The Blues still have the passion for Origin

NSW has a problem in that they cannot find a team that matches QLD brilliance and for quite a number of years. This is despite the fact NSW has so many players to choose from that could give QLD a shake for their money with two or three teams. This indicates we have huge problem in the selection process and to my mind the coaches we have had since Phil Gould How can one have passion when we keep chopping and changing the teams not only in each year but in each game. What NSW needs to do is select players that are of Origin calibre and make a team out of them Jarrod Hayne should have been the first player picked last year with others like Kurt Giddley, Anthony Watmough, Luke Lewis, Paul Gallen and the likes that can give 80 minutes of football. These players can play in any position. We keep trying new and up comming potential players when you got the likes of Luke Bailey and Brett Kite that will go all day doing their job. This is of course if they are in form and not carrying injuries. Certainly our 1/2, 5/8 and hooker combination is a problem for NSW. Anyone seen the amount of players in Ricky Stuart has in camp for NSW 2012 He must be joking if he is thinking that half of these players are up to Origin and demonstrates why he should not be the coach or at least not involved in the selction process. QLD on the other hand have it down pact, we have a lot to learn.

Sure maybe some of you have a bit of feeling for SOO, I can understand that. It sucks to lose, especially when your state has the most players, the most resources, the most teams to choose from etc. That would hurt. But I'm sorry mate, there is a difference between the people south of the tweed and us redneck nutbags up here, and it's not just the talent of the team, Fatties boys in 95 showed that pretty clearly and so did the heroes of 2001. Whether you want to call it "passion" or something else, it's summed up by a comment I read on the Roar last year: the difference between NSW and QLD is that the players from NSW want to get selected so they get to play State of Origin, but the players from north of the tweed want to get selected so they get to represent Queensland.

im a nsw die hard, but i think passion and hatred can only take you so far and in some cases hinder your performance and clarity of mind which im speaking as a amatuer boxer, but in the end of the day its talent and composure and this is where qld have the upper hand, atm they are going through a golden era as someone already said and nsw had there golden times also but didnt last as long as the current qld squad. when i saw the selection sheet for 2011 immediately i saw the locky and thurston vs pierce and soward comparison and also i thought they should read the expire date on minichello, i actually thought we had a pretty good forward pack apart from tim manner, cause you cant blame ricky stuart for trying something different after 5years in a row which obviously indicates its a hard task to play them at there own game, and game two showed its benefit especially when the ref wanted a faster paced game which fell perfectly into nsw mobillity game plan by running the qld forwards down, but mal was a genious in game three who cancelled out the mobillity by starving pocession and forcing repeated line drop outs which in turns forces repeated defence which obviously drained the mobillity and stamina out of the nsw forwards and when you have a bunch of tired forwards which dont have as much size and power as the more fresh opposite forwards what do you have? when your forwards are tired and not making metres you need your halves to make up for the lack of metres with a good kicking game which pierce couldnt deliver, you see it with qld, when the forwards need a breather you see smith,locky,thurston making good metres with there kicking game. If we cant beat qld back line we need to focus on beating there forwards which i think was ricky stuarts angle that nearly worked. in the end of the qld are a better team and to refute it is just stupidity.

Arrogant? When we start throwing “grenades” after scoring a try we’re arrogant. Ignorant? When our captain starts blaming the ref for a loss we’re ignorant.

All I'm seeing here is excuses. I think it is rich for a NSW fan to criticize QLD instead of NSW after losing 6 series in a row. Should you not be scrutinizing your selecters? Or your best players? Or your Coach? Why is it QLD's problem?

I think it says a lot about NSW mentality that the bloke who wrote this article is talking about passion in NSW in January....! I would have thought being on the end of six straight series losses would be motivation enough, to get the passion running...? Queensland have all they need for this year, Artie Beetson's recent death will be a massive motivation as will Thurston, who will be desperate to step into Lockyer's shoes & leave his imprint on the series.

Hi Jace - According to the Australian Sports Tours website... Game 1: Wednesday 23rd May in Melbourne Game 2: Wednesday 13th June in Sydney Game 3: Wednesday 4th July in Brisbane I'm no rugby league brainiac, but I'd like to see the New South Welshies get up - if only for the good, even-handed, overall health of the competition itself. Although I'm sure Queenslanders would disagree with me!

Border of course was born in nSW and only moved in his early twenties - is there again only one game in Sydney because there is one in melbourne??? It should be closer without Lockyer but still Qld are red hot favs..

If his passion is consistent then isn't that his default state? If you've lived in both places and still can't see a differnce in the level of importance of the event well then there isn't really much anyone can do for you

right on swannie.And a team killer like coach Stuart.

Hi Gaz - didn't Allan Border once make the same quip to Dean Jones during the latter's heat-wave insanity double-ton in India some 25 years ago? Something about if Deano wasn't hard-nut enough in those conditions, at least he knew he could count on a Queenslander? (the next man due in was Greg Ritchie, I believe). Whether Greg could've coped any better was probably a moot point at the time to AB, it was the state-rivalry thing that jeed up Jonesy and boy did he go on with it that day!

I recall an international match a few years back where Australia were down with minutes to play and Gus Gold commented "we're still a chance because their are Queenslanders in the side" - Truck, maybe you should ask him what it's all about! -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.

In QLD, the origin players etc don't have to plead with crowds to turn up. In NSW, they seem to do so. Why? I fear every year for the QLD dominance. I just don't think it can go on, but then each year it seems to. It has been helped by massive blunders in selection, but also by the amazing team QLD has right now. Farrah and Ennis are not Smith by a long shot. Pierce is not Thurston by a mile. Giddley, the captain from the bench and fullback for so long, is not Slater by a mile. To by honest, Boyd is possibly the number two fullback in the game right now, and he is on our wing. Noone playing over the last few years is close to Lockyer. Ricky will eventually win for New South Wales. In doing so, he will be hailed as a god. Simple fact is they have to win eventually. That is what will upset me the most. Having been beaten for so long, the team that eventually beats QLD, will then be hailed as the best ever.

When NSW supporters start defending the "passion" of their side, you know they've already been defeated. Passion, schmassion, pride, ticker, blah blah blah blah......it's all meaningless......everyone realises it's only about one thing and that's that this QLD team is once in a lifetime....you can't compete or defeat them across 3 games.....only once Slater, Smith, Thurston, etc get old and weary is when the scales will be balanced....until then, it's wishful thinking and nothing will bring the Sheild back across the border. I predicted 8 series in a row.

Absolutley,also QLD has had Cronk Slater and Smith and we had their club coach during the same period. And they had a non club coach.

Dubious its flat out wrong - allegedly he played senior footy on the Central Coast (Brisbane waters??) before magically ending up In melbourne (on an inflated hidden salary we now know) yet was eligible for Qld because of their Qld Cup links...Rort...

As Paul keating said, if you are an Aussie and dont live in Sydney you are camping out meaning Sydney is the place to be. Whether be all the head offices, Bi-centennial, Olympics (overlooking the 56 Games) Sydney thinks it has it all. Such smug arrogance gets up peoples noses especially Queenslanders who think they have the real Australia. So inevitably they play with more passion, hate anger intensity (or mixture therof) because it means more to them. Wayne pearce once said when he was playing that it seemed like SOO was put on for Qldrs because they had something to prove. Remember the lack of interest when Johns and NSW dominated so much that they managed to get Folau, Inglis (NSW born) to play for Qld and bought back Tonie Carroll after he p[layed for NZ to try to even up the score. I think its even now!!

Pretty simple, nsw haven't had a dominant half back since Joey . Queensland has had Lockyer, thurston, Cronk and prince. That's the main reason why Queensland has won.

Pretty simple, nsw haven't had a dominant half back since Joey . Queensland has had Lockyer, thurston, Cronk and prince. That's the main reason why Queensland has won.

Exactly, and not to be a smart arse, but Inglis' elligibility for Queensland is dubious in the first place.