A blast from the past: Origin Game 1, 1982

With the first State of Origin clash of 2022 now just a training gallop away, what better time to reflect upon where the iconic series began all those years ago.

A good trivia question for your next sports quiz is: “Name the two captains in the very first State of Origin series”.

Invariably, contestants will answer Arthur Beetson for Queensland and Tom Raudonikis for NSW, but of course they will be wrong. Read on.

When the teams run out for Origin 1 at Homebush on 8 June this year, it will mark the beginning of the 41st Origin series contested between the two states.

Of course, we all know that the very first Origin game was played at Lang Park on 8 July 1980, when Arthur Beetson led the Maroons to a famous 20-points-to-ten victory over Raudonikis’ NSW team.

Tommy Raudonikis. (Photo by Sean Garnsworthy/Getty Images)

But it was another two years before Queensland’s Ron McAuliffe was able to convince the powers that be to scrap the old one-sided interstate series, and play all interstate games under the State of Origin rules.

In both 1980 and 1981, an Origin game was played along with two other matches selected under the old residency rules, so that players born and raised in Queensland who were playing for NSW clubs were only eligible to represent NSW.

In 1980, this saw Queensland-born players Kerry Boustead, Rod Reddy, Rod Morris and John Lang all play for NSW in the interstate series, and then for Queensland in the very first Origin game. A ridiculous situation.

This residency arrangement suited NSW right down to the ground, as many players of Queensland origin turned out for the Blues over the years, resulting in Queensland losing the interstate series on a far too regular basis.

Queensland-born greats like Jonny Rhodes, John McDonald, Duncan Thompson, Ray Higgs, Kevin Ryan, Arthur Beetson, Noel Kelly, Harry Bath and John Wittenberg all wore the sky blue of NSW against their home state.

But that changed for all time in 1982, as the first ever State of Origin series got under way.

The NSW side for that match, led by Max Krilich and coached by Australian coach Frank Stanton, was as follows (with the hooker wearing nine and lock wearing 13).

NSW
1. Greg Brentnall (Canterbury)
2. Chris Anderson (Canterbury)
3. Mick Cronin (Parramatta)
4. Steve Rogers (Cronulla)
5. Ziggy Niszczot (South Sydney)
6. Alan Thompson (Manly-Warringah)
7. Steve Mortimer (Canterbury)
8. Ray Price (Parramatta)
9. John Muggleton (Parramatta)
10. Tony Rampling (South Sydney)
11. Craig Young (St George)
12. Max Krilich (captain) (Manly-Warringah)
13. John Coveney (Canterbury)
14. Royce Ayliffe (Eastern Suburbs)
15. Brad Izzard (Penrith)

Bulldogs legends Terry Lamb and Steve Mortimer. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

It was a very experienced NSW team and most players would be familiar to keen league fans of today. Perhaps the less well known would include Ziggy Niszczot, John Coveney and Royce Ayliffe.

Niszczot was a hard-running outside back who had five seasons with Souths, and played two Origin matches in 1982.

Coveney was a relentless defender who played two Origins that year and three interstate series games back in 1979.

Ayliffe was a tough front rower with good ball skills who played every game in the 1982 Origin series and a Test match the previous year.

The Queensland side to face NSW that day was led by Maroons legend Wally Lewis, and coached by rugby league Immortal Arthur Beetson. Their team was:

Queensland
1. Colin Scott (Wynnum-Manly)
2. John Ribot (Manly-Warringah)
3. Mitch Brennan (South Sydney)
4. Mal Meninga (Souths Brisbane)
5. Kerry Boustead (Eastern Suburbs)
6. Wally Lewis (captain) (Valleys)
7. Mark Murray (Valleys)
8. Paul Vautin (Manly-Warringah)
9. Paul McCabe (Manly-Warringah)
10. Bruce Walker (Manly-Warringah)
11. Paul Khan (Easts Brisbane)
12. John Dowling (St George)
13. Rohan Hancock (Toowoomba)
14. Gene Miles (Wynnum-Manly)
15. Bob Kellaway (Souths Brisbane)

(Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

Again, a very experienced squad, and the tables were turned, as the team included seven Sydney-based Queenslanders.

Most of this squad’s players would represent Queensland on many occasions, with perhaps the least familiar to today’s league fans being Mitch Brennan, John Dowling and Bob Kellaway.

Brennan was an elusive speedster who crossed for three tries in his four Origin matches, including one in the very first game in 1980.

Dowling was a tough and skilful hooker for St George for a number of years who played in all three games in the 1982 Origin series.

Kellaway was a hard-working forward who never took a backward step, and played one Origin in 1982, and another off the bench in 1984.

The NSW clubs weren’t yet enamoured with the interstate series as they saw it more of a distraction to the Sydney competition, and only released their players to the Queensland camp a few days before the match.

They also insisted that the third game in the series would only be played if the series was tied after the second game.

As Origin games go, it’s fair to say that this one didn’t have either the intensity or brutality of the one-off games in 1980 and 1981, despite the odd punch being thrown, and Ray Price’s unconvincing claim that he’d been bitten by Mal Meninga. But it was certainly exciting, and went down to the wire.

Queensland controlled the early possession and landed a couple of penalty goals to lead 4-0, until a Steve Mortimer bomb and some good work by John Muggleton saw Ziggy Niszczot plunge over for a converted try in the corner at around the 20-minute mark.

That seemed to spark NSW, and following a lost opportunity by Chris Anderson on the right wing, Muggleton was in the game once more to send left winger Niszcot over again in the corner for his second converted try.

NSW jumped to a 10-4 lead at the 30-minute mark. Both teams scored penalty goals for NSW to lead 12-6 at the break.

The second half saw Test hooker and NSW captain Max Krilich dominate the early scrum possession for the Blues, allowing them to increase pressure on Queensland, and at the 54-minute mark Steve Mortimer darted over through some tired defence from ten metres out for a converted try to extend NSW’s lead to 17-6.

The game looked to be almost in the bag for NSW with 25 minutes to go, but never say never in Origin.

Mal Meninga successfully took an unlikely penalty despite his side being down by 11 points to narrow the NSW lead to 17-8 at the 56-minute mark.

(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Then, the game really came alive with less than 15 minutes to go, as the 21-year-old Meninga went on a destructive run, brushing off one defender after the other, before getting the ball to winger Kerry Boustead, who then provided the final pass for John Ribot to score next to the posts.

The crowd were on their feet and willing the Maroons home, but the cheers faded somewhat when Meninga missed his easiest and most important kick of the night, for Queensland to trail NSW by six points.

In the very next set, man of the match Meninga once again trampled his way through the NSW defenders to set off on a long run down field before passing to Mitch Brennan, who scored near the left upright.

Meninga converted, NSW clung to a 17-16 lead, and Queensland were coming after them.

Brad Izzard replaced injured NSW winger Chris Anderson late in the game, and with just minutes to go, he dived over in the right-hand corner to score a vital try with his first touch of the ball in Origin.

Cronin missed the conversion from the sideline, and then Greg Brentnall defused a final Wally Lewis bomb on his goal line, for NSW hang on to win the game 20 points to 16.

In many ways, this game typified many Origin battles to come over the next 40 years. The final margin was just four points, Queensland were right in it to the death, and were hard on attack near the NSW line when the full-time siren sounded.

Queensland squared the series a week later, again at Lang Park, when they won 11 points to seven, taking the series to a decider at the SCG on 22 June.

It’s history now that Queensland won the decider by ten points to five to claim bragging rights in the first Origin series, but like so many series to come, the teams were only separated by just five points after three games.

The Origin series was born, it became one of the real highlights of the rugby league calendar, and it is still hotly contested to this day.