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It will be interesting to see the reaction of the Reds fans at Suncorp tomorrow night believing their powerhouse backrower Scott Higginbotham will be heading south to the Melbourne Rebels next season for three years.
That strikes at the very heart of what it means to be Queenslander.
They are the most loyal and parochial of all the Australian states, even more so than Victorians, who are a law onto themselves.
There’s no better example than the Maroons, who have won the last six rugby league Origin series, and are at short odds to make it seven.
It’s their culture.
Once a Queenslander, always a Queenslander. It’s their way of life and is to be admired. They feed off each other, and believe in each other, that’s why they are so hard to beat.
It’s a pity NSW hasn’t the same culture, nor be as proud of who they are. They are not in the same ball park as Queenslanders or Victorians.
In fact, NSW is cultureless when it comes to football codes.
Only the Sydney Swans come close to having the necessary pride, something the NSW Origin, NSW Waratahs, and Sydney FC simply haven’t got.
Nor will have in the foreseeable future.
But Higginbotham is the story. Or is he?
Are we going to see a repeat of last month’s Will Genia saga of heading west young man to join the Force, and 48 hours later he signs up again with the Reds for another three years?
Only time will tell, but the real story is Queenslanders rarely leave their home state. It’s almost treasonable.
Remember the massive stink when Nathan Sharpe, after 71 caps, left Queensland to captain the newly-formed Force when they kicked off in 2006?
He defected. Unpardonable.
His first game back in Brisbane was greeted with derision, a far cry from the enormous popularity he had earned wearing the coveted red jersey.
On the other side of the coin, Richard Graham walked out on his coaching contract with the Force to go home to Brisbane. And didn’t he cop some heavy flak from everyone bar Queenslanders.
So let’s see how the Scott Higginbotham saga pans out. And what Quade Cooper will do contract-wise over the next few weeks.
There are rumours he’s toying with a change of franchise. But I can’t see it.
Even though he’s Kiwi-born, Cooper is very definitely a Queenslander in body and soul.
And therefore fully qualified for the governing factor: a Queenslander is always a Queenslander.