaching retirement in a couple of years, so let’s let it go. In the world championship of pointless arguments, this is a clear favourite.

Nothing is gained by trotting this out every year. It’s like being divorced for ten years and still constantly reminding your ex-wife that she cheated on you with your best mate. She knows that. She did it on purpose because she liked him better than you. And she enjoyed it. Have some dignity. Move on.

Passion
Alright, if there was some magical passion-meter whereby you could measure the aggregate passion level of players and fans on both sides, it’s probably true that Queensland would be ahead. But this is another one of those arguments that leads nowhere and does nothing.

Queenslanders say NSW has no passion. NSW says ‘Nuh uh’. Queensland says ‘Do not’. NSW says ‘Do too’.

You see where I’m going here.

We have better things to discuss here than to drag out old, pointless debates about nothing in particular. There may possibly be a connection to the loyalty thing here. When you’ve been smashed for nine out of ten years, sure some of the passion may have ebbed out us.

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But cast your mind back to the glory days and remember the images of Steve Roach, Mark Geyer and Paul Harragon standing toe-to-toe with the Cane Toads, and there was plenty of passion there.

Tommy Raudonikis had passion coming out of his ears. Sure it’s misguided and ill-advised, but definitely there. Paul Gallen tried to manufacture a bit of theatrical passion on Nate Myles a couple of years ago, but it was about as inspiring as a second hand Toyota Camry.

The passion is definitely there. We just need something to be passionate about.

Other honourable mentions for arguments that have been done to death are: Mal can’t really coach (doesn’t matter now anyway), Sam Thaiday is third man in to any fight, bring back the biff, and NSW (or Queensland, this one seems to go both ways somehow) gets lenient treatment at the judiciary the week before Origin.

So I plead with fellow Roarers to leave behind the tired clichés and find some new things to talk about. Let’s marvel at the possibility that David Klemmer may rip out a man’s heart and eat it. Let’s be awestruck that Corey Parker can leave his walking frame on the sideline and still outplay NSW.

Hell, I’ll even take a Mitchell Pearce dog joke over the pointless repetition I hear every year.

Origin is exciting. Let’s keep it that way.

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