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If you live in NSW, are passionate about rugby league and support the Blues, it’s fair to say that the last ten years have been grim.
We all know the stats because our friends from Queensland have relentlessly reminded us of them. But in case you had forgotten, since 2006 New South Wales has only won one State of Origin Series.
One.
This is a source of tremendous shame for Blues supporters who hold onto the 2014 series like a beacon of light in what is otherwise, darkness.
NSW fans recall the 12-8 victory by NSW in Game I of that winning series with tries to Brett Morris and Jarryd Hayne. Trent Hodkinson is remembered as a hero after he scored the try that ended Queensland’s eight-series dominance in Game II. The photo of Jarryd Hayne running toward and then embracing the sea of blue before breaking down in tears is still shared and it is still one of my favourite Origin moments of all time.
The 32-8 thrashing of the Blues by the Maroons in Game III is of course, forgotten.
State of Origin is one of the biggest moments on the rugby league calendar. It might be the biggest.
As early as March, people begin thinking about their team and it only takes one good performance for players to be suggested by fans as State of Origin ‘smokies’. When game day comes the rivalry is fierce and nothing is more important than defeating your rival from across the border.
But why do we get so excited about State of Origin? What has created this rivalry and ferocity about a domestic game? Why can’t we get this excited about some of the other fixtures throughout the year? Would we still be so focused on the concept if Queensland had not been so dominant in the last ten years?
Despite a number of other important fixtures on the rugby league calendar, none even come close to matching the hype and rivalry that surround State of Origin.
The men’s All Stars game at the beginning of the year has struggled as a concept. While the meaning and importance of this game is very obvious for the Indigenous All Stars, the World All Stars are a muddle with very little binding them together other than the fact that they play rugby league and in recent years, it has certainly shown on the field.
The City versus Country fixture has also lost its meaning over time to the point where this year, Bulldogs coach Des Hasler made it clear that he did not want any of his players picked in the team, citing a ‘four-day turn around’ as the reason.
Despite this, Des is very happy for his players to be eligible for Origin, because it is a ‘different spectacle’. It’s an interesting move by the NRL and NSWRL to allow coaches to dictate when their players are/are not available for representative selection (and for me, if clubs do not take the fixtures seriously, why should fans?)
It’s a shame that these games have lost some of the shine associated with them.
The City versus Country game was once an important celebration of the number of players that came from the bush and was an indication of the NRL’s commitment to country rugby league. It was also a good chance to take rugby league to regional Australia and use the fixture as a tool to help continue to grow the game in the bush.
The All Stars concept clearly needs a bit of a refresh, but you can’t doubt the value of this game, particularly after watching the pre-match rituals performed by the Indigenous All Stars Team this year. In a sporting landscape where other codes have had issues with racism and acceptance of Indigenous players, I do not see these issues in rugby league.
This is not, of course, only due to the All Stars game, but it certainly plays an important part in encouraging tolerance, acceptance and diversity across the game.
Most disappointing of all though is that we can’t seem to generate a similar sense of hype and excitement ahead of Representative Round this weekend, particularly in a Rugby League World Cup year.
As a game, there is tremendous opportunity in this space and Australia has a responsibility to help grow the game internationally, particularly among our Pacific neighbours where an increasing number of our first-grade footballers are coming from.
I hope that one day we are in a position where international rugby league is celebrated and anticipated in the same way that State of Origin is and a ticket to the Pacific Test is as valuable as a ticket to State of Origin Game III.
The tide might be changing, particularly with the quality of teams announced ahead of the Pacific Test on Saturday and the interest in seeing England take on Samoa in what should be a very competitive clash. My hope is that this weekend will spark an increased interest in international rugby league which is timely considering the start of the Rugby League World Cup in October.
For the moment, there’s no doubt that other than the finals, that the three State of Origin games command the most attention in the rugby league calendar.
It truly is a spectacle and is watched by people across the country whether they are die-hard rugby league supporters, the casual fan or someone who tunes in to a couple of select games a year.
So let the build-up begin and if you’re from NSW and already getting stitched up by your friends in Queensland and need something to brag to your Queensland mates about, I have a small gem for you.
In 2016, the NSW women’s team won the Interstate Challenge for the first time in 17 years defeating Queensland by 8-4 and bringing the Nellie Doherty Cup to New South Wales for the first time.
If you want to talk about breaking a Queensland dynasty, this should be your go-to moment.
There’s a lot of emotion around State of Origin and I know how keen many fans are to see the Blues win the series this year. This exact emotion was on show last year in that historic victory with plenty of tears and ‘stacks on’ after the game with the NSW women’s team being able to celebrate for the first time after an Origin.
This year’s team has already been announced and I’m confident that with a team including Jillaroos like Sammy Bremner, Caitlin Moran, Allana Ferguson, Maddie Studdon, Corban McGregor, Ruan Sims and Elianna Walton, a new dynasty will begin.
Hopefully the men can follow suit later this month.