Rugby League State of Origin
Encyclopedia
State 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. Described as "sport's greatest rivalry," the State of Origin series is one of Australia's and the region's premier sporting events, attracting a huge television audience and usually selling out the stadiums in which the games are played. Despite the existence of international tournaments and State of Origin being a domestic competition, it is frequently cited as being the highest-level of rugby league played anywhere in the world.
Players are selected to represent the state in which they played their first senior rugby league, hence the name 'state of origin'. Prior to 1980 players were only selected for interstate matches on the basis of where they were playing their club football at the time. In both 1980 and 1981 there were two interstate matches under the old selection rules and one experimental "State of Origin" match. From 1982 onwards a best-of-three match series has been played around the middle of the rugby league season for the State of Origin shield. Since the inception of the series, total victories for each side were formerly extraordinarily even, however from 2006 Queensland has dominated the competition, winning all six of the following series.
and the Blues, by the New South Wales Rugby League
.
Players of the Queensland team are sometimes referred to as the cane toad
s and the New South Wales players as the cockroach
es, due to a marketing campaign used in the 1980s where the respective teams were depicted in such a manner. More recently, the NSW representatives are sometimes referred to as 'Cattledog', following the controversial tactics employed by former coach Tommy Raudonikis
during the 1997–1998 series.
Whilst other Australian states have also had representative rugby league sides, they have not competed in State of Origin.
came before the schism between the union and league codes eventuated in Australia. In 1900 a journalist known as 'The Cynic' wrote in The Referee that star rugby player and recent immigrant to Queensland, Stephen Spragg, should be able to play for his home state of New South Wales
.
Since the beginning of Australian rugby league in 1908, an interstate competition between Queensland and New South Wales
has been conducted from time to time. Until 1979 each team drew its players from the clubs based in that state. No consideration was given to the origins of the players themselves.
The first of these interstate games was played at Sydney's Agricultural Ground on 11 July 1908, before Queensland had even commenced its club competition. New South Wales easily accounted for Queensland in a 43–0 victory. The local media were unimpressed.
Apart from a golden period for Queensland in the 1920s, the interstate series was dominated by New South Wales. From 1922 to 1925 Queensland defeated New South Wales 11 times in 12 matches. At the end of the 1925 season a Kangaroo
team was to be picked for touring Great Britain. Instead of announcing an Australian team dominated by Queenslanders, the Australian Rugby League Board of Control
informed the media that the Rugby Football League
had decided that the Kiwis
would provide stronger opposition, and that there would be no Australian tour. The period spanning 1922 to 1929 saw no Australian team play in Great Britain, the only such hiatus outside the two World Wars.
The New South Wales dominance of interstate football increased after 1956 when gaming machines were legalised for all registered clubs in New South Wales. This provided New South Wales football clubs with a revenue source unmatched by Queensland clubs. From this time on an increasing number of Queensland players moved to the Sydney competition, becoming ineligible for Queensland state selection. Paul Hogan
famously told a Queensland Rugby League gathering in 1977 that "every time Queensland produces a good footballer, he finishes up being processed through a New South Wales poker machine."
Prior to 1956, Qld had won 25% of series played. From 1956–1981 this number dwindled to only 3.8% with only 1 series win, in 1959.
Former Queensland captain and Australian vice-captain Jack Reardon
, who had later become a journalist, was the first to suggest that Sydney-based Queenslanders should be available for selection to represent their state.
Brisbane Courier-Mail reporter Hugh Lunn
, Barry Maranta
(the future co-founder of the Brisbane Broncos
) and Maranta's business partner Wayne Reid
played a part in persuading QRL chairman Ron McAullife that the concept could be used in rugby league. Lunn told McAullife that "you can take the Queenslander out of Queensland, Ron, but you can't take the Queensland out of the Queenslander." McAuliffe was initially sceptical. "What if we recall our boys from Sydney to play, and we are beaten. Where would we go from there?" Reid spoke to NSWRFL president Kevin Humphreys and suggested that a one-off state of origin match could be used as a Test Match selection trial.
New South Wales clubs were reticent in their support of the concept and set two conditions:
Three Sydney clubs remained opposed to the plan: St. George Dragons
, South Sydney Rabbitohs
and Eastern Suburbs Roosters
. As these clubs were refusing to release players, Humphreys threatened to make the game an official Australian Rugby League
trial, which would make release mandatory. The clubs backed down.
media gave both the event, and Queensland's chance of winning it, little credence, calling the game a "three day wonder". Australia's 1978 captain Bob Fulton
called the match "the non-event of the century". Ron MacAullife however, was now committed to the concept and vigorously promoted the match. Thousands of tickets were sold before the game had been officially sanctioned. Although interstate matches in Brisbane had still been well attended (24,653 had attended the opening match of the 1979 series), few expected the sell-out crowd of 33,210 Queensland rugby league fans, delighted to see their heroes in the likes of Arthur Beetson representing their home state for the first time ever. Queensland convincingly beat New South Wales 20–10.
In 1981 the first two interstate matches were again played under the old selection rules. As New South Wales won the first two matches in the series, state of origin selection rules were used once more in the third match. Although New South Wales ran out to an early 15–0 lead in the game, Queensland rallied to win 22–15.
The interest generated by the experimental state of origin matches of 1980 and 1981 and the potential for financial rewards were enough to convince the authorities to play all three games under state of origin rules the following year.
Despite the Maroons' success so far in the State of Origin experiments, the New South Wales media dismissed the seriousness of the Queensland threat to the Blues' long-held dominance in series wins. Queensland however, under the leadership of immortal
captain Wally Lewis
, was inspired by this, and for the first three State of Origin series Queensland won 2 matches to 1.
However, in 1985, under the leadership of captain Steve Mortimer
, New South Wales won the deciding match in front of 29,068 spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground
, claiming the series for the first time. The following year the Blues were able to go one better and complete the first state of origin whitewash, taking the series 3–0.
, California to showcase rugby league
to the American public.
In Origin: Rugby League's Greatest Contest 1980–2002 (2003) Jack Gallaway tells the story:
In 1987 the Australian Rugby League
(ARL), New South Wales Rugby League
and Queensland Rugby League
agreed that the match would count towards the players' individual statistics, but that the match would not count towards the states' overall records. On 15 July 2003 the Australian Rugby League
announced that the fourth 1987 game was to be classified as an official match, and that a win in the state of origin match on 16 July 2003 would take New South Wales into the overall lead.
ARL chief executive Geoff Carr
said: "There had been some debate over whether the Origin fixture . . . in 1987 was counted as an official match but a search of ARL records has confirmed the status conferred on that clash by the game's governing body at the time. In announcing the match in Big League in April 1987, Ken Arthurson
, the ARL's chief executive in 1987, was quoted as saying 'It's an exciting experiment but the match isn't and won't be billed as an exhibition match'." However, he later contradicted himself, saying: "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind it was an exhibition game and should not count towards official match scores."
and Wally Lewis
led the Maroons in their 3–0 series wins in both 1988 and 1989. The rise of the Canberra Raiders in the then Winfield Cup club competition produced for the Blues the formidable halves combination of Ricky Stuart
and Laurie Daley
who brought New South Wales back from defeat with two wins in the opening games of the 1990 series. It was evident that as the rivalry between the two states grew, the Origin matches had become much more physical forward orientated game than the open running play seen in earlier series.
As the great Queensland players from the 1980s began to retire from the game, the Maroons struggled with a team of fresh faces and considerable inexperience. The 1992, 1993 and 1994 series all went to NSW as the talent and experience of Blues players such as Brett Mullins
, Daley and Stuart in the backs and Benny Elias
and Bradley Clyde
in the forwards gave the Blues the edge when the games were on the line. It wasn't until the upheaval of the Super League war
in 1995 that the Maroons were able to again clinch a series.
A main cause for concern for Queensland was the fact that the Brisbane Broncos
, its players and many other Queenslanders were not aligned with the ARL
prohibiting any players signed with the Super League
to play for the Maroons. Despite this the Queenslanders won the 1995 series 3–0 in a shocking white-wash. The 1996 series saw the off-field contract dramas put aside as all players were allowed, regardless of contract, state of origin selection. Having the majority of the Queenslanders back didn't help the Maroons though as the Blues 1996 white-wash with a 3–0 series win of their own.
The Australian game divided in 1997 into two competitions, one run by the ARL
and one by the News Limited-owned Super League
, and an interstate series was played in each. Under the Super League banner there was a Tri-Origin series with a New Zealand side added to the competition. The ARL
meanwhile stuck to its traditional format. The competitions merged again in 1998 as the current National Rugby League
, and the series that year proved to be enthralling as both sides won a game each a way from home, setting up a decider at the Sydney Football Stadium where 39,000 fans witnessed the visiting Queenslanders take the series 2–1. The end of the decade saw a dramatic series with each side taking one game each and game three ending in a draw. Queensland were awarded the series as at the time the previous winners retained the interstate honours.
won Game 1 on 21 May 2008, however Queensland won Game 2 on 11 June 2008, and also Game 3 on 2 July 2008. Queensland followed this up by winning the first two games of the 2009 series becoming the first state to win four series in a row.
was subject to racial taunts by New South Wales assistant coach Andrew Johns
, which ultimately led to his resignation and NSW player Timana Tahu
walking out of the NSW team. Inglis went on to score the first try in the match. The 34–6 loss suffered by NSW led to them being labelled "the worst ever Blues team in history" whilst conversely Queensland were labelled "the greatest Origin team ever". Ironically though, after Queensland lost the first match in 2006 (despite this, they went on to win this series) they themselves were labelled the worst ever Queensland team, this suggestion was the turning point in their history, as they would go on to win an unprecedented record five consecutive Origin series. Queensland were able to beat New South Wales 23–18 in the third and final match of the State of Origin, 2010. This was the first Queensland team to win all three consecutive State of Origin Games in 15 years, the last whitewash in 1995, whose coach at the time was Paul Vautin
, a former Queensland State of Origin player who played his last State of Origin game for Queensland 4 years earlier in 1991 and commentated on the historic match 15 years later with fellow Queensland State of Origin team mates and Channel 9
employees, Wally Lewis
and Wendell Sailor
. Qld full back Billy Slater won man of the match in the third game and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series in 2010.
The 2010 State of Origin series was also the second televised program in Australia to be shot in 3D
1080i
DVB-T
as well as being simultaneously broadcast in regular 576i
and 1080i
DVB-T
and PAL
.
In the first game of the 2011 series Queensland defeated New South Wales 16–12 with a late try from Billy Slater.
In the second game of the 2011 series New South Wales defeated Queensland 18–8.
Queensland won the series 34–24 in the 2011 decider in what was Queensland captain Darren Lockyer's 36th and final game. Cameron Smith won man of the match in both the first and third game and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series.
, who are eligible for more than one country have chosen to be available for Australia in order to play State of Origin. Because State of Origin football is so highly esteemed, players eligible to represent Australia as well as another country often choose Australia, not only to play for the national side, but also to play State of Origin (as was the case with Tonie Carroll
and Karmichael Hunt
).
Another issue of contention has been the selection of players such as Peter Sterling
, Ken Nagas
, James McManus
, Israel Folau
and Greg Inglis
. Folau was born and raised in New South Wales but is eligible to play for Queensland as he played his first senior Rugby League match in Queensland. Greg Inglis
was born and raised in New South Wales and also played his first senior game in New South Wales (Newcastle Hunter) then shortly after playing in Queensland in the same competition. Ken Nagas
was born and raised in Queensland but played for New South Wales, Peter Sterling
was born in Toowoomba, Queensland and raised in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, while McManus was born in Scotland and was raised in the Northern Territory, but has been ruled eligible to play for New South Wales in the 2009 series.
. In addition to the ARL's State of Origin, a Super League Tri-series
was played between New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand. The teams were selected using origin rules, and New South Wales and Queensland met twice. These matches do not count towards the official state of origin record.
Queensland rugby league team
The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
and the Blues
New South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
, who represent the Australian states of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
respectively. Described as "sport's greatest rivalry," the State of Origin series is one of Australia's and the region's premier sporting events, attracting a huge television audience and usually selling out the stadiums in which the games are played. Despite the existence of international tournaments and State of Origin being a domestic competition, it is frequently cited as being the highest-level of rugby league played anywhere in the world.
Players are selected to represent the state in which they played their first senior rugby league, hence the name 'state of origin'. Prior to 1980 players were only selected for interstate matches on the basis of where they were playing their club football at the time. In both 1980 and 1981 there were two interstate matches under the old selection rules and one experimental "State of Origin" match. From 1982 onwards a best-of-three match series has been played around the middle of the rugby league season for the State of Origin shield. Since the inception of the series, total victories for each side were formerly extraordinarily even, however from 2006 Queensland has dominated the competition, winning all six of the following series.
Teams
Since 1908 Australia's two major rugby league-playing states, Queensland and New South Wales, have played representative matches against each other and this has continued into the "state of origin" era which began with the 1980s. The two states' teams are frequently referred to as the Maroons and Blues, reflecting the respective colours of their jerseys. The Maroons team is administered by the Queensland Rugby LeagueQueensland Rugby League
The Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams....
and the Blues, by the New South Wales Rugby League
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
.
| New South Wales Blues New South Wales rugby league team The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the... |
Queensland Maroons Queensland rugby league team The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908... |
Players of the Queensland team are sometimes referred to as the cane toad
Cane Toad
The Cane Toad , also known as the Giant Neotropical Toad or Marine Toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad which is native to Central and South America, but has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean...
s and the New South Wales players as the cockroach
Cockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
es, due to a marketing campaign used in the 1980s where the respective teams were depicted in such a manner. More recently, the NSW representatives are sometimes referred to as 'Cattledog', following the controversial tactics employed by former coach Tommy Raudonikis
Tommy Raudonikis
Tommy Raudonikis OAM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played over twenty-nine Tests and World Cup games as Australia representative halfback and captained his country in two Tests of the 1973 Kangarooo tour.-Early life and club playing career:Raudonikis is the son of a...
during the 1997–1998 series.
Whilst other Australian states have also had representative rugby league sides, they have not competed in State of Origin.
Interstate Rugby League Prior to 1980
The first calls for a state of origin selection policy in interstate rugby footballRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
came before the schism between the union and league codes eventuated in Australia. In 1900 a journalist known as 'The Cynic' wrote in The Referee that star rugby player and recent immigrant to Queensland, Stephen Spragg, should be able to play for his home state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Since the beginning of Australian rugby league in 1908, an interstate competition between Queensland and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
has been conducted from time to time. Until 1979 each team drew its players from the clubs based in that state. No consideration was given to the origins of the players themselves.
The first of these interstate games was played at Sydney's Agricultural Ground on 11 July 1908, before Queensland had even commenced its club competition. New South Wales easily accounted for Queensland in a 43–0 victory. The local media were unimpressed.
- There can be no doubt the NSW men are improving a good deal... They cannot be blamed for the farce, for it was nothing else. If the Australian team depends on Queenslanders to strengthen it, one is afraid it will be found wanting. They are quite the weakest lot of footballers I have even seen come down from Queensland. The play needs no detailed description as it was simply a practice match for NSW, and certainly did not advantageously advertise the new game.
- -The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, 13 July 1908
Apart from a golden period for Queensland in the 1920s, the interstate series was dominated by New South Wales. From 1922 to 1925 Queensland defeated New South Wales 11 times in 12 matches. At the end of the 1925 season a Kangaroo
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
team was to be picked for touring Great Britain. Instead of announcing an Australian team dominated by Queenslanders, the Australian Rugby League Board of Control
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
informed the media that the Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
had decided that the Kiwis
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
would provide stronger opposition, and that there would be no Australian tour. The period spanning 1922 to 1929 saw no Australian team play in Great Britain, the only such hiatus outside the two World Wars.
The New South Wales dominance of interstate football increased after 1956 when gaming machines were legalised for all registered clubs in New South Wales. This provided New South Wales football clubs with a revenue source unmatched by Queensland clubs. From this time on an increasing number of Queensland players moved to the Sydney competition, becoming ineligible for Queensland state selection. Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
famously told a Queensland Rugby League gathering in 1977 that "every time Queensland produces a good footballer, he finishes up being processed through a New South Wales poker machine."
Prior to 1956, Qld had won 25% of series played. From 1956–1981 this number dwindled to only 3.8% with only 1 series win, in 1959.
The Conception of State of Origin football
By the 1970s the prestige of interstate matches had been seriously downgraded. Matches were played mid-week, so as not to interfere with the Sydney club competition, and the small crowds in New South Wales were hosted at suburban grounds. Interstate football reached its nadir in 1977 when the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) declined to host the Queensland team, and both interstate games were played in Queensland.Former Queensland captain and Australian vice-captain Jack Reardon
Jack Reardon
Jack Reardon was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1930s and 40s who later became a sports journalist. An Australian international and both a New South Wales and Queensland representative centre, he played club football in country New South Wales before moving to Queensland and playing...
, who had later become a journalist, was the first to suggest that Sydney-based Queenslanders should be available for selection to represent their state.
Brisbane Courier-Mail reporter Hugh Lunn
Hugh Lunn
Hugh Duncan Lunn is an Australian journalist and author.-Early journalism:Lunn served his journalism cadetship with The Courier-Mail. Upon completing his cadetship, he worked overseas for seven years. During 1967 and 1968 he covered the Vietnam War for Reuters...
, Barry Maranta
Barry Maranta
Barry Maranta is an Australian businessman and co-founder of the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team. As well as being a founder of the Broncos he is currently a Sky Shades president....
(the future co-founder of the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
) and Maranta's business partner Wayne Reid
Wayne Reid
Wayne Vivien Reid OBE is a former tennis player, and has been president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia , the Melbourne Football Club, the Asian Tennis Circuit, the Confederation of Australian Sport, the International Assembly of National Confederations of Sports and was a founding...
played a part in persuading QRL chairman Ron McAullife that the concept could be used in rugby league. Lunn told McAullife that "you can take the Queenslander out of Queensland, Ron, but you can't take the Queensland out of the Queenslander." McAuliffe was initially sceptical. "What if we recall our boys from Sydney to play, and we are beaten. Where would we go from there?" Reid spoke to NSWRFL president Kevin Humphreys and suggested that a one-off state of origin match could be used as a Test Match selection trial.
New South Wales clubs were reticent in their support of the concept and set two conditions:
- If the third game was to decide the series it was not to act as a selection trial, and
- that the expatriate Queenslanders would be under the supervision of a representative of the NSWRFL whose duty it would be to protect the interests of both the NSWRFL and the clubs to which they were contracted. (From 1980 this role was filled by Bob Abbot, a Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks official.)
Three Sydney clubs remained opposed to the plan: St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
, South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
and Eastern Suburbs Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
. As these clubs were refusing to release players, Humphreys threatened to make the game an official Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
trial, which would make release mandatory. The clubs backed down.
Experimentation
After Queensland lost the first two interstate matches in 1980 (35–3 and 17–7, the second game in front of only 1,638 Sydneysiders) it was announced that a 'state of origin' match would take place on 8 July at Lang Park in Brisbane. The New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
media gave both the event, and Queensland's chance of winning it, little credence, calling the game a "three day wonder". Australia's 1978 captain Bob Fulton
Bob Fulton
Robert "Bob" Fulton AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great success at the highest levels and has been named amongst Australia's greatest rugby league players of the 20th century.As a player Fulton won...
called the match "the non-event of the century". Ron MacAullife however, was now committed to the concept and vigorously promoted the match. Thousands of tickets were sold before the game had been officially sanctioned. Although interstate matches in Brisbane had still been well attended (24,653 had attended the opening match of the 1979 series), few expected the sell-out crowd of 33,210 Queensland rugby league fans, delighted to see their heroes in the likes of Arthur Beetson representing their home state for the first time ever. Queensland convincingly beat New South Wales 20–10.
In 1981 the first two interstate matches were again played under the old selection rules. As New South Wales won the first two matches in the series, state of origin selection rules were used once more in the third match. Although New South Wales ran out to an early 15–0 lead in the game, Queensland rallied to win 22–15.
Adoption
Despite the Maroons' success so far in the State of Origin experiments, the New South Wales media dismissed the seriousness of the Queensland threat to the Blues' long-held dominance in series wins. Queensland however, under the leadership of immortal
The Immortals (rugby league)
A major Australian rugby league magazine Rugby League Week in 1981 selected an exclusive group of players dubbed "The Immortals". The group consisted of Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, and Johnny Raper...
captain Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter 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...
, was inspired by this, and for the first three State of Origin series Queensland won 2 matches to 1.
However, in 1985, under the leadership of captain Steve Mortimer
Steve Mortimer
Steve Mortimer OAM, , nicknamed Turvey after Turvey Park in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, where he hailed from, is an Australian former rugby league halfback. Mortimer played a Canterbury-Bankstown club record 272 first grade games between 1976–88. Mortimer's two younger brothers Peter and Chris...
, New South Wales won the deciding match in front of 29,068 spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, claiming the series for the first time. The following year the Blues were able to go one better and complete the first state of origin whitewash, taking the series 3–0.
1987: American Controversy
After Queensland had won the 1987 series 2–1, a fourth game was played at Long BeachLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California to showcase rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby 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...
to the American public.
In Origin: Rugby League's Greatest Contest 1980–2002 (2003) Jack Gallaway tells the story:
- There was one additional Origin contest played in 1987.. The Queenslanders had climbed the mountain and at no point did they take the project seriously in any competitive sense. The State of Origin trophy was safely stowed in the Queensland Rugby LeagueQueensland Rugby LeagueThe Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams....
board room at Lang ParkSuncorp StadiumLang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
, and for the Maroons the visit to the United States was their end-of-season outing, the game an exhibition... Such was the Blues' disappointment at the loss of the State of Origin series that they would go to any length to restore some vestige of their lost pride. The New South Wales Rugby LeagueNew South Wales Rugby LeagueThe New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
hierarchy told their men to prepare for the contest as though it was a deciding test match. The match was played at the Veterans Memorial StadiumVeterans Memorial Stadium (Long Beach)Veterans Memorial Stadium is a stadium located south of the Liberal Arts Campus of Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California. It is the home stadium to a number of local area high school football teams, as well as Long Beach City College's football team...
in Long Beach, California in front of 12,349 fans. The Blues won the game 30–18.
In 1987 the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
(ARL), New South Wales Rugby League
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
and Queensland Rugby League
Queensland Rugby League
The Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams....
agreed that the match would count towards the players' individual statistics, but that the match would not count towards the states' overall records. On 15 July 2003 the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
announced that the fourth 1987 game was to be classified as an official match, and that a win in the state of origin match on 16 July 2003 would take New South Wales into the overall lead.
ARL chief executive Geoff Carr
Geoff Carr
Geoff Carr is the CEO of the Australian Rugby League as well as the New South Wales Rugby League. He is also a retired rugby league footballer, having played first grade in the NSWRL premiership with the St. George Dragons during the 1970s and reached the 1971 grand final with them.Carr was...
said: "There had been some debate over whether the Origin fixture . . . in 1987 was counted as an official match but a search of ARL records has confirmed the status conferred on that clash by the game's governing body at the time. In announcing the match in Big League in April 1987, Ken Arthurson
Ken Arthurson
Kenneth Richard "Arko" Arthurson AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. Affectionately known as "The Godfather of Manly", he played, coached and was later an administrator at the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership...
, the ARL's chief executive in 1987, was quoted as saying 'It's an exciting experiment but the match isn't and won't be billed as an exhibition match'." However, he later contradicted himself, saying: "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind it was an exhibition game and should not count towards official match scores."
1990s: The Super League War
After the controversy of the match played in the United States, the Queensland halves pairing of Allan LangerAllan 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...
and Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter 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...
led the Maroons in their 3–0 series wins in both 1988 and 1989. The rise of the Canberra Raiders in the then Winfield Cup club competition produced for the Blues the formidable halves combination of Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart
Ricky 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...
and Laurie Daley
Laurie Daley
Laurie 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...
who brought New South Wales back from defeat with two wins in the opening games of the 1990 series. It was evident that as the rivalry between the two states grew, the Origin matches had become much more physical forward orientated game than the open running play seen in earlier series.
As the great Queensland players from the 1980s began to retire from the game, the Maroons struggled with a team of fresh faces and considerable inexperience. The 1992, 1993 and 1994 series all went to NSW as the talent and experience of Blues players such as Brett Mullins
Brett Mullins
Brett Mullins is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and early 2000s. He played for the Canberra Raiders between the years 1990 and 2000. He also represented New South Wales and Australia national rugby league team during his career. He is the son of former...
, Daley and Stuart in the backs and Benny Elias
Benny Elias
Benjamin 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...
and Bradley Clyde
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....
in the forwards gave the Blues the edge when the games were on the line. It wasn't until the upheaval of the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
in 1995 that the Maroons were able to again clinch a series.
A main cause for concern for Queensland was the fact that the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
, its players and many other Queenslanders were not aligned with the ARL
ARL
ARL may refer to:*Admiralty Research Laboratory, a UK military research laboratory.*Aero Research Limited, a UK company involved in the development of aircraft adhesives....
prohibiting any players signed with the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
to play for the Maroons. Despite this the Queenslanders won the 1995 series 3–0 in a shocking white-wash. The 1996 series saw the off-field contract dramas put aside as all players were allowed, regardless of contract, state of origin selection. Having the majority of the Queenslanders back didn't help the Maroons though as the Blues 1996 white-wash with a 3–0 series win of their own.
The Australian game divided in 1997 into two competitions, one run by the ARL
ARL
ARL may refer to:*Admiralty Research Laboratory, a UK military research laboratory.*Aero Research Limited, a UK company involved in the development of aircraft adhesives....
and one by the News Limited-owned Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
, and an interstate series was played in each. Under the Super League banner there was a Tri-Origin series with a New Zealand side added to the competition. The ARL
ARL
ARL may refer to:*Admiralty Research Laboratory, a UK military research laboratory.*Aero Research Limited, a UK company involved in the development of aircraft adhesives....
meanwhile stuck to its traditional format. The competitions merged again in 1998 as the current National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
, and the series that year proved to be enthralling as both sides won a game each a way from home, setting up a decider at the Sydney Football Stadium where 39,000 fans witnessed the visiting Queenslanders take the series 2–1. The end of the decade saw a dramatic series with each side taking one game each and game three ending in a draw. Queensland were awarded the series as at the time the previous winners retained the interstate honours.
2000s
The 2008 series was won by Queensland making it three series in a row. New South WalesNew South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
won Game 1 on 21 May 2008, however Queensland won Game 2 on 11 June 2008, and also Game 3 on 2 July 2008. Queensland followed this up by winning the first two games of the 2009 series becoming the first state to win four series in a row.
2010s
Queensland won its historic, record breaking, fifth consecutive Origin series with a 34–6 win over New South Wales in the second match of 2010. Darren Lockyer was the man of the match. Prior to this particular match, Greg InglisGreg Inglis
Greg Inglis is an Australian professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative outside back, Inglis joined the Rabbitohs in 2011 after much controversy.Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several...
was subject to racial taunts by New South Wales assistant coach Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
, which ultimately led to his resignation and NSW player Timana Tahu
Timana Tahu
Timana James Aporo Tahu is an Australian professional rugby league footballer and former rugby union player, a dual-code international, currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. He formerly played for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super 14 competition...
walking out of the NSW team. Inglis went on to score the first try in the match. The 34–6 loss suffered by NSW led to them being labelled "the worst ever Blues team in history" whilst conversely Queensland were labelled "the greatest Origin team ever". Ironically though, after Queensland lost the first match in 2006 (despite this, they went on to win this series) they themselves were labelled the worst ever Queensland team, this suggestion was the turning point in their history, as they would go on to win an unprecedented record five consecutive Origin series. Queensland were able to beat New South Wales 23–18 in the third and final match of the State of Origin, 2010. This was the first Queensland team to win all three consecutive State of Origin Games in 15 years, the last whitewash in 1995, whose coach at the time was Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin , is an Australian sports television personality and former rugby league footballer and coach. He currently hosts the NRL Footy Show and provides commentary for the Nine Network's coverage of rugby league matches...
, a former Queensland State of Origin player who played his last State of Origin game for Queensland 4 years earlier in 1991 and commentated on the historic match 15 years later with fellow Queensland State of Origin team mates and Channel 9
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
employees, Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter 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...
and Wendell Sailor
Wendell Sailor
Wendell Jermaine Sailor is an Australian former professional rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. He is an Australian Torres Strait Islander.Sailor's large frame and bullocking style changed the way wingers played rugby...
. Qld full back Billy Slater won man of the match in the third game and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series in 2010.
The 2010 State of Origin series was also the second televised program in Australia to be shot in 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
as well as being simultaneously broadcast in regular 576i
576i
576i is a standard-definition video mode used in PAL and SECAM countries. In digital applications it is usually referred to as "576i", in analogue contexts it is often quoted as "625 lines"...
and 1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
and PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
.
In the first game of the 2011 series Queensland defeated New South Wales 16–12 with a late try from Billy Slater.
In the second game of the 2011 series New South Wales defeated Queensland 18–8.
Queensland won the series 34–24 in the 2011 decider in what was Queensland captain Darren Lockyer's 36th and final game. Cameron Smith won man of the match in both the first and third game and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series.
Selection rules
Under State of Origin rules players are selected for the state in which they first played senior (or registered) rugby league. Players must also be eligible to represent Australia at international level. This has proved controversial as players, such as Karmichael HuntKarmichael Hunt
Karmichael Neil Matthew Hunt is an Australian professional multi-code football player, currently playing Australian rules football for the newly formed Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League ....
, who are eligible for more than one country have chosen to be available for Australia in order to play State of Origin. Because State of Origin football is so highly esteemed, players eligible to represent Australia as well as another country often choose Australia, not only to play for the national side, but also to play State of Origin (as was the case with Tonie Carroll
Tonie Carroll
Tonie Carroll is retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and New Zealand international representative utility, he played for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL...
and Karmichael Hunt
Karmichael Hunt
Karmichael Neil Matthew Hunt is an Australian professional multi-code football player, currently playing Australian rules football for the newly formed Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League ....
).
Another issue of contention has been the selection of players such as Peter Sterling
Peter Sterling
Peter Maxwell John "Sterlo" Sterling OAM is an Australian rugby league commentator and former player. He was one of the all-time great halfbacks and a major contributor to Parramatta Eels' dominance of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in the 1980s. Sterling played nineteen Tests for...
, Ken Nagas
Ken Nagas
Ken Nagas is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Canberra Raiders of the National Rugby League. Nagas primarily played on the wing. He is of Vanuatuan descent.-Canberra Raiders:...
, James McManus
James McManus (rugby league)
James McManus is a Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League...
, Israel Folau
Israel Folau
Israel Folau is a professional Australian rules footballer currently listed with the Greater Western Sydney Football Club in the Australian Football League . He previously played Rugby league for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League from 2007 to 2008 where he broke the record for most...
and Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis is an Australian professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative outside back, Inglis joined the Rabbitohs in 2011 after much controversy.Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several...
. Folau was born and raised in New South Wales but is eligible to play for Queensland as he played his first senior Rugby League match in Queensland. Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis is an Australian professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative outside back, Inglis joined the Rabbitohs in 2011 after much controversy.Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several...
was born and raised in New South Wales and also played his first senior game in New South Wales (Newcastle Hunter) then shortly after playing in Queensland in the same competition. Ken Nagas
Ken Nagas
Ken Nagas is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Canberra Raiders of the National Rugby League. Nagas primarily played on the wing. He is of Vanuatuan descent.-Canberra Raiders:...
was born and raised in Queensland but played for New South Wales, Peter Sterling
Peter Sterling
Peter Maxwell John "Sterlo" Sterling OAM is an Australian rugby league commentator and former player. He was one of the all-time great halfbacks and a major contributor to Parramatta Eels' dominance of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in the 1980s. Sterling played nineteen Tests for...
was born in Toowoomba, Queensland and raised in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, while McManus was born in Scotland and was raised in the Northern Territory, but has been ruled eligible to play for New South Wales in the 2009 series.
Anomalies
- In 1995 and 1997 Super LeagueSuper League (Australia)Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
players were made ineligible for the ARLAustralian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
state of origin selection. This included most of Queensland's usual team, who now played for the Super League affiliated Brisbane BroncosBrisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
. The ARL hence decided to relax the rules in those years, allowing Queensland to select Adrian LamAdrian LamAdrian Lam is an Australian rugby league football coach and former international player. He is the head coach of the under 20 St George Dragons squad National Rugby League team he signed with them in 2010 and will combine with coaching legend Wayne Bennett.He is a former Papua New Guinea rugby...
who had previously played for Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea national rugby league teamThe Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...
. - During the 2000 World Cup2000 Rugby League World CupThe 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
a number of Australian players were granted dispensations to appear for other nations under the grandparent rule. The players affected were David BarnhillDavid BarnhillDavid Barnhill is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s. His club career was with the Canberra Raiders, St. George Dragons, Sydney City and Leeds Rhinos...
(NSW), Kevin CampionKevin CampionKevin Campion is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. His positions of choice were in the second row and at lock. Kevin is the younger brother of Australian radio personality Paul Campion...
(Qld), Tonie CarrollTonie CarrollTonie Carroll is retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and New Zealand international representative utility, he played for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL...
(Qld), Graham MackayGraham 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...
(NSW), Willie MasonWillie MasonWilliam Marshall "Willie" Mason is an Australian professional rugby union footballer for Toulon in the Top 14 competition, having previously being a rugby league footballer for Hull KR in the European Super League.Mason signed a 3-year contract with Hull KR in September 2010, pending a successful...
(NSW), Luke RicketsonLuke RicketsonLuke Ricketson is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and Ireland international, and New South Wales State of Origin representative back-rower, he played his entire club football career for the Sydney Roosters of the NRL...
(NSW), Lote Tuqiri (Qld) and Adrian VowlesAdrian VowlesAdrian Vowles is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played in Australia for several years, gaining State of Origin selection in 1994, but spent the majority of his career in the European Super League...
(Qld),
State of Origin results
- For full results and statistics, see Rugby League State of Origin results and statisticsRugby league State of Origin results and statisticsThis is a list of Rugby League State of Origin results and statistics. Contained here are the results of each official rugby league State of Origin match, the exhibition match played between New South Wales and Queensland in Australia and the matches played between New South Wales and Queensland...
Year by year
The table below shows the results of the one-off games of 1980/1981, and the subsequent series in accordance with statistics used by the Australian Rugby League, New South Wales Rugby League and Queensland Rugby League. The colour of the year denotes the team that has won or retained the shield, except 1980 and 1981 – NSW had already won the Shield in both series (2 wins to nil), under non-Origin rules. In years with a drawn series (1999, 2002) the shield has been retained by the team that won the previous year however is classified as a 'Drawn Series'. Queensland won the shield on both occasions. Thus looking purely at full (3-match) Origin series, there have been 20 Queensland wins, 12 NSW wins and 2 draws.| Year | Winner/holder of shield | Wins | Losses | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Queensland | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | Queensland | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | New South Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | Queensland | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | Queensland | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | Queensland | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | New South Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | Queensland | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2000 | New South Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | Queensland | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 2010 State of Origin series The 2010 State of Origin series was the 29th year that the annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches contested between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams was played under 'State of Origin' selection rules... |
Queensland | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 2011 State of Origin series The 2011 State of Origin series was the 30th annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams contested under "State of Origin" selection rules. Game I was played in Brisbane, Game II was played in Sydney and... |
Queensland | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Super League
In 1997 the rugby league premiership was split between the ARL and Super LeagueSuper League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
. In addition to the ARL's State of Origin, a Super League Tri-series
Super League Tri-series
The Super League Tri-series was a rugby league football tournament contested in 1997 between Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand representative rugby league teams...
was played between New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand. The teams were selected using origin rules, and New South Wales and Queensland met twice. These matches do not count towards the official state of origin record.
- New South Wales defeated Queensland 38–10 (Aussie StadiumAussie StadiumSydney Football Stadium is located in Moore Park, in Sydney, New South Wales. It was built in 1988, to be the city's premier "rectangular field" for rugby league, rugby union and football for major matches and domestic competition...
11 April 1997) - Queensland defeated New Zealand 26–12 (Ericsson StadiumMt Smart StadiumMt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the home ground of National Rugby League team, the New Zealand Warriors...
9 May 1997) - New South Wales defeated New Zealand 20–15 (Bruce StadiumCanberra StadiumCanberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
14 May 1997) - New South Wales defeated Queensland 23–22 (ANZ StadiumQueensland Sport and Athletics CentreThe Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
19 May 1997)
Footnotes
- The canonicity of the fourth match in 1987 is disputed. In 1987 it was agreed by both states that this match would be an exhibition match, and was described as such by media in both states. Media and governing bodies based in New South Wales (Australian Rugby LeagueAustralian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
, New South Wales Rugby LeagueNew South Wales Rugby LeagueThe New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
, Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
) now include this match in the overall tally. Media and governing bodies in Queensland (Queensland Rugby LeagueQueensland Rugby LeagueThe Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams....
, The Courier-MailThe Courier-MailThe Courier-Mail is a daily newspaper published in Brisbane, Australia. Owned by News Limited, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie, in Brisbane's...
) include the match in individual player tallies, but not in the overall tally. For example, The Courier-Mail noted after game 3 in 2005 that "It took NSW 25 years to draw level with Queensland in overall Origin clashes..." when other statistics from New South Wales show the tally to be 37–36. RL1908 lists the match as a "Non-series match" and The World of Rugby League lists the match as an "Exhibition Game" .
See also
- National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
- State of OriginState of OriginState of Origin is the name used in Australia for one existing sporting event which involves domestic representative teams. The term, when used in isolation, usually refers to rugby league football, and occassionally Australian Football matches, in which players are selected for the Australian...
- Rugby league in AustraliaRugby league in AustraliaRugby league football is one of the most popular sports in Australia. It is the dominant winter sport on the eastern seaboard of Australia, including the states of New South Wales and Queensland as well as the Australian Capital Territory, which together comprise around half of the country's...
- Affiliated States ChampionshipAffiliated States ChampionshipThe Affiliated States Championship is an annual rugby league competition run by the Australian Rugby League involving the four affiliated states plus the Australian Police and Australian Defence Force.Following the Championship, an Australian representative side is selected from the teams to tour...
- Australian regional rivals – NSW vs. QLD
History
-
- "State of Origin 30 Years: 1980 – 2009" by Liam Hauser, Rockpool Publishing, ISBN13: 9781921295386
- "NSW v Queensland: 1908 – 1980" by Sean Fagan, RL1908, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "The First State of Origin" by Sean Fagan, RL1908, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "State of Origin History 1981–2004" by Sean Fagan, RL1908, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "The Origin of State of Origin" by Sean Fagan, RL1908, retrieved 15 November 2005
-
-
-
- "Overseas Players and State of Origin" by Jeff Wall, Crikey 12 April 2005, retrieved 18 November 2005
- "The Origins of State of Origin" by Jeff Wall, Crikey 23 May 2005, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "We Still Want Hunt" National Rugby League, 21 March 2005, retrieved 18 November 2005
- "How it all began" stateoforigin.com.au, no date, retrieved 8 May 2007
General records and statistics
- "State of Origin 30 Years: 1980 – 2009" by Liam Hauser, Rockpool Publishing, ISBN13: 9781921295386
- Fagan, Sean (2005) "State of Origin Results 1980–2005" RL1908, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "History: State of Origin Results 1980–2003" by the Australian Rugby League, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "State of Origin Matches 2004–1980" by the National Rugby League, retrieved 18 November 2005
- "History" by the New South Wales Rugby League, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "State of Origin Records" by the Queensland Rugby League, retrieved 15 November 2005
- "State of Origin Statistics" by World of Rugby League, retrieved 15 November 2005
- ARL article suggesting that the 2002 drawn series was a series win to Qld because they retained the title http://www.australianrugbyleague.com.au/index.cgi?det=1&intArticleID=357&sID=21
- Official State of Origin website "History and results", retrieved 15 November 2006
Sources disputing the 1987 Los Angeles match
- Colman, Mike (7 July 2005) "Rampant Blues Level Age Old Score" The Courier-Mail
- Colman, Mike (26 November 2005) "Assigning History by asterisks" The Courier-Mail (page 61)
- Dick, Barry (16 July 2003) "Origin Battle Rages On and Off the Field" The Courier-Mail (page 1)
Player lists
- http://www.nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s=player_register
- http://www.playtheball.com/rlwc00/country/default.asp Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage
- http://www.stateoforigin.com.au/soogame/originteamhistory.aspx The webpage cannot be found 2006
Further reading
Publishing
| year = 2005
| pages =
| url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=I2bmAAAACAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s
| id =
| isbn = 0949853933, 9780949853936}}
External links
-
-