More like a state of mass hysteria, filth and fury

"But a Sheffield Shield cricket match between the same two States barely attracts a crowd of 250. Probably, with Test stars included, it may attract 5,000 in four days. But 190,000 spectators watching a total of four hours of three State of Origin matches is beyond belief. Especially the media for promoting a semi-domestic tussle into a do or die death defying mega event. To me, it is mass hysteria." Maybe it has something to do with rugby league being an exciting game that is played by talented athletes while cricket is a boring game for lazy fatties and oldies?

Jeff, these SOS RL matches are like IPL cricket; not with international flavour but massive crowd-pullers. High-power marketing can sell any product.

Timnaik, I am impressed. Surprised but impressed because SOS touches a universal nerve cord.

Kersi, hysteria you say. You should visit Port Moresby (PNG) on State of origin night. people follow it with a fervour that rivals Queenslanders. Heck, I've herad of people getting into brawls and deaths and rampages and all kinds of destruction and carnage just over a game that's played a thoussand kilometres south of the border. Sir you haven't seen nothing like it i guarantee.

I don't think having (hypothetically) superstars emerge from states outside NSW/QLD will be a problem. Noone really minds that Benji Marshall, one of the best players in the world, can't play Origin. Its more about the QLD vs NSW mentality that has evolved over the years. QLD and NSW will always produce great rugby league players, because that is league heartland, so it will always be a great contest.

Titus, In 2011 Games 1 and 2 were great, game 3 not so much. Basically, right now you have the case where Qld have champion players and NSW dont ... and it was still a 2-1 series win.

Was it really a good game though? As Phil Gould described it, it was a "game of tennis where only one of the players turned up with a racquet". They are not even very good contests anymore. Sure QLD is a pretty impressive team, and I get the feeling that they let NSW come back to help maintain the hype, but the only consistency is that QLD will win, big blokes will runner even harder than normal at each other, and QLD will play good tactics, show skill and flair at the right time and NSW will do the opposite. Though if this is your idea of the best football going on in the world today then I am not going to deny you that. Maybe it's the hype that you like.

Yeah and it would be nearly vacant the rest of the year except for 1 or 2 SOO contests. Hows ANZ stadium going with 9 NRL clubs, 1 AFL and I Super Rugby team to choose from..

BIG RED.. you got this terribly wrong.. SOO IS the real thing. the competition is close and hard fought.. But The Promotion of the game is well orchestrated to build this interest.. As far as interest is concerned. SOO is broadcast live to a lot of countries (Even Victoria). this does not happen if those countries have no interest or desire to see the spectacle.. You are Soooo wrong!. I knew about SOO when I lived in North of England.. I do not know many people in Oz that know there is a fearce rivalry between Celtic and Rangers or Madrid and Barcelona. nor do I believe that their games attract as much Viewing interest outside of Scotland and Europe.. maybe wrong too.

Dasher, Nahh, the footy and the footballers are the same as they always were. Its just you got older and more jaded.

I've seen numerous games that were better too, such as either of the Swans/Weagles grand finals - but the thing about Origin is they are *consistently* great games.

And you obviously don't think that Ricky and Mal are just promoting NEXT years games by a bit of promotional banter.. -- OK sorry Oiks, I gave ya more credit than this....

Origin matches are the best 3 games of the year.Better than test matches against NZ. The reason we have so much passion for this contest has been covered in previous posts,so I won't go over that again.It's a shame Qld doesn't have a 100,000 seat stadium for these contests alone.I bet tickets would sell out easily on the first day of release.

State of Origin is definitely the pinnacle of RL anywhere in the world, as proven by so many people in the US, UK, NZ and Pacific Islands following it and so many players wanting to be selected for it.

I disagree Dasher , I think the players do care if when they look back on there careers if they got a chance ein origin and were not good enough or choked i think it would rankle them for the rest of the lives. Sport is not life or death and it won't kill them if they knew they were not good enough for the cauldron of State of origin, or they choked or if they were good enough and never won a series, but i am sure it would rankle them. State of Origin like it or don't like it i think is the pinnacle currently of rugby league . It is more physically brutal than a grand final. And i think the players would love to cut it at SOO level it would mean just a smooch saying there were good enough for that standard of football as say winninga NRL grand final, just my opinion anyway.

It's WWF stuff alright. I've really gone off SOO in the past few years and this is coming from somebody who used to cry as a kid when Queensland lost. The game just doesn't seem the same anymore. Sure there's just as much venom now, but in decades past, there were equal amounts of honour, and respect for yourself, your team, your opponent and, most of all, the game. Nowadays there doesn't seem to be a single Origin player or coach whose name isn't besmirched with some sort of disgrace or controversy, nor is there a player or coach who cares - it's all a big soap opera!

SOO is manufactured rivalry with dodgy residential qualifications with occasionally manufactured results (ask mal). If Qld continue to dominate it may lose its lustre but only 1m people (out of 4) watched in sydney so its obviously more important in Qld and regional NSW. NRL thrives on controversy so the more the better. But the standard of footy is good even if it has a Vince mcmahon ring about it which would appeal to a broad range of people...

That's your opinion Ian, in my opinion I have seen numerous games of Football from around the world that easily surpass SoO for level of skill, entertainment, glamour, intensity of the contest, atmosphere of the crowd and relevance to most people. In almost all of these games I was a neutral observer. Don't get me wrong, I like Footy, but it is the honest, unnassuming, parochial and community nature of the games I like. Going to the Footy is like slipping on some comfortable Ugg boots, drinking beer and being unashamed of your beer gut. But as with AFL, if you try to compare yourself to football from around the world, you are going to fall short in terms of a spectacle, and then all you have is a constant need to bring others down, which can't be healthy for anyone. On this basis I agree with Kersi, it's a good night out with mates, a bond with fellow statespeople and an entertaining game. But I can't help think that this constant hyping up of the event(well beyond it's actual importance, for me, not you), is the NRL longing to be part of something bigger.

Hello Anil, nice to hear from you. So you still think cricket is gentleman's game. I certainly hope so. Two landmarks will be reached in cricket soon; the 2000th Test and 100th Test between England and India. The first Test at Lord's will be worth watching, full of milestones. Who knows Sachin may hit his 100th international century in that very Test. Regards.

Origin are consistently the best games of football in any code. Every year, I can watch Origin and know Im seeing three damn good games of footy. More often than not, Grand Finals in any code, World Cup finals, even local derbies are ho-hum games. But Origin ... Origin is always special.