Origin News: Ticket sales slow after AFL 'not real footy' sledge, DCE delays retirement call, Martin to monster Munster

Origin I at Adelaide Oval is set to fall well short of a sellout crowd after the NRL’s “real footy is coming soon” promotional campaign has fallen flat.

Capacity at the ground is 53,500 but it looks like the State of Origin series opener will have around 10,000 empty seats when NSW take on Queensland next Wednesday night.

The NRL has been running a promotional campaign claiming “real footy is coming soon to Adelaide”, a move which has not gone down well with locals in the AFL heartland and state government officials are predicting a crowd of around 42,000, according to a NewsCorp report.

Origin’s lack of selling power is a concern for the NRL given the LIV Golf tour even attracted 65,000 fans to Adelaide last month while more than 200,000 fans flocked to the AFL’s Gather Round in the South Australian capital recently, including 60,000 from interstate.

The Crows are averaging a tick under 40,000 fans for their home-and-away matches the Adelaide Oval this year while Port are not far behind at 38,964.

Origin is being played at Adelaide after the state government sealed a deal with the NRL three years ago on the expectation that the match would bring in an estimated $15 million dollars into the South Australian economy.

Dane Gagai makes a break at Adelaide in 2020. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Only 25,218 fans watched Queensland defeat NSW 18-14 in the inaugural Adelaide Oval match in the second match of the 2020 series which was played at the end of the year and only a limited amount of tickets were able to be sold due to pandemic restrictions.

Blues advisor Greg Alexander said it was not necessarily time to scrap neutral venues for Origin.

“I don’t think I feel strongly either way, I’m happy with the neutral venues and I’ve been involved in the last five where we’ve gone to Melbourne, Perth and this is our second time in Adelaide,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“If they scrapped it and said, ‘No, we’ll just go back to what it used to be and we’ll take it in turns of hosting two games in either Sydney or Brisbane,’ I’d be happy with that too.

“I’m happy to go with what they’re doing at the moment, I don’t mind the neutral game, but if they said, ‘That’s it, if we can’t sell out Adelaide let’s go back to, two and one, and swap it each year,’ I’d be happy with that as well.”

DCE delays retirement call

Daly Cherry-Evans misses his young family in State of Origin camp but the Queensland captain insists he’s “not entertaining” representative retirement just yet.

Cherry-Evans, 34, will play his 20th Origin match for Queensland in Adelaide on May 31 to qualify for the prestigious FOGS Dick ‘Tosser’ Turner Medal.

Maroons stalwart Josh Papalii and NSW’s Jack Wighton recently retired from Origin football.

Cherry-Evans said “two things” would inform him on how long to keep going.

“Am I contributing to the Queensland team and is it right for the balance of my lifestyle? It is those two things and nothing more,” he told AAP.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

“I haven’t entertained (Origin) retirement too much just yet but the thing that pulls me away, if anything, is my family.

“If I still feel as though I can give Queensland the best person for the (captaincy) job and at halfback I am going to keep doing it.

“When that life balance thing comes into play that is the only thing that makes me think otherwise.

“My kids’ ages at the moment are 10, eight and five. As I get older, the one thing that does make me think about (retirement) is just missing my kids as they get through these really cool ages.”

Cherry-Evans has taken his game to new heights. He is running for 87m per game this year for Manly, his best ever numbers. Against the Broncos recently he clocked 36 tackles, an extraordinary amount for a half.

It was that area of his game in the big moments that came to the fore in last year’s win in the Origin series decider after coach Billy Slater spoke to him.

“To be honest I probably have to give Billy a wrap. Last year he challenged me coming into the series to work on my defence and I took a lot out of that. It was a challenge and there was detail around how,” he said.

“I really enjoyed that and from there training-wise I have added more things to my program to make me feel better defensively. I have been really proactive and taking it into games. I feel like it is a different level of form that I have hit.”

Players often say when the thrill is gone they know the end is nigh. That’s not the case with Cherry-Evans.

“The call that Billy gives you before selection last night … I just never get sick of hearing the coach says, ‘Congratulations. You are our halfback and captain again’,” he said.

“It is just that reassurance that, ‘You are in and you are the guy that is going to lead us out’. I take so much pride in that and have so much gratitude. It still means a lot to me. All that drive is still there.

“All those factors that come with this age, when you think about retirement, of course they are there … but at the moment I am not entertaining it.

“As for the occasion … the game and how enjoyable camp is … I don’t think I will ever not want to be involved with what Origin is. It is just fantastic.” 

Martin aims to monster Munster

NSW second-rower Liam Martin is primed for another year of getting under the skin of Cameron Munster, declaring his trademark niggling is all part of the State of Origin spectacle.

With his hamstring woes in the past, Martin is keen to be unleashed on another Queenslander: Broncos firebrand Thomas Flegler. 

Martin has been the Queensland crowd’s pantomime villain since his Origin debut in the 2021 series opener, when he was deployed to goad Maroons five-eighth Munster. 

The Penrith back-rower took to the assignment with the steady hand of an Origin veteran, eventually finding himself on the receiving end of a Munster kick in backplay as the Blues ran out to a 44-point victory.

In the wash-up from the series opener a year later, the Queensland media lashed Martin’s “grubby tactics”, such was his enthusiasm for reprising his role as Munster’s agitator in chief.

Liam Martin. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

After Melbourne’s defeat of the Dolphins on Saturday night, Munster revealed he had been playing with a fractured rib for more than a month and later invited the Blues to send extra attention his way in Origin I on May 31.

Martin will be happy to oblige. “We’ll do our best and see how we go,” the NSW man told AAP with a smile.

Martin’s motor-mouth and physical defence are hardly reserved for the Origin arena – in the NRL’s round 11 he sent his attention the way of Sydney Roosters prop Matthew Lodge, who shoved the second-rower in backplay while the Panthers were running away with the game.

But it’s a tactic Martin knows is perfect for the vitriolic arena when NSW and Queensland go head to head.

“It’s in-built in the game,” he said. “It’s sort of how I play, I try to get under the other team’s skin.

“You have to bring that passion out on the field. When I’m playing my best, that’s how I play. I’ll definitely be bringing it this game and hopefully it makes a difference.”

This time last month, Martin was facing the possibility of missing out on the series altogether.

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A hamstring injury rubbed him out of the Panthers’ round-four fixture on game day, and after he inflamed his troublesome leg on his return in round seven, he spent more time out.

“I just kept re-aggravating it and getting setback after setback,” Martin said.

“I didn’t know how long I would be out there. It was really frustrating. It felt good to be back out the last two weeks.

“I’m really excited (for Origin). It’s always a massive honour to pull on this jersey. I’m really keen to get out there.”

Flegler looms as the next man on Martin’s hit-list. The Brisbane Broncos prop is known as a fiery customer and will be making his return to the Queensland set-up after missing selection last year.

“I might have to (niggle at him),” Martin said. “He’s a great player, he’s certainly a big boy. I’ll have to get stuck in to him. Keen for that.”