Conventional wisdom suggests it is Queenslanders who should feel sorry for New South Welsh-folk leading into this week’s Origin decider. After all Queensland are looking down the barrel of an obscene seventh straight win.
Should they lose they can still rest assured knowing that their record of six straight wins is twice as many as New South Wales has ever achieved.
However I challenge you to look a little deeper into this issue. Let’s do an impromptu anthropological study of this situation and see what’s really happening…
Queensland will be one hundred percent behind their side on Wednesday night – there is no doubting the passion of the Maroons fans and they will be out in force at Suncorp.
But why?
Because in Queensland, outside of the success of the Maroons, there is simply nothing else to feel superior and proud about. But wait – before you start flaming me, let’s look at the facts…
Firstly, should New South Wales lose on Wednesday night there will be some grumbling and grizzling for sure (most of it in the pages of the Daily Telegraph) but by the weekend most of us will have shrugged and gotten over it. After all, New South Wales is still the most important state in Australia.
It is the seat of power (oh wait – let’s continue to pretend Canberra isn’t really in NSW) the heart of the economy and of culture and of sport. Sport you hear Queenslanders cry? Yes sport. After all in a couple of weeks, London will attempt to emulate the success of the Sydney Olympics.
And no doubt a NSW team will play the grand final this year (odds are pretty good it’ll be the Bulldogs). The Socceroos will play a few games in Sydney, most of the NRL season will be in Sydney – even the AFL considers Sydney so important they are investing copious amounts of time and money in setting up a second team there.
However, should the Maroons lose on Wednesday what can Queenslanders comfort themselves with? Yes they have a beautiful State – I mean the few parts that aren’t barren desert or open cut mines…
There are beaches of course. But you can’t swim at them because there are jellyfish that will kill you. Swim in the rivers you say? Sure…if you like being crocodile bait.
What about the Gold Coast? Ahhh good point… excellent beaches, Australia’s centre of tourism, so many attractive features. But let’s be honest, it’s practically in New South Wales.
They do have the natural wonder of the Great Barrier Reef, but its hard for Queenslanders to take pride in that when they didn’t build it. The Barrier Reef was built by coral (and quite possibly coral that migrated north from NSW).
They do have some other sports teams of course. They have some union team that won some competition no one watches last year and maybe a netball or basketball team? I don’t know… does anyone?
The point is, a Maroons loss would be followed by a devastating loss of identity in Queensland. Their self worth, their reason for living, their very reason for existing at all is tied up with this team.
I shudder at the thought.
Whereas New South Wales would shed a few tears, shrug and get on with the job of being better. After all we’ve been doing it for over 200 years.
Besides, we all know that if we lose it’s because of the carbon tax.
League_coach101
Roar Pro
Yeah we'll see you there - after we strip mine it and sell it to the Japanese... :)
League Coach QLD 101
Guest
hope that nsw economy performs better than the origin team....see you on the barrier reef
League_coach101
Roar Pro
You get that this whole article is tongue in cheek - don't you?
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
Considering the NSWRFL Premership was a Sydney-baesd competetition until the early 1980s, I'd say your point is rather silly. If over half of the NRL teams were based in Queensland then the champions would usually come from from Queensland. How about you talk about the players that make up the Sydney teams that are successful? There are plenty of Queenslanders, New Zealanders and Englishman in them. Manly is a good example. Ballen, Cherry-Evans and Foran. The first two are Queenslanders. The last one is a Kiwi. Add ball runners like Matai into the equation and you’ll see Manly rely heavily on Queenslanders and New Zealanders. The only decent world class New South Welshmen in their side are their fullback and centre. The Bulldogs rely heavily on Ben Barba. Without him they wouldn’t be anywhere near the top four. Trent Hodkinson wouldn’t be half the player he is if he didn’t spend a year or two in the Queensland Cup. More players make their way to the NRL via the Queensland Cup than any other competition. There are a few other Queenslanders and New Zealanders playing in ball running positions for them, too. Take them out of the team and the Bulldogs would be fairly average. James Graham has added a lot to their forward pack. The Rabbitohs are full of Queenslanders and Kiwis. Without them they would be contesting for the spoon. Wests ride on the back of Marshall and Gareth Ellis. Oh and don’t forget that the Cowboys and Broncos have only received one bye, while all of the NSW teams in the top 8 have had two. Take away the extra byes that Manly and Souths have been given and Cowboys would be in 5th spot. Manly also got two byes during the origin period, whereas the Cowboys and Broncos only got one. Last week the Cowboys had to play the Warriors, who were fresh off a bye and weren’t affected by origin, in Auckland. The Cowboys were without Thurston, Tate, Tamou and Matt Scott. They lost their halfback, Ray Thompson, in the first half two a shoulder injury. They were coming home strongly, trailing by four and piling on heaps of pressure — the Warriors were camped inside their own 20 on the 4th tackle. The ref gave the Warriors a penalty for a strip, even though the replay showed the idiot who was carrying the ball lost it cold. The Warriors had four sets in a row after that. It killed the game. That’s two competition points that were taken away from the Cowboys by the ref and biased NRL. Broncos were left to play with 7 of their players out due to origin. If they had have been there then they would have flogged the Sharks. The Titans aren’t’ drawing great numbers, but they’re still better than some Sydney clubs. Teams like Easts Roosters are a disgrace. Do I need to point out that the Northern Pride, who play in the Queensland Cup, probably have more members than some Sydney NRL clubs?
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
Do you know anything about rugby league or are you just a troll?
League_coach101
Roar Pro
Actually I do believe in 104 years of professional Rugby League in Australia Sydney based teams have won 91 times... no too bad for a bunch of park footballers....
League_coach101
Roar Pro
I'll admit you're right in a couple of points - although I couldn't tell if you were arguing in support of QLD, Vic or WA....? A lot of NSW people do move up to Queensland - a few immediately spring to mind like Greg Inglis, Sam Thaiday, Israel Folou etc... As for the Sydney NRL teams - yes crowd numbers are pathetic at times... unlike say Skilled Park which I'm sure is sold out every time the Titans play.... But i don't think it's necessarily fair to label the Sydney teams as 'profitless wastelands that are only fit to play park football'- for teams that can only play park football they seem to be doing fairly well - number 2,3,5,6 and 8 on the ladder this year. Last years Premiers, 2010's Premiers, 2008's Premiers, 2005 Premiers, 2004 Premiers, 2003 Premiers, 2002 Premiers.... noticing a pattern yet? As for Sydney peoples support of their teams... well I'd be interested to see what crowd numbers at the Broncos would be like if there were 8 other NRL teams based in Brisbane too.... As for the mining boom - well doesn't it just show you that NSW people are smart enough to make OTHER states turn their countryside into a giant quarry and THEN share the profits with the rest of the country... sounds pretty clever to me. :)
Queensland's Game Is Rugby League
Guest
NSW and Victoria are going to rely heavily on WA and QLD over the next 30 years. Queensland and Western Australia are where the money is at, largely due to the mining boom. The industries that fuel Victoria's economy are being shipped over to China and India. Soon there will be none left. Blame NSW and Victorian politicians for not putting tariffs on imported goods. NSW is in an even worse state than Victoria. Every year there are thousands of New South Welshmen moving to Brisbane and the Gold Coast. They wouldn't be doing that if Sydney was so great. If Queensland seceded today then Australia's medal tally at the Olympics would drop by more than 50%. Queensland has always produced Australia's best sportsmen and women in most sports. The only sport that NSW reigns supreme in is cricket. I feel sorry for NSW. If it wasn't for the QRL then the NRL would be a pretty poor competition. All of the best playmakers learnt their trade in the junior competitions that are run by the QRL. Take them out of the game and the NRL would only be a shell of itself. The Queensland Cup keeps on growing stronger each year. The NSW Cup is so far behind the Queensland Cup. The NSWRL just don't know how to to do anything right. All of their Sydney NRL clubs are profitless wastelands that are only fit to play park football. The game would improve out of sight if all 9 Sydney NRL clubs were put in the competition they belong, the NSW Cup. Sydney's sporting fans are apathetic. They never go out to support their teams. When they're confronted about it they go into their fantasy world and say it's because they have beaches and other cultural crap that stops people from turning up to the football. Anyone who isn't a redneck knows that Melbourne has a far more diverse culture than Sydney, yet its devoted Aussie rules fans fans outnumber Sydney's devoted rugby league fans by a 3 to 1.
Dane Eldridge
Expert
I'll be wearing my Sydney Kings singlet under the sky blue tomorrow night just in case a quick transition from passionate civil war maniac to intra-state club fan is required.
League_coach101
Roar Pro
Oh yeah and I'll pay out on the Stadium bit - any chance of loading Suncorp on a truck and shipping it South?
League_coach101
Roar Pro
You guys are sort of like an endangered species in a Zoo - in the wild we might be intimidated by you but we also feel sorry for you stuck in that big cage of yours....
League_coach101
Roar Pro
"ou only have to look at the way we crush governments, and just for fun, " I don't know... the moment a Queenslander actually got into the Lodge the NSW Right moved pretty swiftly to get rid of him at the first opportunity... :)
Betrand
Guest
wOOOW!! I HOPE THIS RESOURCES OR BEAUTIFICATION OR WHAT SO EVER HELPED THE MEN IN RED WON THE 6 SERIES!!!!...HAHAHA! boy i tell you what! NSW have all these craps mentioned above but what prevented them from putting up a tough battle in past 6 series...ops! this is another mind game for sure! Queenslanders can win or lose but never ever cried over the split milk!!!! we build on our mistakes to proof them wrong the next time they visit us! actually NSW shed more liters of tears than queensland in origin games!!!!!! Let the games Began!!........ time on reff
btn
Roar Pro
Funny article. But I'm pretty sure most Queenslanders won't lose too much sleep in a series loss, given the absence of Billy Slater and the comfort of having the past six wins.
tonysalerno
Roar Guru
" NSW is the most important state in Australia" i'll pay that. Dzzmzz that is true, but the Brisbane lions play a Victorian based sport- there's no need to highlight them in a NSW and QLD debate
oikee
Guest
Keep a eye on the weight of Weetbix, apparently Swanny wants to suck the moisture out of that as well. I love it, Big Clive up against Swanny, be like throwing a bantum rooster into a pitbull fight. Queenslanders love this sort of stuff, it amuses us.
oikee
Guest
All those teams won last year i think, but we are not big into sport in Queensland. ;) And we built a stadium the envy of Australia, while Sydney perseveres with a white elephant that was built for the olympics, and it is round, might as well get a few more AFL teams in sydney, get them out of the lounge and into the stadiums like their Melbourne mates. Thats another thing, what hope you got when Melbourne are your best friends, your neibours, and even they dont like them. :) What else, yeah, poor us, we have Australia's holiday resorts, right in our backyard. Oh golly. As for the Reef, dont get pesky son, or we can easily take that away from you, turn it into a coal and oil mine. :) We after all, do hold the power. You only have to look at the way we crush governments, and just for fun, we crush the blues. Hehe
oikee
Guest
Make up your minds, the other blogs this morning wanted to crush us, stamp us out, now you want to feel sorry for us. Yous'all just luv us dont cha. :) Wont satop us serving you out your medicine. Nice can of whoop-ass.
dzzmzz
Guest
Maroons, Brisbane Roar, Queensland Reds, Queensland Firebirds. Lets not mention the Lions though. Amusing article though.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Damn Carbon Tax!!! Although my wheet bix haven't increased as much as I though they would apparently...