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State of Origin … the game where the hits are harder, the men are bigger, and the tempers are ticking time bombs.
From the greats like King Wally and Joey Johns, to the one-game wonders, this is truly the toughest game in Australian sport.
I was recently asked what the difference is between an Origin game and a regular NRL match. I mean, sure, we’re hearing the same familiar names like Inglis, Bird and Gallen take to the turf.
These men are playing the same code, and apart from the fact that this game is played on a Wednesday, is there really anything that different about playing in this big boy bash?
To those people who are actually asking these questions, I suggest you back away slowly, because obviously the greatest grudge match since Mundine versus Green has slipped under your radar.
Once you’ve made it at club level, there is really nowhere to go but up. While some may liken it to the training wheels before riding on into an Australia jersey, others think it is the other way round.
One only has to look at the battle for positions and the desperate way clubs and fans rally for their stars to be considered in the selection process to truly grasp what this game means to Australian sport.
So serious is this game, one of the greatest coaches of the modern era, Craig Bellamy, was shown the door. Yes, the Craig Bellamy; the man who has taken a sub-par code in Victoria and turned its team into a winning machine.
Other big names through the turnstile quicker than you can say ‘cane toad’ were coach Sticky Ricky, Michael Ennis and Peter Wallace.
The prime goal is to field the best team from the selection of players you have at your disposal. While there are some murky waters about eligibility, *cough* Greg Inglis *cough*, there is always a battle to put out the best player available for that position.
One issue I have grappled with in the last few years is the tendency of NSW selectors to choose the big names and play them out of position, simply to make sure they are a part of the spectacle.
While players like Jarryd Hayne might be flexible, there needs to be a selection based on the best player in each position. This way, specialty players are running out in the sky blue jersey, and we don’t have to worry that they’ll fall back into their old club positions and plays.
For the last seven series, a new figure has been heralded as the saviour for NSW each game. Hayne, Wallace, Ennis, the Stewart brothers and Todd Carney have all run out to the cheers of Blatchy’s Blues, only to be panned in the player ratings in the newspaper the following day.
It seems that the victory in Game 1 comes down to a lot of things: a more organised coach, the players are familiar with each other and there is a genuine belief that the hoodoo can be broken.
However, the biggest difference is that a single individual hasn’t been put on a pedestal with the burden of bringing the trophy back across the border. As a team game, this makes sense. In fact, why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?
So despite the failures and disappointments of the last seven years, when I sit down to watch Game 2 next week, I am convinced that even if NSW don’t manage to wrap up the series, it will actually be a close contest. And the addition of Nathan Merritt to the team can only mean good things.
So for that person who asked about Origin; mate against mate, state against state, there is no greater passion.
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