With the 2021 Indigenous round just behind us, and Game 1 of 2021 Origin now tantalisingly close, what better time to consider what an all-time Indigenous State of Origin challenge would look like.
Here are two teams made up of Australian Indigenous players who have represented their states in Origin.
Queensland
1. Matt Bowen (ten Origins and two Tests): One of the most exciting broken-field runners of all time, and a prolific try scorer.
2. Dale Shearer (27 Origins and 21 Tests): A complete footballer, and versatile enough to have played every position in the Queensland back line except halfback.
3. Justin Hodges (24 Origins and 13 Tests): Played every Origin game as if it was a personal grudge match, and it often was.
4. Steve Renouf (11 Origins and 11 Tests): A silky smooth and elusive ball runner with too much pace for most opponents.
5. Dane Gagai (16 Origins and seven Tests so far): A prolific try scorer and tough competitor who saves his best for the maroon jersey.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
6. Greg Inglis (32 Origins and 39 Tests): Hailing from NSW, Inglis played fullback, centre and wing for Queensland and totally dominated his opposition nearly every time he took the field.
7. Johnathan Thurston (37 Origins and 38 Tests): The most outstanding Indigenous player to take the Origin stage, and he finished his Origin career with a ridiculous win ratio of 65 per cent.
8. Arthur Beetson (captain) (one Origin and 29 Tests): Rugby league immortal. Only played the one Origin but that was enough to ensure the success of the interstate battle forever more. Without peer as a front rower and leader.
9. Scott Prince (five Origins and four Tests): Better known as a clever halfback but has the skills to fill in capably at dummy half.
10. Sam Backo (seven Origins and six Tests): A passionate player who never took a backward step on the field and had a habit of scoring tries.
11. Sam Thaiday (29 Origins and 34 Tests): One of the best Queensland forwards of the modern era, who delighted in the Origin battle.
12. David Fifita (three Origins so far): A gifted attacking player who is almost impossible to contain when he puts his mind to it. Destined to become a Queensland Origin legend.
13. Gorden Tallis (17 Origins and 13 Tests): An aggressive player for the full 80 minutes who loved to dominate the opposition, both with ball in hand and with his destructive defence.
New South Wales
1. David Peachey (one Origin): A scintillating, naturally gifted athlete who liked nothing better than running the ball from deep in his own territory. A prolific try scorer in the NRL.
2. Josh Addo-Carr (nine Origins and two Tests so far): Currently the number one winger in the game. A speed machine and prolific try scorer at all levels of the game.
3. Steve Ella (seven Origins and five Tests): Ella was a brilliant attacking player with electric acceleration that often left the defence floundering in his wake.
4. Latrell Mitchell (four Origins and four Tests so far): A dangerous attacking weapon who knows how to put his winger in the clear. Mitchell is hard to stop, and delights in strong defensive plays of his own.
(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
5. John Ferguson (eight Origins and three Tests): There have been very few wingers to play the game who can claim to be better than Ferguson. Fast, elusive and a prolific try scorer.
6. Cliff Lyons (six Origins and six Tests): One of the best five-eighths to play the game. Lyons had the opposition guessing for over 15 years and his try assist count is off the scale.
7. Adam Reynolds (two Origins so far): A soon-to-be-departing Souths legend who knows how to steer his team around, and one of the best goal kickers in the NRL.
8. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (four Origins and four Tests): A big, hard-running weapon who loved the contact, and never backed off.
9. Nathan Peats (three Origins): A very good dummy half at his peak and one of the best defenders in the game.
10. Andrew Fifita (ten Origins and 15 Tests so far): Fifita was built for the rough and tumble of Origin and when he was in the mood, there was no more dominant player on the field.
11. Wade Graham (six Origins and eight Tests so far): A tough and clever forward also blessed with the ball skills and kicking game of a halfback.
12. Greg Bird (18 Origins and 17 Tests): A destructive player in every sense, who was equally at home either in the back row or at five-eighth. A much feared NSW player.
13. Laurie Daley (captain) (23 Origins and 21 Tests): A Canberra legend and one of the great players of the 1990s. Daley had everything – speed, power, footwork, skill and passion. One of NSW’s greatest Origin players.
Unfortunately, this game will only ever be played on paper, so who wins?
The stats show that the Queensland team have double the number of Origin games under their belt. And how many of the NSW squad would replace their Queensland counterparts?
Probably only Daley to lock in place of Tallis, with Tallis shifting to the second row instead of David Fifita.
So it looks like a Queensland victory for me. What do you think?
One thing’s for sure, it would be a great game, and neither side would die wondering with the ball in their hands.
Cath Brown
Guest
Please people. The number one Indigenous players never gets a run. Where is Nathan Blacklock. I'm a Queenslander but Blacklock was the best ever
Blues
Guest
As it’s a make believe indigenous SOO. How about naming the available players, for the state that they actually came from? Now that would actually make it a SOO.
Tony
Roar Guru
Thanks Kman. It would certainly be a spectacle worth watching.
Kman
Roar Rookie
Great article Tony. What a wonderful hypothetical! Gee there have been some astonishingly great Indigenous NRL players over the years :thumbup:
Kerry Hanson
Guest
Little Bo Peep, bought a pet sheep , she named the dumb animal Barry . The sheep was cheap , but the pick of the heap , in a pen at Belmore cash n carry . He was stronger and bigger and black as a Tyre , and she took him to her home in Henty. She had another at home , and for the point of this poem , let’s name her other Forty Twenty. A well natured sheep , that would graze and sleep ,and loved it when hay was a plenty. But Barry was big , with the nature of a pig , he would have no part of sharing . He was a bully and a bore but he made sure, that Bo Peep only saw he was caring . Forty Twenty was amiss , what did I do to deserve this , why did Bo Peep bring this chump home from the shops . But Bo Peep was aware, of the goings on in there, and Big Baz ended up as chump chops.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Kerry if you’re going to get on the dance floor it’s best to have some moves. You have all the grace and originality of a sharpie.
The Barry
Roar Guru
So you don’t think you have a role to play in making our society a better place Just when I think you couldn’t be more of a bottom feeder you just keep sinking lower and lower Jimbo
The Barry
Roar Guru
Don’t call me Sigmund buddy, you were the one telling me how I somehow feel all this guilt I laugh every time you tell me you’re such a free thinker and then you just regurgitate propaganda. Your views are as mainstream as they get... Everything you write is hypocritical... you were the only one throwing petty diversions around It’s an article about indigenous footy players and you start banging on with how divisive it is and “they’re making me feel guilty...” Has any indigenous person ever told you that you should feel personal guilt? Here’s a bit of sigmund for you... you really should examine why you feel that way. No one is telling you that you have to be guilty, so why do you feel that way? I’m sure you’ll blame everyone, anyone else... You can bag my opinions all you like. But at least I’m true to them and stand by them. As soon as you get called on your BS, you go ducking for cover. “It’s not me, it’s the media” “Why are people forcing me to feel guilty” “Where’s the disrespect?” If you want to be a ray cist C U Next Tuesday, good for you. But then don’t go running and blaming everyone else when you get called on it
Kerry Hanson
Guest
Thanks for your contribution RR, but you can go back to sleep now .
Kerry Hanson
Guest
They’d have you believe that.
Kerry Hanson
Guest
You keep fighting the good fight Sigmund , those nasty micro aggressions are everywhere. I’m surprised you can find the time to waffle on here all day with your huge social rectification burdens . And you are right , I care , I care a lot , but I care about what’s really going on , not these petty diversions being thrown at us everyday by the mainstream charlatans .
matth
Roar Guru
Frank Fisher is an interesting one. A genius player in country QLD. Played for rep teams against England twice and tore them to bits. He was asked by an English club to play for them but the QLD Government of the time (1950’s I think) had enacted legislation giving them the ‘right’ to limit the movement of indigenous people and they refused permission for him to go.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Eddie. Gilbert, Twopenny, Scott Boland and Albert Henry are some others
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
Yeah but as a member of society it is up to us all to try and make this place a better place, wether we have anything to do with the problem is irrelevant :thumbup:
The Barry
Roar Guru
I know you want to make out like you don’t give a schitt but it’s just not true. This is an article about indigenous footy players and YOU chose to make it political. “You lap up all this institutionalised ray cism tripe spewing from the ABC and the left” is complete meaningless tripe. I could just say you lap up the tripe shovelled at you by Andrew Bolt and the right But you’re an original free thinker and everyone who disagrees with you is gullible and brain washed. It’s such a light weight position You keep coming back to this idea of “guilt” (did you hear that from Bolt or Alan Jones?) but guilt has NOTHING to do with it. I assume no responsibility but not selfish and naive enough to say “not my problem”. No one is asking you to carry the can. Can you actually articulate how and who is asking you to carry the can? What is the can you’re being asked to carry? It’s defensive nonsense. You refuse to see anything from anyone else’s point of view. Much easier to say “not my fault, not my fault, you’re brainwashed” like a child You’re a massive hypocrite Jimbo. You've espoused big oted views for years, but whenever you get called on it you hide behind “it’s not that, I just don’t give a schitt”. Refuse to own it absolutely pss weak...
Tony
Roar Guru
I'm only human :happy:
Darkzero30
Roar Rookie
Sorry mate Adam Reynolds is not Indigenous!!! He’s already played for the world All-stars against the indigenous All-stars how’d ya get that one wrong??slot Loz in the #6
Jay bailz
Guest
Adam Reynolds is not indigenous mate he's played for the world All-stars against the indigenous All-stars how'd you get that one wrong?
Tony
Roar Guru
Jason Gillespie?
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
I can only come up with Dan Christian, Brendan Doggett & D’Arcy Short that I am aware of. Are you aware of any others who are indigenous?