For years now, rugby league trainspotters – such as myself – have been decrying the singed-earth impact of State of Origin on the rest of the sport.
The decimated club competition, the poor-relation international scene, the publicity and sponsorship wasteland this time of year, the changing demographics of the NRL, the apparent disregard for fans who don’t live in one of two Australian states… All that.
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But it’s now abundantly apparent that even if the number of players eligible for Origin gets down to City-Country levels, with blokes being plucked from reserve grade, it will still pretty much stop Australia three times a year.
It’s that big; it’s like the Melbourne Cup.
It’s bigger than the sport that happens to be played when it’s on.
So instead of fighting Origin and predicting its demise, where can we take it so it makes even more money for the sport in Australia? It’s an enormous cash cow as is, but could it be bigger?
The NRL have hit upon one goldmine by selling off games to Perth and Adelaide. Throw in Auckland and Melbourne, and these are the cities with the most money to spend and most fans to attract by hosting Origin. It’s a firecracker in the economic engine of the city where it’s held.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Ideas like Singapore or London (or going back to Long Beach, California!) sound glamorous but how many hotel beds will these cities sell, justifying a big financial offer, in comparison to Australasian centres? There are only three games – we’re probably not there yet in terms of these cities being interested enough.
Origin has the same problem as an ageing rock band that attracts lots of money from an equally ageing but wealthy fan-base – the limited availability of the actual performers. Just when Jon Bon Jovi can earn the most money, he’s struggling to sing.
Likewise, our players are being pulled in all directions. Will we one day have dedicated Origin players, loaned out to clubs to keep them fit?
If I put on my hard rock and heavy metal hat, I can point to KISS talking about touring with no original members, Foreigner doing just that, and Ronnie James Dio being represented by a hologram on account of being dead.
Origin players are employed by someone else, which makes their money-making potential finite and requires promoters to get creative to squeeze more juice out of the lemon in their absence.
There are a few ways to do this.
One is other versions of Origin. The women’s Origin is already an event in its own right and may have outgrown North Sydney Oval and only playing one game.
Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
The Under-20s Origin was played as part of the Pacific Test festival for a few years (this is where most of us first heard of Matt Lodge) but it’s subsided into the background a little.
Trying to push other Origin games into the mainstream gives the NSW and Queensland rugby leagues more sponsorship inventory to flog off without calling on NRL players to do more. Beach Origin in January anyone? Origin-branded darts and hopscotch?
Of course, one of actual Origin’s great appeals is the scarcity of the product and that is best not meddled with too much.
When a punch-up from the 1993 Hull KR versus Queensland game appeared on social media recently, people were stunned the match ever occurred. I remember it well; I taped the highlights off Rex Mossop’s Sports World.
By the way, it was players from the Queensland comp only – no Sydney stars.
NSW toured New Zealand in the late 1970s too, a fact I remember from Malcolm Andrews’ seminal series of encyclopedias on the game. But interstate football before 1980 is almost entirely forgotten these days.
Anyway, as the 1997 Super League Tri-Series showed, expanding Origin just ruins its mystique. Part of the magic is that this is a competition with just two teams. It’s almost like a fable.
But does that mean there aren’t things that can be done to extend the brand beyond six weeks of the year? No.
We already have these heavily promoted ‘camps’, which give the sponsors valuable air time without anyone getting a worse injury than a hangover (hopefully, if security does its job).
Why not bring in a second tier of state-based rivalry? It’s not as if the game can’t afford it. Western Australia versus Northern Territory, Victoria versus South Australia, using a mix of NRL players from those states passing on their knowledge and experience to local amateurs – which is what we see in many international teams.
These could start off as curtain-raisers and become events in their own right.
If we get a Nines circuit up and running with specialist players, the Maroons and Blues could extend their public shelflife by taking part – along with the other states. “NSW Blues win Rotterdam Nines” has a nice ring to it.
The TV rights could be split up, although the conventional wisdom is that they’re worth more together. As TV rights dip, that conventional wisdom might change.
An NRL Summer League using fringe players – like the NBA Summer League – could also involve states instead of clubs to further grow the IP of the state leagues, with modified-rules matches held in non-league states during the off-season
Origin is not my favourite thing but I will be watching in a bar tomorrow. It’s a powerful advert for our sport, even for people who couldn’t find either state on a map.
Instead of grumbling about it, it’s probably a better idea to make good use of it.
Bernie
Guest
Yes its the rules but its illogical as I say above if you born in Victoria and move to Sydney/Canberra at age 19 and then play under 20s for NSW whereas a Canberra born and bred player who isn't selected for NSW under 20s cant play SOO for NSW.
Jaime O'Donnell
Guest
Thanks Bernie, I did read the attachment (it was brought in to stop the GI and James Tamou farces from occurring in the future). Regardless of what your thoughts are, and regardless of what the other codes do regarding ACT representative teams, when senior Rugby League players represent their state or region it is for a NSW based team... This can also be witnessed by the Bidgee Bulls Representative team that is for ACT, Monaro region and Southern NSW players. Agree the the school boy rep teams are ACT but that's because they are representing their school not their club. But from under 16's and above the players from the local clubs are eligiable for the Bidgee Bulls teams. The question regarding ACT born and bred players being eligible for NSW in SOO is due to the competition they grew up playing being ran and administered by the NSW CRL. Doesn't matter if you or I think it is right, that's the rules.
Ad-O
Guest
Every sport has its rivalries. Usually these are played out thru clubs e.g Barca-Madrid, Liverpool-United, or Yankees-Red Sox; sometimes thru nations e.g. India-Pakistan, The Ashes. In rugby league its Queensland - NSW. None of those rivalries will ever change even if the rest of the sport totally transforms around them. So if the overseas rivalries never change, and their fans love it that way, why the hell should WE mess around with Origin? Because surely if you are bored with Origin, then you must be either bored of rugby league, bored of sport, or bored of life. The thing is you cant fool people. You cant sell them uncompetetive Test Matches that have long since lost their meaning. Or an NRL that thinks it's a good idea to play out in Homebush in front of 10,000 people. These things have no history, no atmosphere, and no one cares. Origin is everything they are not. No amount of wishful thinking will change this.
Bernie
Guest
Jaime, If you had read the link I attached , the question for eligibility is whether you are born in NSW or Qld and where you played your footy before 13th birthday in NSW and Qld - there is no mention of the ACT and is it State of origin or isn't it? - in no other code do ACT players play for NSW teams where there are independent comps or when they do they are so named eg ACT/NSW under 18 AFL. The Canberra District RL is irrelevant BTW all other codes are ACT - ACTJRU, ACTAFL, ACT Squash etc even if they have NSW neighbour teams..BTW the junior RL rep teams are ACT schoolboys.
Jaime O'Donnell
Guest
Hi Bernie, the reason Vaughan and Cotric are eligible to play for NSW is because the Canberra Distric Rugby League comp is Group 8 of the NSW CRL. That's why in the junior competitions in Canberra the kids play against Bungendore, Yass, Cooma, Goulburn, Crookwell, and Queanbeyan. In Vic and the other states they have there own competitions ran by the state body (eg VRL in Victoria).
Simon
Guest
This article made me feel sad. Doubles as a list of ways late capitalism will eventually ruin Origin
Bernie
Guest
Greg and Israel snuck in under the old rules (pre 2012) when in order to stop a NSW dynasty and simultaneously prop up the Storm there were no rules and this cross border "slave" trade would have needed the FBI to enforce,
Peter
Guest
Bernie, very sensible point. And huge congratulations for writing an article about SOO eligibility without once mentioning Greg Inglis. :-)
Bernie
Guest
Good article. You raise under 20 s Origin but if the NRL is to expand they must get the eligibility rules correct. https://www.nrl.com/SysSiteAssets/documents/state-of-origin-eligibility-rules.pdf Cotric and Vaughan (born and raised in the ACT till at least 21) get in by virtue of having played for NSW under 18 or 20 “State of Origin” teams even though they have never lived or played in NSW comps and State of origin rules apparently don’t apply to junior teams… Example - This means of course if a player is born and raised in Victoria/England/Sweden? and gets a scholarship to play RL at age 19 in Canberra/Sydney and is so good is picked for NSW under 20s (not subject to State of origin rules) then he is eligible to play for NSW seniors even though he has never lived in NSW and contrary to the senior State of Origin rules? How is that State of Origin? How is that logical?
Big Daddy
Guest
NRL, NSWRL and QRL have used the SOO as their commercial cash cow to promote the game of Rugby League on a national basis. I'm a bit of old school and prefer it to be played only in NSW and Qld as it always was. By taking SOO to Perth it gives fans an expectation of what it will be like on a regular basis should their ever be a team in Perth. I'm all for taking matches to Perth,Adelaide or wherever but only club matches. Expand the game if you want but not at the expense of the current game and that includes NRL level and country football in Qld and NSW.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
I keep hearing Origin is a "cash cow". How much money does it make the NRL? What is the opportunity cost?
Peter
Guest
“Interstate football before 1980 is almost entirely forgotten these days.” Not north of the Tweed it’s not, not yet anyway. There are still people who remember, and who passed the lore on to their grandchildren, Queensland teams being beaten by teams stuffed with Queenslanders. That’s why Origin started, remember? That’s why one of the great sporting sledges was the news that team sponsorship was changing from alcohol to soft drinks - Queensland would be sponsored by Seven-Up and NSW by Coke Zero (who today would be sponsoring a Mitchell Pearce). That’s why CAAARRNA MAROOONS!!!
no one in particular
Roar Guru
The issue is the Sunday night game. In the middle of winter on a Wednesday night people have nothing better to do then watch TV. The weekend is a totally different story, especially with other sports on the same day
Paul
Roar Guru
This article comes down to one simple question. Who owns the players? Most coaches will want their best to play SOO, for the benefits the player brings back to the Club, but ALL hate them not being available for selection for at least one and maybe two games, depending how they pull up. You then throw in travel outside Australia, etc and I'm sure the Clubs would say, forget it, unless they gained significant concessions, which the NRL won't do. The NRL needs to get the scheduling right to make Clubs happy, then consider how to grow SOO - or even if it needs to grow at all.
Don
Roar Rookie
Game 1 was down 200k on the total against last year which doesn’t include any numbers for the live stream through 9Now, it was hit with big traffic and crashed a couple of times. Game 2 was a Sunday night so can’t compare LFL. But clearly the broadcasters would prefer the Wednesday slot... Game 3 should easily pick up the shortfall of game 1 and chip away some of the game 2 audience deficit as it’s a decider and game 3 last year rated poorly as a dead rubber.
Marco
Guest
Warrenbungles - you say that but are ratings not down ? Got to be proactive not reactive
WarrenBungles
Guest
I can’t believe I read the majority of that. If it ain’t broken, don’t try n fix it, coz it might be broken by the time you finish.
Jordan
Guest
A once-off best of 5 series would be pretty cool. Maybe for the 50th anniversary?
Jimmy
Roar Guru
A positive article about Origin. Are you feeling ok Steve?