After almost a year of hearing Queenslanders gloating, then whinging, then working themselves into a lather over Paul Gallen telling them they have two heads, it is now time for the New South Wales to belt Queensland on their own home soil.
It doesn’t matter that Queensland have won 8 series in a row, they are still a bunch of miserable bastards!
Mal Meninga spends 12 months of the year trying to convince people born and raised outside of Queensland that they should wear the Maroon jersey with pride, and then Wally Lewis comes out of the woodwork to tell everyone that New South Wales doesn’t understand State Of Origin football! Give me a break!
It is always special in September when Johnathan Thurston, having failed once again to guide the North Queensland Cowboys to any sort of real success despite being the highest paid player in the game, blames the “New South Wales administrators” for enacting some grand conspiracy against his North Queensland Cowboys team. You know, the head of the ARL, that Queensland bloke, and the head of the NRL, that Welsh bloke, love nothing more than to shove it up Queensland by not allowing Johnathan Thurston to guide the Cowboys to a Grand Final. How ridiculous!
It is bad enough that the best Queensland player was born, raised, and played his first junior representative football in New South Wales. Greg Inglis has been responsible for helping Queensland win series after series, but of course, New South Wales doesn’t get State Of Origin football!
Before the match Queensland Rugby League officials will unveil a statue outside of the stadium dedicated to Mal Meninga. I hear there is $48,000 worth of bronze just in his eyebrows alone! It is a great honour for one of the Maroons best ever players, their most successful coach, and a bloke who had an outstanding political career we all remember fondly.
Suncorp Stadium is a fantastic venue. The best Rugby League ground in the world in my opinion. It would be nice if the Queenslanders can be bothered to turn up and watch their own team play though. The failure to sell out game one shows the lack of commitment Queenslanders have towards State Of Origin. Maybe we should move their games to their best catchment area for talent…Fiji.
Now that New South Wales ins’t carrying around Mitchell Pearce’s dad’s legacy any more, I think the Blue have a real chance at winning game one.
Laurie Daley has had a lot to deal with over the last few weeks and yet he has been as solid as a rock. You don’t get the sense that Daley has wavered even once, and I think the strength and focus he has shown will rub off on his New South Wales players.
This is going to be a really fast game, and it will be interesting to see how the Blue start the match. Queensland over the last few series have started some of their games a little sluggishly, however New South Wales has rarely capitalized on those slow starts.
A big plus for the Blues should be the return of an attacking kicking game from the halves, something they haven’t had with Mitchell Pearce in the side. Can you tell I’m happy that Mitchell Pearce isn’t playing?
I can’t wait for kickoff for one simple reason…the talking stops.
All of this bullshit we have heard from Queensland for nearly a year, all of these promising from New South Wales…if I hear another Blue player talk about how THIS is the closest NSW team in recent memory I’ll beat someone to death out of frustration! Just shut up and prove it out on the field!
In closing I want to say that I hope everyone enjoys the match. I bloody love State Of Origin time. I know the banjo playing, banana bending, red neck Queenslanders among you hate me at this time of the year, and I don’t care.
Go New South Wales! Give it to those rotten cane toads!!!
