On Sunday the New South Wales Blues won the 2021 State of Origin series after two consecutive dominant displays of football.
Like clockwork the talks of a dynasty began echoing throughout the New South Wales media and the ranks of former Blues representative players.
When will they learn?
The word ‘dynasty’ is thrown around after something as little as a hard run or a line break from a New South Wales player. That eight-year reign of Queensland was incredible, and as a Queenslander I cannot see it being replicated again by either state. It was an anomaly. A team filled with five potential future Immortals and a handful of hall of famers. Yet time and time again after they win a series New South Wales can’t help but say, “This is our time for a dynasty”.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
On that note let us journey back.
From 2003 to 2005 New South Wales had a stranglehold on State of Origin. A star-studded backline of Anthony Minichiello, Mark Gasnier, Matt Cooper, Matt King and of course eighth Immortal Andrew Johns. I will give New South Wales the benefit here. The word ‘dynasty’ had not been brought up at this stage yet, but this Blues team were about to create one, that’s for sure.
But those plans were shattered in 2006 after a loose ball was picked up by Darren Lockyer and Queensland won their first series in three years. For eight long years Queensland owned the Origin arena with players like Cameron Smith, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk, creating a historic and first State of Origin dynasty.
Then, in 2014, it all came crumbling down.
New South Wales picked up a brand-new halves pairing from the then in-form Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs pair Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds. A firing Jarryd Hayne was playing fullback, and everything clicked for New South Wales that year.
The run from Queensland was over and – you know it – the New South Wales media were saying, “It’s our time for a dynasty”. To be fair, it looked all but certain. Queensland’s crop of Origin greats wasn’t getting any younger, while New South Wales had fresh talent coming into the side.
But in 2015 those talks were once again silenced.
Game 1 of the 2015 Origin series was won with a Cooper Cronk field goal, and Queensland were not looking the same as they usually did. They were a little bit slower, a little bit older.
In Game 2 the Maroons were ambushed by a hungrier and faster New South Wales side. Michael Jennings, Josh Morris and Mitchell Pearce all had great games, with Pearce telling Thurston he was too old on the final whistle.
In Game 3 Queensland put in one of the most complete games in Origin history, beating New South Wales 52-6 and taking out the 2015 series. Queensland then went on to win 2016 and 2017. The 2017 Origin series would be the final series played by Thurston, Smith and Cronk.
In 2018 and 2019 New South Wales won back-to-back series, with the likes of Nathan Cleary, Tom Trbojevic, Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell all making their debut in 2018. This squad was the likely one to create a dynasty of their own. The media said it, New South Wales former players said it and, heck, even Queenslanders might have thought it.
But once again those dreams were halted.
In 2020, in unique and trying times, especially for rugby league, Queensland pulled off the unthinkable. The so-called worst Queensland side in 40 years with Wayne Bennett as coach beat New South Wales in a truly amazing series. Debutants AJ Brimson, Xavier Coates, Kurt Capewell and Harry Grant all provided magical moments for Queensland.
Finally, in 2021, New South Wales defeated Queensland by dominating in the opening two games, scoring 76-6 across both. Once again the New South Wales media are screaming and shouting that it’s time for the great Blues dynasty. Don’t get me wrong, New South Wales have a fantastic team, and I couldn’t help but watch in awe their skill across the two games.
But State of Origin is back to its former self of the 1990s and 2000s. I can see New South Wales winning a couple of series in a row, maybe three tops, but Queensland will be there to take a series away, maybe even a couple back to back.
So do yourself a favour, New South Wales, and don’t get your hopes up.
blue4ever
Roar Rookie
Good Game QLD but two games too late ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
blue4ever
Roar Rookie
It's laughable watching QLD celebrating like they won the series. 94 points to QLD 26 points, all in QLD Territory. NSW, you did our state very proud whilst playing all games in QLD. Celebrate our Boys in Blue ????????????????????????????????????????
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
Yeah I agree - I just view them as draws. However if a New South Welshman wanted to view NSW as the winner then I wouldn't have anything against it - but I personally just view those two series as draws.
GregM
Roar Rookie
unless it was Meninga, Beetson, Lewis, Close, Vautin, Reddy, Miles, Lindner, Shearer, Jackson, Belcher, Langer, Gillmeister, Bella, Coyne, Gee, Walters, Larson, Renouf, D Smith, "Queenslander" Moore, Tallis, O'Davis, Ikin, J Smith, Sailor, Lockyer, Webcke, Price, Carroll, Tuquiri, Civoniceva, Webb, Hodges, Tate, Crocker, Parker to name a few. Seeing as Qld lead the head to head results, pretty sure they were more than the 5 players that you mentioned. Yes, their depth isn't what it was and the NRL / QRL need to address it.
blue4ever
Roar Rookie
QLD were only ever Smith, GI, Thurston, Slater, and Cronk, and note, even when they were reigning their wins were only ever 2-4-6 an rarely more then that. QLD started decaying since these guys started leaving. I think Gould mentioned QLDNRL pulled lower tier footy so the pool of talent weakened since they did that. They need more NRL A-Grade Clubs in QLD, but who wants to live there, it's too damn HOT, it's bad enough in NSW little only the blistering heat up there ????♀️.
blue4ever
Roar Rookie
Surely NSW won't loose the third game in NSW ????♀️.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
Ah Tony - and that hair, them shoulder pads, that bitching and backstabbing - good times, good viewing (well so the missus says, I was down the boozer when it was on)
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
NSW have a golden period with a bunch of young players, all in form and playing well. Just as Qld did between 2006-2017 (1 hiccup in 2014). No reason why it cannot happen again for either team. So 2021 hardly a dynasty, and 2021 hardly a reason to say Origin is dead
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Gotcha. I'm happy with both series remaining as draws, but I get your argument.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Always know you would be on to it Matt. The late 80's team is near my favourite.
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
Indeed - I'm certainly not trying to imply that a State of Origin series should be decided simply on for and against without any regards to win / loss in the games themselves - simply adding up the total scores and whoever has the most combined match points win the series. What I am saying is that in the 1999 and 2002 series where there was no way to break the deadlock of a game once normal time had expired and consequently each of those two drawn games remained as a draw - and consequently, given that QLD and NSW each won one of the other two games in those series, that those series were in effect drawn series, that one could view the winner of each of those series as the team that had the better for and against.
PB Meister
Roar Rookie
Yep. Your’e right. I stand corrected. Hopefully it will be 4-4 in a couple of weeks.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
The only problem with using for and against is that matches have a stand-alone quality. I can remember in 1997, for example, NSW won the first two games by a combined 3 points. Qld won the dead rubber by 6, giving then the better for and against despite losing two games. The same thing happened in the dynasty ending series. Each game should stand on its own merits.
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
Also, even going by this conception of a dynasty, if NSW win next year I couldn't class it as a dynasty - NSW winning back to back series (2018, 2019) followed by a series win to QLD (2020) followed by NSW winning back to back series again (if they win in 2022: 2021, 2022) does not really constitute a dynasty. If they (NSW) won three series in a row followed by a series win to QLD and then they (NSW) won another three series in a row immediately after then that could be argued to be a dynasty - but not two back to back series 'interrupted' by a QLD series win inbetween.
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
It's an interesting way to look at the concept of a dynasty - I suppose one doesn't strictly have to go by pure number of series in a row. However I seriously question whether 1990 to 1997 could be classed as a dynasty for NSW - maybe if they had won 7 out of 8 series with no QLD clean sweep, but 6 out of 8 with QLD getting a clean sweep (1995) - I don't think I could really class that as a dynasty.
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
With due respect, I think you will find Queensland have won 4 clean sweeps: 1988, 1989, 1995, and 2010. New South Wales have indeed so far won three clean sweeps: 1986, 1996, and 2000. So if NSW does manage to get a clean sweep in 2021 then this will bring the tally up to four clean sweeps each.
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
The 1999 and 2002 series should really be classed as drawn - and I'm saying this as a Queenslander. If anything, an argument could be made that 1999 and 2002 should be classed as wins to NSW based on for and against.
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
I'm a Queenslander and I 100% agree - those series should be classed as drawn. However if one really did want to class a winner for those series, then based on for and against NSW would be the winner of both.
Michael_1984
Roar Rookie
Indeed - but I wouldn't call three years in a row a dynasty. I think a team would have to win at least five years in a row for it to be classed as even the smallest of what can be called a dynasty. Queensland's eight years in a row really is the only true dynasty that has so far occurred in State of Origin. I suppose Queensland did win five in a row from 1980 to 1984 which could be classed as a marginal borderline dynasty but only three of these were series (1982 - 1984). Not to take anything away from the stand-alone origins of 1980 and 1981 but just saying that while it was five years in a row it wasn't actually five series in a row.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Nice article… I started reading it, thinking “how did I miss this one first time round. I’ll hit him with the 86 and 96 Blues teams…” to find out I’d already done so… :silly: Maybe there’s something to this NRL campaign to reduce head knocks… :silly: