Origin football - the best of all?

Well, we can criticise league all we like. Tonight in S-O-O 1, the standard was maintained. An absolute cracker! As a Queenslander, I'm over the moon. From 6-18 down at half-time to 25-18 at the end. Hell, I don't care about 5 tackles & a kick, or the repetitiveness, or the joke scrums. What I remember was passion, commitment, wonderful athletiscism, ball skills, jarring defence. And the oldest bloke Steve Price one of the best on field. These guys played as if they REALLY cared!

I will give Zac a chop out here. Being a born and bred Melbournian, just a few years ago I too would have scoffed at the headline. But having lived a couple of years in Sydney (and in Balmain when the Tigers made their magic run) I grew to have an appreciation of League. Origin is tough, hard footy in every sense. Some games are not highlight packages but they are tough brutal encounters where careers are defined and stained (look at Noddy!) The recent Tri nations finals have been tough affairs but nothing matches Origin for 20 years of bloodlust. The 'cattledog' The 'Queenslander!' all mixed in with mercurial tries (the maroons Miracle!) and fairytale endings (Alfie, Joey, Finchies droppie after getting the call up the day before) make it pure sports history being played out before your very eyes. The first ten minutes of the first origin each year (indeed all three) are the best thirty minutes in all of footy in my opinion. Go the Canetoads!

Sheek, you're right about the predominance of young talent gravitating towards league. This is because the ARU has failed miserably to take the game into the Western Suburbs of Sydney, and in particular into the "battler" schools. I believe that rightly or otherwise "Westies" still feel that the game is dominated by the Eastern Suburb/Lower North Shore private school types. As to the need to make rugby a high scoring spectacle, I believe that this is essentially an Australian phenomenon. You don't hear complaints about low scoring games in NZ or South Africa, probably because in those countries most people understand the game, and they're not trying to market to a new audience who, knowing very little about the game, need to be fed a diet of glitz and spectacle. Most of the pressure for changing the rules is not coming from either of NZ or South Africa.

Spiro, Must disagree strenuously with supporting the Blues (or the Waratahs)! I may have been born in PNG to parents born in country NSW towns, & attended boarding school in & now live in Sydney. However, I decided long ago to adopt Qld as my home state because its geographical location, climate & lefestyle was most similar to where I was born, & enjoyed my early life. So go the Maroons! And the Reds (hopefully next year)!! As they say Spiro.....great to be an Australian, even better to be a Queenslander! (Cheeky I know).

The State of Origin match is the real issue. It will be a thriller. Whether it is the best sporting event of all, as Zac rather provocatively suggested, is really only a deebating point. The reality is that the SOS, like the F.A Cup final, transcends the actual play. The tradition of the match, the attitude of the players and coaches going into it, and the passion invested in its outcome by supporters around the world and from many other codes, make it a Special Sporting Occasion. Let's enjoy seeing the Blues monster the Maroons. For people living in NSW, we are all Blues on State of Origin night.

Terry Kidd, I agree with you. Perhaps in a long-winded way, I said what you said. But with the rider, if you don't enjoy one of them, then let them be. Whilst ever Rugby fans bag league, they are taking the eye of their own game. One of my mantras is: Rugby doesn't have to be better than other sports, just the best that it can be for itself. Roger, Cute words, but in reality we don't live in isolation of other sports, & their potential effect on us. On the pitch, there are more than one similarity between union & league - similar playing area, similar playing strip, similar ball, similar running lines, similar tackling, similar passing & kicking, similar modes of scoring. Both codes share the name Rugby, & it's undeniable one beget the other. But it goes further than this. There are 11 playing positions (exclude Rugby props & locks, perhaps hooker) in Rugby that require the same body types as those in league. So we are in competition for playing types. At present league is winning the battle of securing both more & better talent. In addition to this, & in competition with AFL & Football, we are in competition for fans, newspaper coverage, TV exposure & corporate sponsorship, brand naming & merchandising sales. Rugby, like league, AFL & Football, is a professional sport. Further, professional sports are in the entertainment business. As much as it might pain some diehards to admit it, saying a 3-0 win is better than a 30-33 loss, no longer cuts the ice. Of course, we don't want basketball football either. Something in the middle of 3-0 & 30-33 would be ideal. Say 23-20. Anyway, Rugby can't ignore what its competitors are doing. It must concentrate on getting its own game right. But at the same time, be conscious of what other sports are doing. As for personal preference, it achieves nothing to bag other codes. One man's pleasure is another mans displeasure, etc, etc. I don't know, maybe we're all basically in agreement, just coming from different angles!

I am enjoying all the comments written and agree with Darryl. I enjoy both rugby and league. I have played both and reffed league. My point is that both games may be predictable or boring at times but both have great things to enjoy. Yes, League is simpler and easier for the fan to understand while rugby is more complex and really only understood if you have played the game. And therein lies the problem for rugby when it comes to fan support, they love the excitement of a wide open running rugby game but don't really understand the nuance of continual contest for the ball in a tighter game of rugby. Rugby and League are different games and we shouldn't bag either, just enjoy them for what they are.

As any good lawyer could argue , all sides are right . The devil is in in the definition. Often the only similarity between League and Union is they both use a similar ball.. It's like comparing Draughts and Chess because both are played on the same board. Or Snap and Poker because both can be played with an identical pack of cards. Or Mills and Boon ,and Steinbeck , because both are authors. There is only ONE benchmark that matters regardless of taste, DID YOU ENJOY IT ? Rugby Union is NOT in competion with Rugby League. Rugby Union is NOT in competiton with other football codes. Rugby Union as a viable business is competition for its share of the TOTAL disposable sporting and entertainment dollar in Australia. Rugby Unions success or otherwise, has nothing to do with either the perception or reality of Rugby League, be it good , bad ,or indifferent.. Does anybody think for one minute ,if for some reason or other Rugby League was not available for a season ,like recently occurred with Major League Baseball in America, there would be any long term increase in Rugby Union attendances.. Rugby Union must forget about Rugby League and focus on its own brand. To paraphrase an old truism, I cannot give you a formula for the commercial success of Rugby Union, but I can give the formula for failure ; TRY TO PLEASE EVERYBODY.

Spiro, The point I was trying to make is along the lines that no matter how much us Rugby types bag league, it's still ahead of us - at least on the east coast of Australia. Perhaps we should help make Rugby better than league, or at least the best it can be, before we go bagging league. I agree league is boring. But for whatever reasons, there are more people in NSW & Qld at present who think otherwise.

Great stuff Spiro. I completely agree. I think it's also worth mentioning that some people like there sport simple and some like it more complex where strategies have more impact. I think this is similar to film. Some of my mates like really pathetic movies in my oppinion, but they prefer these simple pleasures without having to concentrate too much I guess. I much prefer interesting plots, stirring emotions, and sometimes endings which don't make any sense (anything by David Lynch). Sport is exactly the same. I can still get excited about the skills and athletism of league or football - but give me the multi dimensional complexities of rugby anytime. And all of the codes when played at the highest level on the greatest stage can be brilliant entertainment.

Sheek There you go again. Whenever anyone points out the obvious design fault in rugby league, that it is essentially a predictable game, they begin to nag about 'league-bashing.' Accept it, league is predictable. The design fault in rugby is that it is anarchic. The set pieces can be a mess. There can be too much aimless, unstructured play which creates frustrations in the players and in the spectators. At their best, especially on big occasions like a State of Origin match or a Bledisloe Cup test, the design faults become strengths. There is nothing as stirring as a great league side rolling through its set of six tackles, like a division of tanks charging into the battle. And a ferocious and committed defensive line throwing their bodies at the charging opposition in an effort to stop the rush. And in rugby the unpredictability of the game can create a tension that is almost unbearable. Rugby league is rimed couplets on steroids. Rugby union is blank verse on steroids.

SOS is the Holy Grail of Australian rugby league. It is much harder to win SOO than it is to win the World Championship ,because to become World Champions Australia only needs to defeat teams from Great Britain ( selected from just four counties in the north of England ), the North Island of New Zealand , and Papua and New Guinea.. This is not to say SOO is not a marvellous spectacle, or many viewers including myself that rarely watch rugby league , do not find it compelling viewing . But all close contact sports like the Irish Hurling Championships in Galway are equally riveting for locals , when the final game means there is is no prize for numero two oh.. The succes of SOO does not translate into exponential increased attendances at matches throughout the season ,because rugby league is a television. product.High ratings numbers and minimum attendance figures, are not unusual . The secret appeal of SOO is In order to test himself against the very best in the world ,an Australian rugby league player is compelled to compete against his own countrymen , and they are drawn from only two states. A game made in Australian TV and media heaven.

well said sheek, and what a sad indictment it is...

Here we go again, people bagging league. I went down that path for many years, until I realised there was no point losing sleep over it. League is boring, league is one-dimensional, league is 5 hitups & a kick then repeat, league wouldn't enjoy its popularity without the massive media support, etc, etc, etc. Wellll, we can bag league all we like & there it is, still outperforming Rugby on the east coast of Australia. You don't hear leagueies say, "I wish we could get our game to the level of Rugby". We're the ones looking at the rear end of league. They laugh at us, just as Rugby diehards are laughing at their own game. No, until we get bragging rights when our game is bigger than league, i'm not going to bag them anymore. Fix our game up first, then maybe we can put the other mob down. Whatever we may think, the majority of sports fans on the east coast of Australia have an alternate view.

Zac, Mr Growden is the fountain of a good deal of the doom and gloom surrounding rugby. He seems afraid to be proud of enjoying rugby. His warped view of the state of rugby make him the Michael Moore of rugby journalism.

League is a concocted game. Rules concocted to create a TV spectacle, virtually devoid of any competition for the ball. State of Origin is a concocted contest and League fans lap it up. A sorry statement for any sport is that its pinnacle is a state contest. League has no international profile whatsoever - if Australia turn up to play, they'll flog anyone. Soccer is the world's premier football code. Rugby is the world's premier contact footballl code. Nothing else even comes into calculation, including daylight. League will always exist on the fringes on the east coast of Australia, a tiny corner of England and NZ. The world's poplulation have decided what they want to watch.

spiro has hit the nail on the head. As a heart on the sleeve queenslander myself, it is all true. The flip side is an inherent hate of all things NSW. I don't know what it is, or why, but it is as natural for me as breathing. I lived in Sydney for 5 years, and I love my rugby. For a number of years a few mates convinced me to get Waratahs season passes - I went to the games, thinking (even though thereds weren't playing) I would just enjoy watching some good rugby (when the warathas were actually playing good rugby), but I found that every game I would inherently be cheering the other side on - it didn't matter if they were from south africa or NZ, I just wanted to see the tahs lose, and more importantly, to see the smug sydneysiders silenced. I couldn't help it. Even now, when I flick to the super 14 on TV, if the Brumbies or the Force ar playing a non-aussie team, I will always cheers for the aussie team. But if it's the Tahs, I just can't do it. Back to SOO, it is this inherent and instintive passion (particualry from the QLD side)that make SOO such a great event. As an aside, while I am nealry a broken man after the Reds seaons this year, I feel that the Reds team is bereft of this passion nowadays, it feels like "QLD Reds - the Super 14 Club", not "QLD Reds - the team representing the mighty state of Queensland". Alas, maybe I am a dying breed in the age of professionalism.

When the actual play of a State of Origin match is studied, the realisation comes that much of it is predictable one-up bashes by forwards. Generally there is little play for the wingers, except for them being required to defuse bombs. This is incidental as far as the crowd, especially a Queensland crowd is concerned. Every run, every hit (and they are invariably ferocious) is greeted with waves of roars. The crowd is as up for a State of Origin as any of the players. What makes State Of Origin so intense is the narrative of the event, the Queensland David against the Goliath NSW. From the beginning, Queenslanders have perceived the State of Origin as a 'them' against 'us' contest. As Hugh Lunn, the great Queensland writer and reporter once said: 'There is no such thing as an ex-Queenslander.' Artie Beetson demonstrated this when playing for the Maroons in the first State of Origin he belted Mick Cronin, a Parramatta team-mate, who happened, on the night, to be playing for the NSW Blues. The head of QRL, Senator Ron McAuliffe, marched out on to Lang Park before the first State of Origin in 1980. 35,000 spectators had turned up for the match. The normal crowd for a Queensland-NSW match was about 5,000. Striding along with Senator McAuliffe was Gough Whitlam, the Prime Minister who had been booted out of office in a landslide in 1975. When the huge crowd spotted the two Labor politicans there was an enormous roaring-boo. 'McAuliffe,' the great Gough said sharply to his mate, 'I never realised how unpopular you are up here.' The roaring-boos, of course, were (superficially) for Whitlam. They were really for every insult, every joke, every contrivance designed to put Queenslanders down in rugby league, in all the other sports and in every aspect of life. Queenslanders were asserting their chauvinistic mantra : 'It's great to be an Australian. But it's even better to be a Queenslander.' Like New Zealanders and South Africans in rugby tests, Queenslanders regard the State of Origin contest as a life and death struggle that if it is won validates the unique qualities of life in their State. Hence the call when the Maroons need to fight back or to hold on: 'Queenslander! Queenslander!'

Biggest sporting event in Australia? I take it the author's never left NSW or QLD and has never taken a look at the AFL Grand Final, now THAT's football fever.

SOO is popular because of the intensity .... end of story. Higher level rugby in Oz is losing ground because the unpredictability, and hence the excitement, has been temporarily lost. It will come back. Yesterday I watched about 15 mins of a schoolboy U15 match in Brisvegas .... I saw a fullback with not enough time to kick give a long pass across field to his winger who was confronted with an onrushing defence and no support. He started forward towards the defence, then chip kicked ahead, ran through, kicked again, regathered and out paced the cover to score under the posts. Now that is exciting rugby. The young fella got applause all round and even some from the opposition. Long live the game.