- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
NSW halfbacks making their State of Origin debuts at Suncorp Stadium – going right back to when it was the Lang Park cauldron – have an awful record. I knew it was unlikely to be good, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be this bad.
Sometimes you shouldn’t go looking for statistics, in case the search turns up something that is frightening. But I love a good stat, so I can’t help myself.
And having checked it out, it’s now my duty to relay it to you – even though it doesn’t look good for Blues fans.
However, Queensland fans will be delighted.
Using stats guru David Middleton‘s Official Rugby League Annual as a guide, I came up with five Blues starting halfbacks who made their Origin debuts at Brisbane’s spiritual home of rugby league.
And just for the record, no NSW halfback made his Origin debut at ANZ Stadium in Brisbane, which was used for Origin games in 2001 and ’02 while Suncorp Stadium, as it was already called by then, was being redeveloped.
There are some massive names on the list, too. So here’s the roll-call, with the results.
Peter Sterling
In 1981, when there was just one Origin game played. Ross Henrick was the Queensland halfback. The Maroons won, 22-15.
Steve Mortimer
In Game 1 of the first three-game series, in 1982. Mark Murray was the Queensland halfback. The Blues won, 20-16.
Des Hasler
In Game 3 of the 1985 series. Murray was the Queensland halfback. The Maroons won, 20-6. NSW had won the first two games to clinch the series.
Brett Finch
In Game 2 of the 2004 series. Scott Prince was the Queensland halfback. The Maroons won 22-18.
Jarrod Mullen
In Game 1 of the 2007 series. Johnathan Thurston was the Queensland halfback. The Maroons won 25-18.
That’s one win and four losses.
In the strictest sense, Geoff Toovey doesn’t fall into this category, because he actually made his Origin debut for NSW off the bench in Game 3 of the 1990 series at Lang Park, after the Blues had won each of the first two games of the series. Queensland won the third game, 14-10.
But when Toovey started at halfback in Game 3 of the 1995 series, in what was just his second Origin game, and the Maroons won 24-16 to clinch a clean sweep. Adrian Lam was the Queensland halfback.
Toovey’s case just serves as further proof of how hard it is when you’re starting an Origin game for the first time for NSW in arguably the most important position, halfback, and away from home, which is the task confronting Trent Hodkinson at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
There have been 50 Origin games played in Brisbane – 48 at Suncorp Stadium and two at ANZ Stadium. Queensland have won 32, NSW 17 and there has been one draw.
That gives NSW a winning rate of 34 per cent in Brisbane. Even when you leave Toovey out of the equation, the NSW winning rate in games where the Blues had a starting halfback making his Origin debut up there drops to just 20 per cent.
A week ago in The Roar I wrote that Hodkinson would be my pick as Blues halfback. The statistic I’ve referred to here doesn’t make me rethink that opinion. I’m still comfortable now with what I thought then.
My thinking was that it was time to move on from Mitchell Pearce as Blues halfback. He’d had enough chances to make a major contribution to the NSW cause, but wasn’t able to do it.
Included in Pearce’s 12 Origin games were five at Suncorp Stadium. NSW lost all five. I know you can’t lump all of the responsibility for a loss on to one player, but if you were going to make changes to the NSW team then halfback was a reasonable position in which to include one of them.
Hodkinson was playing well and was clearly next in line. Hopefully, for the sake of the Blues and their long-suffering fans, he can do something to help improve that debut halfback stat up there.
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.