Cameron Smith's 300th a reminder of State of Origin's great divide

The celebrations accompanying Cameron Smith’s 300th NRL appearance last Friday night not only honoured a remarkable achievement and resilient football club, but highlighted the massive imbalance fuelling Queensland’s State of Origin dominance.

Smith’s rare one club triple century is even more impressive given almost every day of his Melbourne journey has been shared with fellow one-club players and Queensland mainstays Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk – both rapidly approaching the 300-club themselves.

Earlier this season, Corey Parker reached the landmark and shows no sign of declaring short of former Brisbane teammate Darren Lockyer’s NRL record.

Like Smith, Parker heads a list of current loyal teammates in Sam Thaiday and Justin Hodges to have played at the same club over the last decade.

Further north, and the Cowboys foundation for an inaugural title was bedded down over 10 years ago with the signatures of Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.

Even Queensland’s more transient Origin regulars are cut from the same cloth.

Darius Boyd’s eight years for the Maroons are born through loyalty towards Broncos coach Wayne Bennett. Melbourne provided the launching pad for Souths’ wrecking ball Greg Inglis.

These ten Lang Park legends have a combined total of 253 Origin appearances – that’s an average of nine series per man.

Equally impressive, eight have represented Queensland on 23 or more occasions whereas only four of New South Wales’ finest have reached the same milestone since the concept began in 1980.

Amazingly, Nate Myles is Queensland’s only regular with an alternate selection background having initially been chosen from Sydney.

So what’s the point?

Striking at 9 from 10, Queensland hardly needs another peck on the cheek from The Roar.

In simple terms, Australian rugby league’s showcase has inadvertently been hijacked by three NRL clubs.

It’s no secret Queensland’s success shares close links to the Storm’s strong affiliation north of the Tweed and the Cowboys and the Broncos’ sole access to Brisbane.

While the Maroons are chosen from a smaller pool of NRL talent, it’s important to recognise the pre-Origin selection process concentrating Queensland’s best juniors among fewer clubs in their formative years.

It goes without saying Queensland’s best up-and-comers will mostly gravitate towards clubs close to home, but some head south to the proven tutelage of Craig Bellamy.

The advantage this provides over their far-flung New South Wales counterparts is a congregation of elite juniors across fewer teams.

Unintentionally, the current structure of the NRL facilitates Queensland’s ability to forge key combinations across a few elite clubs providing an almost seamless transition to the next level.

In some ways it clarifies why the forced selection of Daly Cherry-Evans from the outside mimicked a fish out of water.

It’s a theory of minor relevance to those bleeding Maroon, just another excuse to raise a glass of Caxton Street’s finest – this time in recognition of the proven model nurturing generation next.

For the Blues nothing has changed. Their annual build up remains a heated selection debate of inconsistent club combinations versus form individuals pooled from the length and breadth of the NRL.

Queensland has rubbed the benefits of club combinations in the Blues’ faces for years. New South Wales know it but are hamstrung by a ‘spoilt for choice’ spread of talent.

Newcastle’s one-club trio of Andrew Johns, Danny Buderus and Matt Gidley spearheaded the Blues last period of consecutive series victories. Since then the search for similar combinations has complicated their quest.

This has led to the type of frustration recently vented by Phil Gould in the Sydney Morning Herald where he wrote, “selfishness has been the biggest factor standing in the way of New South Wales matching Queensland for the past 10 years”.

Unfortunately for the Blues, more than an attitude adjustment is needed before the Maroons are matched on a regular basis.

Dilution of Queensland’s breeding grounds through NRL expansion north of the border and even by reduction to the south will notably level the playing field.

And while Origin is unlikely to influence NRL expansion, it’s worth considering the commercial impact of long-term Maroons domination.

More importantly, additional NRL clubs in Queensland will not only spread the Maroons’ talent but offer additional opportunities for players who miss the initial cut in their home city.

But until then, not even the waiting game is a guarantee of Blues success. Under the current NRL format the next generation of Queensland’s top guns are waiting in unified groups to extend the Blues misery.