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Opinion

25 in 25: Best Origin player of NRL era - Joey, Thurston, Lockyer, Slater, Smith, Tallis, Gallen?

20th January, 2023
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20th January, 2023
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Mate vs Mate. State vs State. 80 minutes filled with blood, sweat, tears – and usually a barney or two.

Old school State of Origin will live in our memories forever. Thanks to past ARL legends like Arthur Beetson, Peter Sterling, Wally Lewis and Laurie Daley, it became one of the greatest spectacles on the rugby league calendar.

But after the Superleague war, the NRL was born, and a new generation of champions were made.

If you’ve missed it, this is the latest in our series celebrating 25 years of the NRL – and we have already ranked the best fullbackswingersfive-eighthslockssecond-rowersplayers to never make Origincoachescaptainshalfbacksfront-rowersgoal-kickersrecruitsheaviest hittersrookiesKiwis, Kangaroos, British imports, fights and Grand Final moments of the era.

Now we will pick the top 25 State of Origin stars. The two criteria are that you had to have played at least 10 Origin matches, with the majority of them in the NRL era. Big apologies to greats like Allan Langer, Paul Harragon and Glenn Lazarus who dipped their toe in the Origin arena at the start of the past 25 years.

The top 10 – the best of the best

1 Cameron Smith
2 Darren Lockyer
3 Andrew Johns
4 Johnathan Thurston
5 Danny Buderus
6 Billy Slater
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Cameron Munster
9 Brad Fittler
10 Greg Inglis

Any arguments with Smith? Didn’t think so. After being rushed into the 2003 Queensland side when Mick Crocker and PJ Marsh were ruled out injured, the Storm number grabbed the opportunity and the rest as they say is history. He played for Queensland in a whopping 42 games, 21 of which he was captain, becoming the first and still only player to reach 40 Origin games. He was a major factor in Queensland’s eight-in-a-row dynasty, and the four-time Wally Lewis Medal recipient deserves his spot at the top.

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Pick a moment, any moment, and Lockyer is more than likely in it. His ball-and-all tackle on NSW’s Michael DeVere taking him over the sideline in 2003. The 46m no-effort field goal in 2010. Maybe even his intercept-winning try in 2006 to clinch the series for the Maroons. Too many to mention. Lockyer is not just a 36-game, 22-time captain veteran for Origin. He is Origin.

It was Joey’s world, everyone else just lived in it. Clocking up 23 games for NSW, Johns was close to unstoppable. With an ability to read the game like no other, and the talent to seemingly keep the ball on a string, he made the step up from club games to the Origin arena with ease and became one of the greatest to ever pull on a Blues jersey. His return for NSW in the 2005 series needed to be seen to be believed, playing Game Two like a man possessed.

Will there ever be another JT? Making the second-most appearances at Origin level with 37, Thurston holds the record for most points from an Origin player with 220, which is 58 ahead of the next closest being Mal Meninga, along with the most goal kicks with 99 and try assists with 30. He could make something out of nothing, had the opposition constantly guessing, and had enough passion to power a small country.

Buderus was made for Origin footy, having speed and vision out of dummy half that many could only dream of. He set the record for the most consecutive appearances for NSW with 21, along with the record for the number of times as captain with 15. An inspirational leader, who was at his peak during the Blues’ three-peat throughout the 2003-2005 series.

One of the most elusive and electric players to ever pull on the number-one jersey, Slater played 31 games for Queensland and scored nine tries, kicking 22 goals and two field goals. And while he will be remembered for all of his attacking prowess and ‘that’ amazing 2004 try, Slater was just as powerful at stopping his opposition, and was always the one you wanted as your last line of defence.

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Along with fellow list makers Smith and Slater, Cronk was part of the ‘three musketeers’ from Melbourne to dominate for Queensland. But even though he was part of a trio, Cronk was a superstar all on his own. With one of the smartest footy brains, Cronk could read the game better than most. He made 22 appearances for the Maroons and was always one of the toughest on the park. While so many magical moments have Cronk’s fingerprints all over them, his 2012 field goal in Game 3 to keep the Maroons dynasty going etched him in Origin folklore.

Munster is the first player on this list to still be running around today, and who will go on to become one of the greats. He has played 15 games for Queensland and makes an impact every time he gets his hand on the ball. Such a destructive player who always seems a few steps ahead, the Maroons five-eighth can get his team up the field in a flash, and just as quickly kill the opposition’s momentum with one of his famous ball strips. And thankfully we still get to watch him play for a while longer.

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The longest-serving New South Welshman, Fittler played 31 games for the Blues, with the letter ‘C’ alongside his name for 15 of those. While a large chunk were pre-NRL, enough were post-1998 to make this list. One of the greatest players to ever wear the number six jersey, the current coach of the Blues also topped the NSW records books for the most offloads with 64, most line-break assists with 20 and most try assists with 19. After his last Origin appearance in 2001, he was lulled back into the trenches by Gus Gould in 2004, and got the fairytale finish he deserved when he scored a charge-down try with minutes on the clock, along with a 2-1 series win.

Scoring the most Origin tries from any player with 18, Inglis is a 32-game superstar who also made the most tackle busts with 138 along with line breaks with 30. He is also the highest non-goal kicker on the top point scorers list finishing his Origin career with 72 points. Likened to the great Mal Meninga, Inglis was an incredible Queensland centre gifted with both speed and strength who will be remembered as one of the greats.

Best of the rest – elite performers

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11 Gorden Tallis
12 Boyd Cordner
13 Paul Gallen
14 Petero Civoniceva
15 Jarryd Hayne
16 James Tedesco
17 Shane Webcke
18 Anthony Minichiello
19 Ben Kennedy
20 Sam Thaiday

Ben Ikin was once quoted as saying that taking the field with Tallis “was like taking a machine gun to a knife fight.” The nickname ‘Raging Bull’ was perfect, playing his 17 games for Queensland like a rampaging wild animal. Strong, fast, and easily angered, Tallis was a daunting presence on the field for every cockroach in his path. Brett Hodgson will never forgive Timana Tahu for passing him the ball in 2002, for the next tackle would become one of the most memorable Origin moments, and follow him around forever.

Cordner played 16 games for NSW, and led the Blues as captain in back-to-back series wins in 2018 and 2019. An absolute workhorse who always managed to find that little bit more in the tank, you never had to ask for anything from the stalwart backrower as he was already prepared to give his all. He played his last Origin game in 2020 from a concussion following a tackle with Maroons rival Felise Kaufusi, and retired from the game completely in 2021.

Whether you loved him or loathed him, no one can deny the passion and determination Gallen displayed in Origin, proving over and over again that he did bleed blue. Gallen played 24 games for NSW, holding the record for the most runs from a Blues player with 3306. He was captain 15 times and led the way as the Blues broke the Maroon’s eight-year winning streak in 2014. But he will always be remembered for calling the 2020 Maroons “The worst team in 40 years” as well as his friendly encounter with Nate Myles.

An absolute man mountain that always did the hard yards and led the way, Civoniceva made the most Origin appearances of any forward with 33, and holds the record for the most run meters from any player with 4065. He just had such a knack for getting that bit further, pushing that bit harder, and making those extra valuable yards for Queensland. So consistent and reliable, he will easily be remembered as one of the best front rowers to ever play Origin.

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Scoring a brilliant solo try in his Origin debut at just 18, Hayne instantly looked made for Origin. He went on to play 23 games for NSW and scored 11 tries, making him the highest-ever NSW try-scorer. He also holds the record for most tackle busts from a Blues player with 129, and the second most line breaks with 21 just behind the great Mick O’Connor. Johns, Fittler, Slater, Thurston, Gallen and King Lewis all named him in their ‘Greatest Ever’ Blues teams. Through gritted teeth, you can’t deny his on-field legacy.

Only the second player on our list still lacing up the boots, and the first for NSW, Tedesco has played 19 Origin games and has the most average run metres from any Blues player with 195, as well as the most line breaks and tackle busts from any current player.

James Tedesco wins Origin

James Tedesco raises the State of Origin shield. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Thrust into the captaincy after Cordner’s withdrawal, Teddy has become a superb leader and somehow manages to lead from the front while being out the back with ease. At this year’s NSW State of Origin awards, Teddy took out the trifecta claiming the Brad Fittler Medal, the True Blue Award for embodying the state’s spirit, and the fans’ choice award.

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Just when you thought Queensland were lucky enough to have one superstar prop in big Petero, alongside him was Webcke. Another workhorse who never took a backward step, Webcke optimised what Origin was all about. His 21 appearances for Queensland were full of non-stop brutality, and a ‘never-give-up’ attitude that always saw him give that bit more even when he was completely out of gas. And he was lways running into battle with absolutely no self-preservation.

Just scraping in with 11 appearances for NSW, Minichiello had no concerns about missing out on this list after what he produced during those games. Safe under the highball, deceivingly strong, and always backing up his teammates, the flying fullback played a vital role for the Blues in four consecutive series between 2003-2007, and won the Wally Lewis medal in 2005 where he played out of his skin. After a few years away, Mini made a return to the Origin arena in 2011 for one last hurrah.

Another NSW player who just made the list with 13 games is Ben Kennedy. But for the number of highlight reels he made for his wrecking ball runs and brutal tackles, you would have been forgiven for thinking he had played 1000. BK was already close to unstoppable in the NRL, but lifted ten levels when he pulled on a Blues jumper.

Sam Thaiday is known as a bit of a larrikin, but that would always be left in the dressing room when he ran out for Queensland. During his 29 Origin games, he was solid whenever required to play up front, but was at his destructive best when in his favoured spot on the right edge, always making life very difficult for NSW in both attack and defence.

The final five

21. Brett Morris
22. Daly Cherry Evans
23. Nathan Hindmarsh
24. Justin Hodges
25. Mark Gasnier

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Morris was a superb finisher in attack and also pulled off memorably try-saving tackles on the wing for the Blues, often during the Maroons dynasty when NSW were outclassed.

After a rumoured fallout with senior Maroon members saw DCE on the outer in 2015, he fought his way back into the Origin squad in 2018 and was given the captaincy in 2019. He has played 19 games for Queensland, with his proudest moment undoubtedly his 2020 acceptance speech on behalf of the ‘worst ever Queensland team’.

Playing 17 games for NSW, Hindmarsh was the definition of determination. He always gave his all, played on regardless of whether his shorts fit him correctly or not, and never left the field wondering if he could have done any more. After never securing a premiership with the Eels, thank goodness he won with the Blues.

After a shocker of a debut for the Maroons in Game 2, 2002, which included two in-goal passes that led to NSW tries, Hodges went on to have a 24-game State of Origin career and became one of the greatest centres to ever play the game. His last match in 2015 was the polar opposite of his first – playing a huge part in Queensland’s 52-6 win in Game 3, clinching a series whitewash, and a leaving legacy that would live forever.

Another Blues star with a famous surname who was destined for greatness, Mark Gasnier was a talented centre who played 12 games for NSW, and after a stint overseas returned to the Origin arena in 2011 to play his part in the NSW 3-0 series thumping of the Maroons. Giving the final word to Gus Gould, he said in 2006: “Mark Gasnier is the best centre I’ve ever seen play the game.”

Just missed the cut

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Honorary mentions to Ben Hunt, Darius Boyd, Corey Parker, Steve Menzies, Nate Myles, Ryan Girdler, Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Scott.

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