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Origin’s greatest of all time: Part 2 - Queensland

24th May, 2016
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Wally Lewis and Artie Beetson. (AAP Image/Gillian Ballard)
Expert
24th May, 2016
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The Queensland side for Origin 1 was selected yesterday, and much like the plot of any Tom Cruise blockbuster, there were very few surprises.

The recipe for Queensland success is a relatively simple one: start with a handful of future Immortals, add a generous portion of Broncos and Cowboys, sprinkle in a few talented youngsters, and leave to set.

On Monday, I compiled a list of the greatest New South Wales players to ever don a Blue jersey. As a proud New South Welshman, the exercise was difficult but thoroughly enjoyable. Having the luxury to choose between Brad Fittler and Laurie Daley at five-eighth is a selector’s wet dream.

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As I sat down to compile a similar list of Queenslanders, I found the task depressingly easy.

So many State of Origin greats wore Maroon. Blokes like Lockyer, Lewis and Meninga are automatic selections.

I now realise that the toughest job Mal Meninga had as Queensland selector over the past decade was picking a suitable venue for the inevitable victory celebrations.

Fullback: Darren Lockyer (36) – Lockyer is arguably the most accomplished State of Origin campaigner of all time. During a representative career spanning 14 years and a record 36 appearances, the Broncos legend captained Queensland on 22 occasions, and led his side to six series victories.

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Lockyer achieved man of the match honours playing at both fullback and five-eighth, and was awarded the Wally Lewis medal for player of the series in 2006.

His eventual retirement from representative footy was met by jubilant scenes not witnessed in Sydney since Bob Hawke inhaled a schooner of Tooheys New among the crowd at the SCG during the 2012 New Year’s test.

Wing: Dale Shearer (26) and Billy Slater (27) – Shearer was severely afflicted by the three-year itch, touring six teams in a decorated 14-year club career, but he remained a constant presence in the Queensland side for the better part of a decade.

Debuting for the Maroons at the tender age of 19, ‘Rowdy’ embodied the infamous Queensland spirit and resilience – and would certainly need it after retiring from the game. In the span of three years, Shearer lost his wife to cancer, was critically injured in an automobile accident, and almost went bankrupt. Only a true Queenslander could endure such a horror stretch and make it out the other side.

While Billy Slater is best known for his brilliance at fullback, Queensland recently passed a law making it mandatory for Darren Lockyer to be included in lists such as these. Hence, Slater gets nudged out to the wing. Not he is unfamiliar with this role.

Slater’s debut series on the wing in 2004 cemented his position in Origin folklore, with that unforgettable display of chip-and-chase cheek resulting in one of the greatest interstate tries to date. A horrible harbinger of things to come for NSW.

Centre: Greg Inglis (27) and Mal Meninga (32) – As a Blues supporter, I struggle to sit through any discussion on the Origin heroics of Inglis without sprinting for the nearest atlas and indignantly prodding my finger at the NSW township of Kempsey.

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But even as I endure the torture of watching Inglis destroy NSW each year, I cannot help but marvel at his unrivalled skill set. Inglis was blessed with a unique combination of blistering speed and a hulking frame which makes him almost unstoppable in one-on-one situations.

Despite winning a Clive Churchill medal in the halves and a premiership for South Sydney at fullback, Inglis’ decorated Origin career, which thus far includes 17 tries in only 27 appearances, has been spent in the centres. The one that got away.

A quick read of Big Mal’s CV would make even the most accomplished man feel inadequate. Bundaberg’s favourite son achieved more in his playing career than the entire rosters of the Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans combined. Meninga won multiple premierships, was awarded countless individual accolades, captained his club, state and country, and set a host of records along the way.

Finding something Mal did not achieve in the game of rugby league would be rarer than locating a Danny Wielder article without the mention of Sonny Bill Williams.

Five-eighth: Wally Lewis (31) – State of Origin would not be where it is today without The King. Lewis took part in the inaugural Origin fixture in 1980, and spent the next decade under the skin of New South Wales supporters.

Lewis was like a recurring nightmare in Sydney. He would disappear into the wilderness of the Queensland state competition, and just when the Blues had finally forgotten about him, he would burst back onto the Origin arena and dominate with his lethal mixture of fearless physicality and inspiring leadership.

Put simply, Wally owns State of Origin.

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Halfback: Johnathan Thurston (33) – JT debuted for the Maroons in 2005, and after controversially receiving injections of Adamantium directly into his skeleton, the wiry Queenslander has not missed a game since.

His superhuman durability is matched only by his ceaseless competitive drive. Thurston’s will to win is so pronounced, he holds the record at the Townsville RSL for the fastest consumption of a chicken parmy, despite numerous challenges from famished locals.

It is no coincidence that Queensland embarked on their historic run of series victories once JT took control of the side.

Props: Arthur Beetson (1) and Shane Webcke (21) – When big Artie Beetson cocked his right arm and slugged his Parramatta teammate Mick Cronin, State of Origin was born. That historic haymaker became the foundation from which Origin was built – state against state, mate against mate.

While Beetson played only the single game for the Maroons, it was the manner in which he approached the contest which will forever hold a place in Queensland hearts.

Bigpond Webcke was the centrepiece of a ferocious Queensland forward pack during the turn of the century. One can only assume that his heart was as generously proportioned as the rest of his body, as he showed remarkable courage to always volunteer for the vicious opening hit-up of any encounter.

Although the year escapes me, I still have vivid memories of Webcke being handed the ball from the kick-off, his foot almost touching the Maroon dead ball line. The lion-hearted prop proceeded to pin the ears back and charge into the oncoming wave of blue. He must have bounced off half a dozen shoulders and lost half a dozen teeth in the ensuing carnage, but he made it back to the field of play.

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That’s how you inspire a team.

Hooker: Cameron Smith (36) – No player better personifies the adage that you should not judge a book by its cover. While he more closely resembles your uncle’s accountant than a rugby league superstar, Smith has shown incredible toughness throughout his glittering interstate career.

Thanks to the longevity of a Barossa Shiraz, the Storm hooker is poised to overtake Lockyer as the most capped Queenslander in Origin history. Like a skilled puppet master, Smith is at his scheming best when you don’t even notice he’s there.

Second row: Gorden Tallis (17) and Gene Miles (20) – Gordy’s fiery temperament was tailor-made for Origin football. The maniacal gleam in his eyes was often so terrifying that match officials were reluctant to blow their whistle when Tallis was standing close by, for fear of setting him off.

Gordie was the quintessential Queenslander, seeming to grow in stature the second he pulled that Maroon jersey over his rather bulbous noggin.

Former NSW fullback Brett Hodgson is plagued by nightmares of Tallis grabbing him by the collar and hammer throwing him across the sideline. To this very day, Hodgson refuses to step foot on a farm, for fear of encountering another Raging Bull.

Debuting for the Brisbane Broncos in the centres, Miles shifted into the second row later in his career and quickly established himself as a dominant ball-playing forward. Miles became known for using his towering frame to skilfully force one handed, basketball style offloads.

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The Townsville native was a key contributor to the Queensland side that achieved a series clean sweep in 1989, which was his final season in maroon.

Lock: Trevor Gillmeister (22) – Of all the players I have ever watched, Gillmeister possessed the most devastating defensive combination of pure technique and crushing brute force. Queensland wielded ‘The Axe’ with precise power, giving Gilly license to sprint out of the line and annihilate NSW ball carriers, which he did to painful effect.

One of Gillmeister’s finest moments in Maroon was captaining Paul Vautin’s much-maligned side to an improbable 3-0 series victory in 1995. And while a lifetime of rugby league has left Gilly with a face like a dropped pie, so beloved is the Origin hero that from Townsville to Toowoomba, the XXXX is forever on the house.

Coach: Mal Meninga (30) – If only things had gone a little differently during Mal’s run for the electorate of Molonglo in 2001, NSW might have won more than a single series in the last decade.

After 31 seconds of pain and with his political career in the crapper, Meninga put his hand up for the Queensland Origin job. Turned out he was a half-decent coach.

Starting in 2006, Mal guided the Maroons to victory in nine out of the next ten series, including a ridiculous eight series wins in a row.

Mercifully, Meninga has handed the reigns over to Kevin Walters for the upcoming series.

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Greatest Queensland Team of All Time

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