Despite the seemingly inoperable state that Rugby League can appear to be in at times, the advent of the three-match State of Origin manages to redeem it as an amazing sporting spectacle year after year. It is also a venue in which players are still given the green light to punch on.

Although nothing quite like this anymore (keep an eye on the Blue’s 13 whose idea of tackling is just to come in swining along with a young Paul Vautin)

This year the first match is in Melbourne and some deluded weirdos argue (see below) today that Origin has no place being played in AFL’s heartland. But I say let Origin be staqed in whatever city can guarantee a packed stadium of enthusiastic fans engaging in the lost art of interstate hatred. Furthermore if Melbourne wants an annual Origin clash we should give them one.

For starters Melbourne is great city to play just about anything. While I have my doubts about Etihad Stadium (watching a game there always feels strangely like you’re watching from a television studio rather than a ground) the game is likely to go near a sell-out.

The fact that one of, if not the best, NRL teams is now from Melbourne not only means that local league fans have something to sink their teeth into but the advertisement of Origin could foster more interest in the Storm and local league.

There’s an argument that the periodic Melbourne fixture actually favours the Queenslanders in that firstly; Melbournians need little excuse to rip into any NSW team and secondly; the local crop of incredible Storm players like Greg Inglis and Cameron Smith means local fans favour the Maroons.

Well so be it. If this is the case it will change with the make-up of the Storm teams over the years. Personally as a Wests Tigers fan I’ve started going for New Zealand against Australia because of Benji Marshall.

None of this seems to have worried NSW and Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy who argues that the Melbourne fixture should be a permanent one. And why not? It would take the yearly advantage one state gains from two home games out of the equation.

Victorians also love Origin because it reminds them of what the AFL Origin clashes used to be like. Ironically it was Rugby League who originally copied the Australian Football Origin model to breathe life into its interstate clashes.

But the fact is that State of Origin hardly ever fails to deliver as a game and that makes it worth hosting pretty much anywhere (except of course in America following the disastrous 1987 experiment in California). It makes Super 14 look some kind of odd mating ritual and is played with a passion that AFL origin would kill for. Just check out Queensland’s amazing finish to game 1 1994 resulting in one of the best ever lines in sports commentating from Ray “Rabbits” Warren: “That’s not a try, that’s a miracle”.

7 comments

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    • Andy from KIRRA says:

      04:39pm | 03/06/09

      It’s called STATE OF ORIGIN and in case you’ve missed it, it’s QLD vs NSW not VIC - so why play one of the best games in a state that treats the NRL as a joke!
      As far as I’m concern, since QLD is the reigning SoO champion, we should play Game 1 & 3 at Suncorp.
      Not to mention, the game is BEST played and VIEWED on a traditional Rugby League ground, not on an AFL ground and the NRL would be best to return the SoO back to the SFS rather than that dump of a ground out in dogs ville – I mean homebush.

    • Richard says:

      06:44pm | 03/06/09

      Frankly, I couldn’t care less whether they played that bloody stupid, boring game at the South Pole.  Who the hell cares, outside the two poor benighted States involved, which actually follow mobile wrestling?  If you added up the IQ’s of all the players involved you would still not reach a respectable cricket score.  Eventually we will educate these primitives that they should follow the greatest, most exciting, most athletic, most pulsating, most skillful, most tactical and MOST AUSTRALIAN sporting spectacle on the face of the earth - AFL

    • Alan May says:

      06:46pm | 03/06/09

      Personally I feel that the whole damn thing should be abandoned, lets face it he news pages are full of complaints of bullying and fighting among our schoolchildren and we virtually worship at the feet of anyone who can ride roughshod over their companions in the arena. Stand back and take an objective look at the concept of football, a bunch of stand over merchants get into a paddock and attempt to catch an irregularly shaped piece of leather and take it to their base.
      Tho only comparison I can draw is a bunch of neanderthals attempting to catch a rabbit that they have cornered in a paddock, however at least the neanderthals would be attempting to supply something for their family to eat, to pay these thugs the obscene level of what they get in monitory remuneration is an utter disgrace compared with what a pensioner recieves after working all of their life in a usually productive industries that benefit society, and to those slavering fans it is no good screaming about the “good” they do for charities etc because ninety percent of it is simply a tax deduction as is used by every overly rich peoples.

    • regina says:

      07:01pm | 03/06/09

      footballers’ buttocks circa 1984 engaging in a little biff in slow mo ... what’s not to love?

      sorry, i mean, sure, whatever the nice young man in the picture to the left said.

      with my apologies to those in charge of post quality control at the punch. the buttocks made me say it.

    • Oliver K says:

      09:32pm | 03/06/09

      Even though I am shocked to my core that Melbourne has managed to fill the Telstra Dome for this, I still believe it SHOULD NOT be played there. As Andy said, “why play one of the best games in a state that treats the NRL as a joke??” It is so stupid. Victorians have no respect at all for the game QLD and NSW adores. I have countless Victorian friends, all of which claim that all rugby league is, is one team of fatties, running into another. I can understand (albeit strenuously) why AFL is a loved sport. I can see through the hatred I have for that game. Still! The AFL fans claim that our game is stupid. I mean honestly. Treat your fans better Gallop!! You’re a joke. how about maybe standing up for the players you represent once in a while?

    • Rod says:

      10:22pm | 03/06/09

      Haynes disallowed try: The linesman was so close up and couldn’t see he put a foot on the line? Because he didn’t and the video ref changed the entire game.
      Along with other decisions, a poor match by the ref’s and linesmen.
      Bad decisions also by the nsw fullback, Lyons and Campesi unsighted.

    • Dave says:

      11:34am | 04/06/09

      The worst thing about not being at the game is having to listen to Phil Gould commentate (especially now that Roy & HG aren’t on…)

      He called everything an ‘origin moment’ - things like picking up the ball in the in goal, making tackles, scoring tries - things that happen in week in, week out in normal matches.

      I’m sick of the NRL/Channel 9 trying to drum up this fake aura around league. I love the game, but these desparate attempts to promote it are embarrassing.

 

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