The
1992 Rugby League State of OriginState of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
series was the eleventh annual interstate representative
rugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
series between New South Wales and Queensland based on "state of origin" selection rules. It was the first year of involvement by New South Wales' most successful coach
Phil GouldPhil Gould is an Australian rugby league broadcaster, journalist, administrator and former player and coach. Since the 1990s he has had a prominent role in Channel 9's coverage of rugby league, as a commentator on their match-day coverage, and appears on The Sunday Footy Show and The Sunday Roast...
who made only four player changes to the Blues squad during the series - one of these necessitated by the return from injury of champion play-maker
Ricky StuartRicky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
. For the first time in thirteen years of Origin there was no involvement by
Wally LewisWalter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
to inspire Queensland.
Game I
Game I was a grim battle of attrition with a high casualty rate. Blues hooker
Benny EliasBenjamin Elias is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played primarily as a hooker for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. He was one of the leading hookers from the mid 1980s until his retirement at the end of the 1994 season...
spent time in the blood bin after copping a head gash which needed 10 stitches to close, Queensland second-rower Gary Larson left the field on a stretcher and Maroons prop Steve Jackson suffered severe concussion early in the match.
The Blues scored first from a planned move designed by Gould to enable Blues lock
Bradley ClydeBradley Clyde is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best lock forward in the game....
to encounter
Mal MeningaMalcolm Norman Meninga AM is an Australian former rugby league test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century...
one-on-one. Gould was convinced that Meninga's reduced lateral movement acrossfield in defence was a weakness in the Queensland side. He devised a move that would isolate Meninga and which led to Clyde scoring.
New South Wales' front-rowers
Glenn LazarusGlenn Patrick Lazarus is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s who has been named amongst the nation's finest of the 20th century. He primarily played at prop forward, representing Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin...
and
Paul HarragonPaul "The Chief" Harragon OAM is an Australian rugby league football identity. A retired Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football for the Newcastle Knights whom he captained to the 1997 ARL premiership...
slowly began to take control of the rucks and after winger
Rod WishartRod Wishart is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative goal-kicking winger, he played club football with the Illawarra Steelers and the St...
kicked a penalty goal midway through the second half, replacement forward
Craig SalvatoriCraig Salvatori is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He spent most of his career at the Eastern Suburbs club. His position of choice was in the front row...
scored a crucial Blues try. In a match with so few scoring opportunities, the Blues' eight-point lead was sufficient to enable them to close out the match.
Clyde went off injured after scoring the first try and
Laurie DaleyLaurie Daley OA is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player of Indigenous Australian descent. He represented Australia on 26 occasions and has since been named as one of the nation's finest players of the 20th century...
knocked himself out in the in-goal just after half-time. Ben Elias returned in the second-half his face smeared with blood and a red-stained bandage around his head to take over as captain due to Daley's departure and to protect the Blues' lead. This led to one of Origin's enduring images when photographers and broadcast cameramen captured shots after the final siren of Elias' mother Barbara on the field and working around interviewers, mopping up the still flowing blood from her son's forehead as he spoke post-match.
Game II
In game II Queensland had to draw on their deep sense of mateship and spirit when early in the match prop
Martin BellaMartin Bella is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A prop forward, he achieved national and state representation and played club football for various teams in Queensland, New South Wales and England. He is of Italian descent....
and five-eighth
Peter JacksonSir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
were sent to the sin-bin for back-chatting referee Bill Harrigan and the Maroons were reduced to 11 men for ten minutes. A minute after Queensland were restored to their full complement, lock
Billy MooreBilly Moore is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. Usually playing at lock, he represented Queensland and Australia....
on debut, slipped through to score an unconverted try.
Two penalty goals to
Rod WishartRod Wishart is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative goal-kicking winger, he played club football with the Illawarra Steelers and the St...
levelled the scores before half time and as the minutes ticked by after the break it appeared the match was headed for the first draw in 35 Origin contests. It was wet and greasy in the second half and scoring chances were minimal with both sides maintaining impregnable defences.
Ricky StuartRicky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
missed with two late attempts at field goal and then with just 66 seconds remaining, Queensland halfback
Allan LangerAllan "Alfie" Langer AM is an Australian former multi-award-winning rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who works as an assistant coach for the Australian national team and Brisbane Broncos...
landed a wobbly field goal from close range to steal a 5-4 victory for the home side.
Game III
In the Game III decider of 1992 New South Wales led 4-2 at half-time when 21-year old
Balmain TigersThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
centre
Tim BrasherTim Brasher is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who played primarily as fullback. He began his career for Balmain Tigers, where he played the majority of his career. He then moved to the South Sydney Rabbitohs for two seasons, before finishing his career with a...
replaced injured Blues winger
Rod WishartRod Wishart is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative goal-kicking winger, he played club football with the Illawarra Steelers and the St...
. Brasher immediately injected his team with a shot of enthusiasm with a series of lightning bursts from dummy-half that helped build their momentum.
The first try was scored by
Ricky StuartRicky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
who went over from a rehearsed move in the 14th minute.
Blues fullback
Andrew EttingshausenAndrew Ettingshausen is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He played his first grade Australian club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, retiring with the record of most games at a single club, with 328...
next scored the try of the series midway through the second half following a Laurie Daley grubber-kick. It came after Elias went to the blind side from the play-the-ball, and passed to Daley who kicked. Centre Paul McGregor got to the ball first, stepped past a tackler and found Daley backing up, who gave the ball to Ettingshausen who scored for 8-4. Finally second-rower
John CartwrightJohn Cartwright is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
barged across the line from close range to open up a 16-4 lead.
Queensland's efforts to strike back in the final 10 minutes were thwarted by two desperate tackles from Brasher, the first on a runaway Mark Coyne and the second a stunning ball-and-all effort on Mal Meninga, who threatened to score in the dying minutes.
New South Wales
| Position |
Game 1 |
|
Game 2 |
|
Game 3 |
|
| Fullback |
 Andrew EttingshausenAndrew Ettingshausen is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He played his first grade Australian club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, retiring with the record of most games at a single club, with 328...
|
| Wing |
 Graham MackayGraham Mackay is an Australian former national and state representative rugby league footballer whose club career spanned nine Australian and English clubs, including Western Suburbs, Penrith, Gold Coast Chargers and Hull F.C. in a fifteen year top grade career...
|
 Chris JohnsChris Johns is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played in the centres, achieving representative honours for Australia and New South Wales. His club football career was spent with the St. George Dragons and Brisbane Broncos, as well as a spell in England with...
|
| Centre |
Brad FittlerBradley Scott "Freddie" Fittler AM is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. The current coach of NSW City team in the City vs. Country clash, he coached in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters between 2007 and 2009. As a player, Fittler captained both New South Wales...
|
| Centre |
 Paul McGregor |
| Wing |
Rod Wishart Rod Wishart is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative goal-kicking winger, he played club football with the Illawarra Steelers and the St...
|
| Five-Eighth |
 Laurie DaleyLaurie Daley OA is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player of Indigenous Australian descent. He represented Australia on 26 occasions and has since been named as one of the nation's finest players of the 20th century...
(c) |
| Halfback |
John Simon John "Jack" Simon is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. His club career was spent with the Illawarra Steelers, Easts, Parramatta, Auckland and Wests Tigers. Simon also represented for Australia and for New South Wales in Origin...
|
Ricky StuartRicky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
|
| Prop |
Glenn LazarusGlenn Patrick Lazarus is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s who has been named amongst the nation's finest of the 20th century. He primarily played at prop forward, representing Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin...
|
| Hooker |
 Ben Elias |
| Prop |
 Paul HarragonPaul "The Chief" Harragon OAM is an Australian rugby league football identity. A retired Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football for the Newcastle Knights whom he captained to the 1997 ARL premiership...
|
| Second Row |
Paul Sironen Paul Sironen is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who was a prominent second rower for the Balmain Tigers during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
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| Second Row |
John CartwrightJohn Cartwright is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
|
| Lock |
Bradley Clyde Bradley Clyde is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best lock forward in the game....
|
| Interchange |
Robbie McCormack Robbie McCormack is a former professional rugby league player. He competed in the New South Wales Rugby League and English Super League competitions. He primarily played at...
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Steve CarterSteve Carter is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative five-eighth, in Australia he played for and captained the Penrith Panthers, with whom he won the 1991 NSWRL Premiership...
|
Tim BrasherTim Brasher is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who played primarily as fullback. He began his career for Balmain Tigers, where he played the majority of his career. He then moved to the South Sydney Rabbitohs for two seasons, before finishing his career with a...
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| Interchange |
 Craig SalvatoriCraig Salvatori is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He spent most of his career at the Eastern Suburbs club. His position of choice was in the front row...
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| Interchange |
 Brad MackayBrad Mackay is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A versatile Lock Forward for the St George Dragons, Illawarra Steelers, Western Reds and the merged St...
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| Interchange |
 David GillespieDavid "Cement" Gillespie is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A sturdy forward, he played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, New South Wales and for the Australian national side...
|
| Coach |
Phil Gould Phil Gould is an Australian rugby league broadcaster, journalist, administrator and former player and coach. Since the 1990s he has had a prominent role in Channel 9's coverage of rugby league, as a commentator on their match-day coverage, and appears on The Sunday Footy Show and The Sunday Roast...
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Queensland
| Position |
Game 1 |
|
Game 2 |
|
Game 3 |
|
| Fullback |
Dale ShearerDale Shearer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative winger/fullback of Aboriginal heritage, he played club football in Queensland, New South Wales and England...
|
| Wing |
Michael Hancock |
| Centre |
Mal MeningaMalcolm Norman Meninga AM is an Australian former rugby league test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century...
(c) |
| Centre |
Peter Jackson |
Mark CoyneMark Coyne is an Australian former rugby league footballer, a state and national representative player. His club career was with the St. George Dragons and the merged St George Illawarra Dragons - he captained both sides...
|
| Wing |
Willie Carne William Carne is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played for the Brisbane Broncos from 1990 to 1996, as well as representing both Queensland and Australia...
|
Adrian BrunkerAdrian Brunker is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who at representative level has played for Queensland, and at club level for Newcastle Knights, Gold Coast Chargers, St George Dragons, and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, playing at , or , i.e. number 2 or 5, or, 3 or 4.-External...
|
| Five-Eighth |
Kevin WaltersKevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for NRL club Melbourne Storm. He joined them from French club Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League as their head coach. Before that he was head coach of the...
|
Peter JacksonPeter Jackson was an Australian professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and '90s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative back, he played club football in both Queensland and New South Wales as well as a season in England...
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| Halfback |
Allan Langer Allan "Alfie" Langer AM is an Australian former multi-award-winning rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who works as an assistant coach for the Australian national team and Brisbane Broncos...
|
| Prop |
Martin BellaMartin Bella is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A prop forward, he achieved national and state representation and played club football for various teams in Queensland, New South Wales and England. He is of Italian descent....
|
| Hooker |
Steve WaltersSteve Walters is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s, who at the peak of his career, was considered the best hooker in the game. An Australian Kangaroos and Queensland Maroons representative, he played in the Canberra Raiders' 1st, 2nd and 3rd grand final...
|
| Prop |
Steve Jackson |
Gavin Allen Gavin Allen is an Australian former rugby league player of the 1980s and 90s. He played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Fortitude Valley and in the NSWRL premiership for the St...
|
| Second Row |
Bob LindnerBob Lindner is a former Australian representative rugby league player and coach. He represented his country in the sport and is one of a handful of players to be man-of-the-match in State of Origin football more than once...
|
Mike McLean Mike McLean is a rugby league footballer of the mid '80s and early '90s for Easts, Newcastle and the Gold Coast of the National Rugby League. He played for the Roosters for a number of years before going on to the other sides...
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| Second Row |
Trevor GillmeisterTrevor Gillmeister is an Australian former rugby league player who is currently signed on as an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Titans. During his playing days Gillmeister played for the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers and the South Queensland Crushers as well as...
|
Gary Larson |
| Lock |
Gary Larson |
Billy MooreBilly Moore is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. Usually playing at lock, he represented Queensland and Australia....
|
| Interchange |
Mark CoyneMark Coyne is an Australian former rugby league footballer, a state and national representative player. His club career was with the St. George Dragons and the merged St George Illawarra Dragons - he captained both sides...
|
Kevin WaltersKevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for NRL club Melbourne Storm. He joined them from French club Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League as their head coach. Before that he was head coach of the...
|
| Interchange |
Gary Coyne Gary Coyne was a rugby league player for the Canberra Raiders. Originally from Ipswich, He was a part of the Raiders' competition-winning side of the 1989 and 1990 seasons...
|
Trevor GillmeisterTrevor Gillmeister is an Australian former rugby league player who is currently signed on as an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Titans. During his playing days Gillmeister played for the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers and the South Queensland Crushers as well as...
|
Darren Smith |
| Interchange |
Steve RenoufStephen Renouf is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s. Of Aboriginal and European descent, he was known as one of the sport's greatest centres. Renouf set numerous records for the Brisbane Broncos club and is considered one of the greatest...
|
Darren Smith |
Steve Jackson Steve Jackson is an Australian former rugby league player. He played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership for the Canberra Raiders, Western Suburbs Magpies, and Gold Coast Seagulls.-Career:...
|
| Interchange |
Gavin Allen Gavin Allen is an Australian former rugby league player of the 1980s and 90s. He played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Fortitude Valley and in the NSWRL premiership for the St...
|
Mike McLean Mike McLean is a rugby league footballer of the mid '80s and early '90s for Easts, Newcastle and the Gold Coast of the National Rugby League. He played for the Roosters for a number of years before going on to the other sides...
|
Trevor GillmeisterTrevor Gillmeister is an Australian former rugby league player who is currently signed on as an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Titans. During his playing days Gillmeister played for the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers and the South Queensland Crushers as well as...
|
| Coach |
Graham Lowe |
Sources
- Big League's 25 Years of Origin Collectors' Edition, News Magazines, Surry Hills, Sydney
- Chesterton, Ray (1996) Good as Gould, Ironbark, Sydney