State of Origin

With so much mediocre sport broadcasted today, it’s reassuring to know that three times a year you can look forward to 80 minutes of gladiatorial entertainment.

 

This year especially, the State Of Origin has been a fast-paced exhibition of skill, power and inhumane physical commitment made better by the fact that we have a tied series going into game 3. In recent years, Origin football has been dominated by Queensland as they’ve taken the series every year since 2006. Although Queensland have enjoyed a decent amount of success over New South Wales, winning 52% of the matches in Origin history and 20 series wins to New South Wales’ 12 there have only ever been seven 3-0 whitewashes: four to Queensland and three to New South Wales.

 

For those who have somehow avoided this titanic battle, here’s a brief summary of the series:

•  It’s an annual three match series between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues.
• Players are picked from the clubs in the NRL competition.
• Players are selected to represent the Australian state in which they played their first senior rugby league, though this year there has been a new eligibility criteria agreed by the affiliates of both states which includes other factors such as place of birth.
• All selected players must be eligible to represent Australia. This has caused some controversy in the past with Kiwi players who are eligible to play for Australia choosing simply so that they can be considered for Origin selection. The most high-profile case was that of Auckland born Karmichael Hunt who was approached by New Zealand to play an international test match in 2004. He declined the offer, pledging his allegiance to Queensland and Australia; even though he didn’t even make the Australian training squad for that year. That’s the calibre of competition; it’s enough to deter players from representing their country of birth for the opportunity to play Origin football.
• There have been state representative games dating back to the pre-1900s but it wasn’t until 1980 that the first official Origin match was played.
• The first two State of Origins were one-off games which were both won by the Maroons. It wasn’t until 1982 that the three-match format that we know today was adopted.

Last season, a true great in Darren Lockyer retired from the game and familiarly steered the Maroons to victory in his 36th and final Origin match as they took game 3 34-24 and their 6th consecutive series giving him a record amount of Origin appearances.

 

However, this year, there is a slightly different look to the series. The teams are deadlocked going into game 3 and for the first time in a long time the Blues have momentum going into the series-clincher. New South Wales were unlucky to taste defeat in game 1 due to a highly dubious Greg Inglis try. Although they lost by an 8-point margin, the Inglis try proved to be a key moment when the video referee judged that Blues’ hooker Robbie Farah had played at the ball with his leg which caused the ball to be spilled as opposed Inglis losing control of the football. It was a decision that incensed the New South Wales captain Paul Gallen who argued with on-field official Tony Archer, claiming that the decision was ‘a disgrace’ having seen it on the big screen.

 

There’s a feeling among pundits and fans that the Queensland reign of superiority is coming to an end. With Lockyer already gone, there are a number of players that are on their way out. The ageing Maroons can’t seem to sustain an 80 minute performance and in game 2 the viewers witnessed a moment of history. There is a man in rugby league who is “made of tree” (Morgan, D.R. 2012), but straight from kick off Petero Civoniceva was uprooted by Tim Grant for what has to be the first time in his career. Feats such as these simply haven’t happened in recent years and will only serve to fill the Blues with confidence.

Paul Gallen might just be the most consistent performer in world sport. You often hear the phrase ‘leading from the front’ referring to team captains; this is not only true of Gallen, he’s the epitome of it. His physicality is brutal for the whole game and he’s always on hand for his hooker, Robbie Farah, to take the ball up time after time.

 

This year, Robbie Farah has won his 1-on-1 battle hooker battle with Cameron Smith. The Maroons number 9 has in no way been under par, Farah has simply been outstanding. The Wests Tigers man got through an incredible amount of work in game 2 notching up 74 tackles in a complete performance. His sharpness around the play of the ball and a nicely rounded kicking game relieved the pressure form his half-backs Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce which allowed them to flourish.

 

Possibly the most remarkable feat of game 2 was how Josh Morris kept his opposite number Greg Inglis quiet for 80 minutes. Inglis is the hottest property in rugby league and is probably the most complete centre in the game. His 6’5” and 16st 10lbs frame is not only obviously powerful, he’s also one of the quickest men in the game; he’s got better footwork than Michael Flatley and the slight of hand of a young Paul Daniels. He’s scored 19 tries in 21 appearances for Australia and 14 Origin tries in 17 appearances for Queensland making him the record try-getter in Origin history at the age of 25; and all of this from the centre. Morris’ management of Inglis was instrumental in the victory and the Blues will have to replicate it Wednesday when Inglis lines up at fullback if they are to take their first series win in 7 years.

 

It’s almost an impossible task to predict who’s going to come out of the encounter victorious. The loss of Sam Thaiday was evident in game 2 and Queensland severely missed his energy, the Maroons will be desperately keen for him to regain his fitness following the injury to his shoulder. If Queensland are to capture their 7th consecutive Origin series, they’ll have to do it without the inimitable Billy Slater. The world’s best fullback injured his knee in game 2 and hasn’t played for the Melbourne Storm since. He’s been trying to prove his fitness but Mal Malinga has been forced to name Inglis at fullback which sees Dane Nielsen move into the centres with another injury doubt Justin Hodges (ribs). With Jharal Yow Yeh already sidelined through long-term injury, it’s a reshuffle Malinga wouldn’t have wanted to make but he’s very confident in Inglis at fullback stating this week,

 

"I'm excited about what Greg can do at fullback,"

 

"Playing both sides of the park, Greg is a great rugby league player and I still maintain fullback is probably his best position.

 

"When you talk about getting involved and getting more touches, this gives Greg that opportunity. As we saw against the Broncos (when Inglis twice hammered rival fullback Josh Hoffman a fortnight ago), his defensive ability was pretty good too.

 

"You can't replace people like Billy, that is a given. He brings so much energy, he is all over the place and his talk is fantastic.

 

"You can't replace the things he does but we have to meet the standards at which he plays. We have to engage Greg and make sure his best plays are utilised for the team."

 

It’s all set up for an absolute ripsnorter of a game. If you’re not familiar with the Origin series, here are a few things to look out for:

• A car-crash like collision from the first kick-off.
• A sustained level of physicality that would see the average person spending a long time in prison for assault.
• Greg Inglis defying science by being so deft for a big man. He’ll be desperate not to spend game 3 as a bystander as he did in game 2.
• Robbie Farah making every other tackle.
• Johnathon Thurston demonstrating why he’s the best kicker in rugby league by some way.
• Greg Bird being the most aggressive and intimidating man on the pitch.
• Jarryd Hayne running really fast.
• Brent Tate leading into contact with his enormous chin.
• Paul Gallen sporting the most muscle-mass ever seen on a rugby player.
• Commentator Phil Gould shouting “THAT IS AN ORIGIN PASS!” or “THAT IS AN ORIGIN TACKLE!”.
• A moment of brilliance from Todd Carney.
• The best combination of skill and bruising physicality you’ll ever see in a sporting arena.
• A fight. Although there’s been one in game 1 of this series, the 2011 series went without a proper dust-up and the atmosphere has been simmering for a while. If it happens, it will be in the first 10 minutes, but with so much at stake; neither team will want to lose a player to the sin bin or worse to the dressing room.

It really is the finest sporting spectacle on the planet. Even if you’re not a rugby league fan, the theatre of the whole even is encapsulating. It will make you shriek, shudder, scream, applaud and thanks to the legendary Channel 9 commentary team fronted by Ray Warren, you’re in for a few laughs too. If you’ve watched it before, you’ll know all of this already but if you haven’t; you’re in for a treat. Come on you Blues!