Sure, I’m levitating with enthusiasm for Game 2 of Origin on Wednesday night. But don’t feed me baloney and tell me it’s rugby league.
Yes, this once great contest of State of Origin has become an unrecognisable weakling of it’s former electromagnetic self. If it stopped to chat to me in the street, I’d have to make an embarrassing attempt to remember it’s name and probably end up calling it Darren.
Remember when it was artisanal rugby league, the thrilling jewel in the game’s navel?
Remember how rival codes fawned over its unique blend of league skills and street-fighting? Back when it was non-inclusive to anyone outside of New South Wales and Queensland?
I yearn for these good old discriminatory days of Origin. It was the way God intended it to be; brimming with appeal and cache, and totally free of out-posted venues and New Zealanders.
Nowadays, after years of misappropriation, the grand old contest has become something like Michael Crocker’s LA eyes and Anthony Watmough’s taut forehead. It’s almost unidentifiable, even by forensic standards.
Is it really the ill-tempered showpiece it once was? Heck, is it even rugby league any more? What’s tinkered with it’s soul? Why’s it so crap?
Here’s some flimsy, poorly-researched speculation as to why. Starting with the low hanging fruit.
1. The contest is dead
There’s two teams out there, but only one of them’s a chance. And this is officially criminal.
Yes, the constitution states that Origin is obliged to be tighter than extracting a wedgie through the eye of the needle. Really, on what other bedrock law would the nation be established?
To it’s credit, the contest upheld its civic duty for almost two and a half decades. But now its nothing more than a crook who contravenes the nation’s statutory regulations with woeful regularity.
Thanks to years of Queensland domination, the balance of the contest is now like its appeal; virtually non-existent.
This has caused New South Wales to culturally evolve in to a paranoid defensive unit who pride themselves on damage control. Look at their reactive selections – Josh Morris gets a start when he’s fit purely so he can choke Greg Inglis like a turtleneck.
Sure, it’s a wonderfully conservative ploy. But everyone knows turtlenecks have no creative appeal unless they’re from the wardrobes of Steve Jobs or the Beatles.
Such impotent anti-Origin strategy means mostly low-scoring, high-tackling affairs of minimal thrills and maximum constipation.
Except for games at Suncorp. Then the Maroons run through the Blues like they’re a line of holograms.
2. It’s not even time compliant
Stuff the rugby league rule book and it’s laws on time; Origin has become so big for its boots that it operates by it’s own clock.
There’s no secret that people prefer their whopper footy games to be strategically initiated at either 3pm or 7:30pm – the times that cater for the Western world’s post-food and pre-sleep habits.
Not Origin though. It colludes with a nagging bitch called television and chooses to commence somewhere close to 9pm. On a stinking weeknight. With a halftime break that runs for the length of a sitcom.
Can you imagine Tommy Raudonikis and Les Boyd waiting this long at the break? They’d have belted each other senseless and served a sentence for affray with enough time to punch a few darts in the tunnel on the way out.
Sure, this strategy may align the game with the profitable prime-time market in China, but it’s not rugby league in my book.
3. There’s no more superfluous brutality
Origin has seen a regrettable decrease in violence over the years.
The scrums, the ruck, the drive past the Caxton Hotel. Whatever it was, the halcyon days would always promise various methods of lusty clouting with widespread bruising right down to a molecular level.
Nowadays, this is a distant memory. The most passionate contest is fought between the tabloid papers and the only medical issues are the ones fabricated by Queensland.
Even Origin’s qualities as a hotbed of antagonistic pre-match panto are dead.
It’s like the hatred has evaporated in to the sky and it’s vaporisation is refracting a peaceful bloody rainbow across the Tweed.
The stage players are to blame for this atrocity. No matter how hard we try here down south, Kevin Walters is impossibly difficult to despise. And as for Laurie Daley, the Queenslanders love him too. For obvious reasons.
The lack of vitriol and facial disfigurements in Origin may be beneficial for attracting children and soccer mums, but unfortunately it has one minor drawback: it totally sucks.
Bring back Justin Hodges.
4. Interest levels are too high
While the eastern seaboard couldn’t give a continental any more, the Origin concept is blowing up tellies right across the nation. People in far-off regions who have no idea about our distorted definitions of passion and loyalty are flocking like lemmings to catch a glimpse of the fuss.
Look at the ratings – if you’ve lost a loved one in this great country of ours, there’s a one-in-twenty chance of finding them in front of a television on Origin night marvelling at the quality of Aaron Woods’ shiny coat.
But is it any coincidence that the quality of the contest has demised in line with it’s booming popularity in new markets? Of course it’s not.
I can’t pinpoint why this is the case, but I guess there is a moral to the tale: Origin doesn’t work when there’s Sandgropers and Victorians involved.
In fact, nothing really does.
5. The death of the bonding session
Players pickling themselves in 90-proof for days prior to playing Origin was not some flimsy unwritten rule, it was as obligatory as attending a team medical to have your hamstrings tested in a sexually-suggestive position by the physio while the media watched on.
Now the only abuse of booze seen is in the obese over-commercialisation of the VB Blues v XXXX Maroons marketing as brought to you by Nine and Holden. Buy a Pepsi right now.
Unfortunately, the frivolity and subsequent public titillation that bonding sessions provided are gone forever.
With the retirement of Mal Meninga, barkeeps have had to return to serving beer, and not even Blake Ferguson’s return to the arena could restore Origin to it’s munted glory days.
Coconut water, night times that involve sleep and no updates on-the-hour from the local constabulary.
This is not the Origin I know.
Dal S
Guest
Rugby League has totally lost the plot to please a few "do gooders". This once great game is now a hollow shell of itself. It is a boring disgrace compared to the glory days The crazy pommy who brought in the "no punching" rule has long since gone but the dopey officials running the game now are even worse. I've never seen so little interest in the game as this year in Sydney. State of Origin is finished as a major spectacle. Nobody cares any more because it is no longer a gladiatorial contest. Goodbye real Rugby League, we all miss you so much.
Cedric
Guest
Yep boring. But i'm not from Oz, so for weeks I get nrl withdrawal problems and maybe watch a mid week game that starts after 10pm!! During these dark times, I have to watch a bit of rugby, which is tough. Oh please can origin be over soon or at least revert somehow to the open hard play of yesteryear!!!!!!
Mrmahalek
Roar Rookie
The trend I notice with all these threads is that mostly the people who think Origin has gone down the drain are from south of the tweed. Here in central Queensland nobody says any of these things and whole towns still turn maroon before we inevitably win. Once NSW starts winning again most of these complaints will fade away (except the ridiculous kickoff time, cause that is universally hated)
woodart
Guest
agree totally. state of origin has grown stale. if league is to grow, it has to look outwards.
Joel
Roar Rookie
I doubt Tommy can spell artisanal
Grizz
Guest
Yeah, it's next door to Alaska
dayer
Guest
good on ya,, is that in Canada
Roosters16
Guest
Dont forget its destructive effect on the NRL season. It destroys the momentum of the regular season and sucks up valuable dollars in marketing that could be spent building up our club blockbusters. My interest in origin peaked in 2012 since then it has declined to the point were i don't care anymore. I watched game 1 this year out of habit and to be honest it was crap. I doubt i will watch the rest of the series. For me international footy is what the ARL should be focused on, it is more entertaining and is a greater tool for spreading the game globally than a game between two australian states.
Grizz
Guest
I'm a regular bloke from Brisbane, born in 1990. Can't wait to see QLD destroy the blues again! In fact, I'll be tuning into the radio again for game 2 from the middle of the Yukon via sattelite dish
pjm
Roar Rookie
Origin is a terrible spectacle. A lot of the best positional players in the NRL are now from England, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. We even have an Australian winger unable to play in it. Origin is now devoid of the talent required to make it as it was, the best vs the best. I'm not saying get rid of Origin or change its eligibility rules, but due to its low quality it can no longer justify its existence in the middle of the season. Advertising it as the best thing League as to offer also diminishes the entire game as new people are not impressed with what they are seeing and think if that is the best they can expect then there is no point in tuning in again.
bangbang
Guest
City v Country games have never been wildly popular north of the border, whereas Origin has always been massive, North and South. You can't really say that Origin is destined to go down the same path because it would take one side of the border to not give a shit about it
Bee bee
Guest
I think he is a horse. Or at least he talks to/about horses. Legend has it he lives in a stable in Flemington and appears on a snooty ABC show once a week. When he is not being a horse or talking to/about horses he blah blah blahs about AFL and how amazing it is.
Michael l
Guest
For me this year's origin has so far been a disappointment. I feel this way mainly because of the selection of the NSW team. Just looking over their line up that they have you could tell that the team they have now is a team you want to choose for grinding out wins and that's the type of typical football that likely to ensue over these next few matches. Game 1 was really important because it was a glimpse of what is to come and unfortunately I don't see NSW playing anymore differently then they have. It was also a really important game as well not just from a winning the series standpoint, but NSW had more to lose in terms of their fan base as I feel that if they lose the first game then statistically they are likely to lose next game and so on. So I can understand that the level of interest is going to teeter off a bit for these next few matches. If they lose this next game on Wednesday night I don't think a whole lot of people will be looking forward to game 3.
Nathan
Guest
You know what mate you are dead right on this. The NRL need to have a good look at how they run the Origin and the NRL comp . Needs to go back to the way it was played in the 90s. A lot of people have lost interest in the game and I'm not far behind. And that's from someone that played the game for 17 years.
Fix the scrums
Guest
Origin seems to be getting some good viewing numbers outside of Nsw and Qld, but it makes the NRL competition look very weak. NRL ratings outside of Nsw and Qld are awful. Midweek origin night gets played to a packed stadium with big hits and lots of hype. The following weekend has ordinary games with missing players and piss poor crowds. This is not going to change. The origin cash cow is too big. The money has taken over the passion. Meanwhile the AFL continues doing its own thing with a community based broad appeal. Not a big game in Nsw and Qld but they are plugging away. Now they are launching a national women's league. Leaguies don't like it but AFL is Australia's number 1 sport. They had state of origin before league but stopped it as it was affecting it's club competition. League has an awesome product. But it is now starting to really feel like a product that is sold to the highest bidder. It used to have a real meaning when it said " state against state ". Now it's more like "show me the money".
E-Meter
Guest
I have lived in Qld for the last 20 years, but support NSW, and I can assure you that Qlders are not sick of Origin.
Jacko
Guest
SOO started because Qld was sick of being beaten by its own players in the anual NSW v QLD clash. The concept is now outdated by the NRL's own desire for expansion as now 40% of the players in the NRL arnt eligible to play SOO as they are from NZ (35%) or other countries like England and the Island nations. There is certainly a market for some form of NRL rep games but the current format is outdated.
Johnno
Guest
punching never was in the rule books and people got sin binned and suspended and sent off for fighting but now, it's far less tolerated basically zero tolerance. In the past you could have a blue and often it would be swept under the carpet. now not anymore. If Brett White did what he did to steve price now, he'd be suspended for 10-weeks, or Tallis to Ben Ross, or Ian Roberts to Garry Jack.
Johnno
Guest
SOO "1980-2000" was way better full stop. I remember far more snippets of images or memories of the 80's/90's than the 2000's. 2001 was a good series, people remember Freddy's last game in 2004 and Joey's in 2005 Lockeyer's try in 2006 but moments are few and far. I just used to remember the hype in the 90's, all day there'd be a nervous build up the hype was massive and you cared who won or lost. Also the super league tri series of 97 the final had hype too. city vs country is like SOO very similar as the world gets smaller borders get broken down. Your regular country teenager today(a country kid who lives in town not on a farm) is the same as your regular city kid. Same music/hairstyles/same movies/ same tv shows etc. It doesn't surprise me the NSWRL and CRL(country rugby league) will likely merge.
Barry Lloyd
Roar Rookie
I think people's opinions are distorted by the rose coloured glasses they use to view previous origins. For a long time I have felt that Origin games are largely forgettable. If it wasn't for the close scores most people can't recall what happened in game one of an Origin series by the time game 3 comes around. Unless of course there was a refereeing controversy, because there won't be any exciting footie played unless you are a lover of defence. I find that many fans can recount entire grand finals from memory but often need to resort to Google to refresh their memories about most Origins. In fact I can recall maybe 5% of the game just played but it has been like that for a long time now.