- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Some may say it’s too early for an NRL blog, since it’s 51 days till the NRL season kicks off, so it would be way too early for a State of Origin one since its 134 days till the first game…
But it’s not for this New South Welshman!
Going into the 2012 series, having lost six in a row, you may wonder why I am so excited about it. Yes, I am excited, but am more pissed off at this notion that we don’t have “passion”, or that we don’t have “it”.
Billy Moore, famous for his chant of “Queenslander” on the way to the field in 1995, is quoted as saying: “Passion is something ingrained in Queenslanders. Each year, we go out there with something to prove.”
Wow, Billy, that’s deep!
Did you learn that while playing for NSW in the under 17’s?
I’m not here to question the rules of eligibility for state selection, that’s a whole other discussion, but I find it hard that a NSW born and junior representative is telling me that Queenslanders have more about passion than me.
NSW dominated interstate football before State of Origin. I understand the hatred that Queensland born players, that were made to represent NSW, was the key to State of Origin success. It was used in the ’80s and ’00s as they dominated NSW, and they continue to use it for motivation to this day. NSW doesn’t have that hatred like Queensland. But hatred does not equal passion…
Do you think that every player that pulls on a blue jersey in the middle of the season doesn’t have passion? I’d love to see that question asked of current players like Greg Bird, Beau Scott, Mitchell Pearce or captain Paul Gallen.
Ask good ol’ Mick De Vere if taking a staple gun to the head so you can continue playing, means you have no passion and see what response you get.
Only two props have ever played the full 80 minutes – both NSW players. No passion there? I always hear that Dallas Johnson has passion because he suffered a concussion, and played on to make 25 more tackles.
Sure that’s gutsy, but is it more than a player, Gallen, playing in arguably the toughest position in SoO, making 234 yards and 32 tackles, in the full 80 minutes?
If so, why? And why is it more “passionate”?
As a NSW fan looking over the last few series, I start to see that Queensland’s passion and hatred is turning into arrogance and ignorance.
To me, it’s reflective of what Queensland saw in NSW all those years ago, and it makes me think that, while I know for a fact that NSW has passion, that they have turned this period of arrogance from Queensland into hatred.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.