- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
We are no longer the lords of rugby League. The eight years, and counting, of humiliation and heartache visited upon us by Queensland in State of Origin has brought about a change in the attitude of the NSW faithful.
Our golden age from 1990 to 2005, where we won 10 series, lost four and drew two, has been erased from memory.
The Blues suffered through the embarrassing 1980s where spirited Queensland teams dominated. The Maroons driving force? 50 years of interstate defeats. Followed by a mass poaching of all Queensland talent in the late 1950s.
The long-held Origin series was no longer a fair fight after the NSWRL flexed its financial muscles, thanks largely to the poker machine. By the end of the 1990s the Blues were back on top.
At the start of the 2006 series, New South Welshman talked about the death of Origin. We arrogantly affirmed our superiority over an inept Queensland team who had failed to notch up a series win since 2001 – they retained the shield in 2002 after a draw.
We did not see them coming and they made us pay for our arrogance.
Queenslanders now sit comfortably, showered in glory, yelling ‘Queenslander’, ‘eight in a row’ and already proclaiming ‘nine in a row” without a minute played in 2014.
Never in their history has Queensland’s attitude seemed so similar to that of a New South Welshman. Never have they appeared so comfortable and assured of their place in rugby league. How could they not? I certainly would, but have all these victories dented the Queensland passion?
One week out from the 100th Origin game, in a time where Queenslanders should be climbing over each other to watch the continued misery visited upon the Blues, there are still unsold tickets at Lang Park. Game 2 in Sydney has already sold more. Some may cry ‘but the tickets have increased in price’, and that would be true, but they have only been brought into line with the prices down south.
Queensland can’t be blamed for falling into this mentality. If the Blues where playing for their ninth straight series victory, I think the game would also be suffering. As shown by the average crowd of 68,000 that turned up for Game 1 in 2006, following three straight series victories. Instead the game has gotten bigger and better on the back of angry, passionate, victory-starved New South Welshman, with a renewed hatred for those north of Tweed.
Since the 2010 whitewash, a low point for the Blues, the game has grown. People cannot get enough of Origin. With a record of almost 216,000 people turning out across three games last year, compared to 180,000 in 2006.
This increased participation isn’t coming from the Queensland side of the house. They have never had any problems packing Lang Park until now. Every blue-blooded New South Welshman wants to see the moment when the Blues can break the curse and again hold the shield.
Those born and raised in Blue who would claim to support Queensland have gone into hiding. They proudly publicised their defection in the pre-2006 era, claiming they love the underdog and hate the arrogance of NSW.
We would shake our heads and look at them with indifference. In today’s environment they are looked at with disdain, they are quickly shut down, they are abused as traitors and fools. It is no longer a safe place for those who subscribe to the State of Choice, not Origin, and that’s how it should be.
We should thank the Maroons for humbling us. For teaching us that losing and desperation creates ‘Queensland passion’ in us. For ensuring this contest will go on dividing us for decades to come and, most of all, for giving us endless reasons to hate them.
So come on Blues, no complaining about being disillusioned. Let’s get up for our boys and keep building towards a passionate NSW Origin culture we can be proud of.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.