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Welcome to The Roar‘s coverage of the 2020 State of Origin series, including news, previews, video, highlights and team announcements. We’ll be updating this page daily as the latest news breaks.
This year’s series will be played in early- to mid-November, after the conclusion of the NRL season. It has been moved from its usual June-July window on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The venues for all three games are yet to be announced while there’s still uncertainty around interstate travel and whether crowds will be allowed to attend.
Women’s Origin will remain as a standalone match, played the Friday after Game 2 of the men’s series.
Game
Date
Time (AEDT)
Game 1
Wed, Nov 4
8:15 PM
Game 2
Wed, Nov 11
8:15 PM
Women’s Origin
Fri, Nov 13
TBC
Game 3
Wed, Nov 18
8:15 PM
2019 State of Origin series
The NSW Blues have won the 2019 State of Origin series thanks to a last-minute try by player of the series James Tedesco.
That try saw the Blues secure a 26-20 victory after scores were level with just moments to go in the match, and brought NSW back-to-back series wins for the first time since 2005.
NSW had previously recorded a dominant victory in Game 2 by 32 points in Perth, after Queensland won the series opener in Brisbane 18-14.
2018 State of Origin series
The 2018 State of Origin series was won 2-1 by New South Wales, the Blues lifting the Origin Shield for the first time since 2014 thanks to wins in Games 1 and 2.
Queensland restored some pride in the final match of the 2018 State of Origin series, defeating the NSW Blues 18-12 at Suncorp Stadium.
In his final year of Origin, Maroons fullback Billy Slater was controversially awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for the best player of the series despite missing Game 1 through injury.
The fixtures and results for the 2018 State of Origin series were as follows:
2017 State of Origin series
In 2017, Queensland won the series, making it 11 wins in the last 12 years after taking a dominant 22-6 victory over NSW at Suncorp Stadium, with Valentine Holmes scoring three tries.
Holmes scored two tries in the first half of Game 3 to give Queensland a 12-0 advantage at half time. A Josh Dugan try brought it back to 12-6, but a third from Holmes and one from Jarrod Wallace saw Queensland run away with a 22-6 series-deciding victory.
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Queensland’s Dane Gagai was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series, becoming just the first winger in the history of Origin to take home the award.
Earlier in the series, the Blues cruised to a 28-4 Game 1 win in Brisbane before the Maroons hit back with a nailbiting 18-16 win in Game 2 in Sydney to set up the decider, courtesy of a last-gasp Johnathan Thurston conversion after Dane Gagai scored two tries in the second half.
History and format
Considered by many as the pinnacle of rugby league, State Of Origin is one of Australia’s premier sporting events, played in front of sold-out stadiums. The series itself is contested between New South Wales and Queensland, who have formed an epic rivalry that has resulted in some of the toughest and most skilful games ever.
Since its inception in 1980, the results between NSW and QLD had been extraordinarily even, contributing further to the competition’s success, until a 12-year streak in which Queensland have won 11 series. Overall the Maroons have won 24 series compared to the Blues’ 13.
In recent years, State of Origin has been played on Wednesday nights, spaced three weeks apart. In 2018 though, the second game of the series will be played as a stand alone game on Sunday night in Sydney. The first and third games will remain on Wednesday nights.
Year-by-year recent Origin history
2017 series
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Game 1: New South Wales made a positive start to the series, clinching a 28-4 victory away from home.
Game 2: The Maroons returned the favour during Game 2 though, coming from behind in the second half to win 18-16.
Game 3: The Blues never recovered as they travelled north for Game 3, looking like a shell of the team they were in the first game of the series, eventually going down 22-6 to lose another series.
2016 series
Game 1: The first game of the series saw Queensland take a low-scoring 6-4 victory away from home.
Game 2: Queensland wrapped up the series in straight sets. It was another tight affair, but more open with more points as the Maroons clinnched a 26-16 victory.
Game 3: New South Wales picked up a consolation victory in Game 3, taking an 18-14 victory with a miracle try on the buzzer.
