State of Origin 2013: where’s the sledging?

The 2013 rugby league State of Origin series kicks-off in Sydney on the 5th of June. That’s basically four weeks away. So where the hell is all the talk?

Don’t get me wrong, there has been plenty of discussion about the series, but the vast majority of it has focused on whom the NSW Blues will select in their side.

The Queensland Maroons obviously don’t generate that same type of discussion, because their team essentially picks itself.

But where is all the sledging? We’re just over a month out from the opening game of the series, and I’ve seen precious little gamesmanship from both sides, apart from the throwaway comment from Queensland captain Cameron Smith that the Maroons have their sights set on ten series victories in a row, let alone an eighth.

Other than that statement – which was more an honest insight than a sledge – there has been very little of the trash talking that has become a hallmark of the interstate clashes.

I have a few theories on why things are so quiet along the eastern seaboard. Or at least, more quiet than usual.

First of all, NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley is too nice of a guy.

OK, perhaps ‘too’ is a little unfair, but there can be no doubting that Lozza is a great guy and a class act.

While I can certainly see him defending his players if need be, I can’t envisage him getting into a slanging match with Mal Meninga, or anyone else from north of the border.

That’s just not his personality.

Which naturally brings us to Ricky Stuart, the Blues coach last year.

During his playing days, Stuart was renowned as one of the best sledgers in the game. There are numerous stories about ‘Sticky’ and his acid tongue, and he was not shy about unleashing a stinging comment upon his opponents.

This skill stayed with him in his coaching career, and he certainly showed a predilection for engaging in some mind games, especially during State of Origin.

Though I question some of the game tactics he employed last year, I certainly miss his ability to get under Queensland’s skin, while also ensuring Origin is on the front page of the papers in the lead up to the series.

Despite their dislike of him, I think deep down, even Queenslanders miss the banter that Stuart elicited.

The other New South Welshmen that Queenslanders love to hate is Blues captain Paul Gallen. Like his old coach, Gallen isn’t afraid to rustle a few Maroons feathers.

However, I tend to believe that his club’s issues with ASADA are dominating his thoughts at present, and he doesn’t have the time or mental capacity to get involved in any psychological warfare with Queensland. Not yet anyway.

What about the ‘rats and filth’? As Maroons coach Mal Meninga so eloquently stated, the NSW media can usually be relied upon to start a verbal interstate stoush.

Yet even those sensationalistic forces have been conspicuous in their lack of cheap shots, provocation and inflammatory stories.

Another reason for the relative silence between the two states may come from the fact that Queensland are bored. Seriously, after seven straight series wins, what else is there left to say?

During my basketball days, if opponents that were getting heavily beaten decided to try and get inside my head, I had a fondness of just pointing to the scoreboard. Simple, but effective.

Perhaps Queensland at present are simply preforming their own version of that sledge. “Shuush NSW, be quiet. Seven in a row, guys, seven in a row. Jog along now.”

Last year, when Australia defeated New Zealand in the ANZAC Test, the Queensland contingent of the side angered the NSW players by singing the Maroons celebration song during the post-match festivities.

Sadly, they behaved themselves this year and showed the proper respect. Nothing to get riled up about there either.

Even the most vocal of Origin antagonists, Chris ‘Choppy’ Close and Tommy Raudonikis, have yet to fully engage in the usual propaganda and vitriol.

On Tuesday I wrote a piece about how rugby league thrives on hatred. And yet, in the series that is normally the greatest manifestation of that hatred, there has been very little to report about.

Even though I felt last year that the chatter between the two states had turned quite childish and too often veered into bad sportsmanship and whinging, I’ll be honest and say that I’ve found the silence this year deafening.

It’s a little disconcerting, a little strange, and I legitimately miss the pre-series sledging. And unlike Tuesday’s piece, I can assure you that my tongue is nowhere near my cheek.

My only hope is that there is still four weeks to go, and festivities are simply kicking off a little later this year.