State Vs State

Introduction

State of origin is one of the toughest rivalry’s in Australian sport. In this report I run through the selection process and the success of the game.

What is the importance of state of origin?

State of origin is an important event on the sporting calendar. It has massive value to the fans but mostly, to the players selected. Any player would tell you the greatest thrill in their career would be pulling on that N.S.W or Qld jersey for the first time. It was as good as football got according to Chris walker the maroons winger 2001-2002 and he was right. It was all about the blood, sweat and tears and a bit more blood. It’s all about passion. It is a big event for the fans as well. There is always a huge vibe when state of origin time comes around and at the venues the atmosphere is amazing, even hours before the game. It’s a passionate game from the players and from the fans. It’s the game that the boo’s are louder and so are the cheers.

How are the state of origin players selected?

A part of the selection process in N.S.W is the city v country match. It is held every year so the players selected in these sides can try and fight there way into the origin squad. Many people believe that this actually isn’t part of the process as last years man of the match, Scott Hill, was not selected for any of the three games played but some of the selectors regard it as a trial. The Queensland rugby league do not hold a match like this to help with selection. The selectors for each state select an origin squad. The final origin team can include people not selected in the squad. The selectors are a panel of ex-players and rugby league experts who watch the performance of every player and analyse this to choose there final side about one week before the game.

Why did they start state of origin?

They have wanted to start state of origin since 1900. The suggestion actually came about because a New South Wales star moved to Queensland. In the 1900 a quality N.S.W player moved to Queensland. A journalist from a newspaper wrote, “ even though he is residing in Rockhampton I am of the opinion he should play for NSW. The time has arrived, I think, for the observance of [such] a qualification for players in inter-colonial matches." The star ended up playing for Queensland but this idea did not emerge until the 1960’s. The first person to make a reference of the idea was a former test representative who played for both N.S.W and Queensland. He said during a match "someone in the press seats suggested that Queensland should be allowed to call on their former players now with Sydney clubs." For Queensland the hardest thing before state of origin was seeing some of the born and bred Queenslanders defeating them in the sky blue jerseys. Queensland were being beaten very convincingly for the decades that the traditional