State of unOriginal

Ok ok. It’s that time of the year when the talk turns to Origin again. Nah, I don’t mean the Slater, Inglis, Lockyer, Hayne, Kimmorley and co. Sure that State of Origin series is on, but it just happens to coincide with the call for a State of Origin in Rugby Union as well!

Look, Big Kev is into it here . Let’s be honest. The chat started in rugby the same way it started in league. Because QLD were sick of being smashed by teams in which their own players were doing the smashing. Back in the 1970s the NSWRL dominated rugby league and the interstate games were selected on residential grounds. So guys as QLD as XXXX beer, like Artie Beetson, Chris Close and Kerry Boustead, were pulling on the sky blue of NSW and just giving it to the QLD team.

Likewise, in recent years, the likes of Nathan Sharpe, Drew Mitchell, Mark Chisholm, Brendan Cannon and even Wendell Sailor were doing the same to the Reds. The Queensland Reds couldn’t take a trick and were meanwhile seeing our young stars move interstate, flourish and return home as the visiting (and usually victorious) team.

So talk of a rugby state of origin usually began and ended with bitter QLD rugby diehards looking to recapture the glory of the late 70s and 80s.

But let’s humour them all shall we? What if we did have a State of Origin this year. Call it a Wallabies trial (without those pesky Canberrians!)  But what are the eligibility rules? Shees, that’s hard enough in league where it is ‘where you played your first senior football match’, I think.

So I am going to take the liberty of suggesting, for this case, it is where the player played their senior school footy. What? You want justification for that? Well I have none. Other than to suggest that school footy has, in contemporary times, been the main development path for our rugby teams, rather than club footy.  As such, and without further delay, my Queensland and New South Wales State of Origin Rugby Teams.

QUEENSLAND:

	Name	Born	High School	Team
15	Peter Hynes	Brisbane, QLD	Brisbane State High School	Reds
14	Drew Mitchell	Brisbane, QLD	St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe	Force
13	Will Chambers	Nhulunbuy, NT	St Josephs Nudgee College	Reds
12	Berrick Barnes	Brisbane, QLD	Ipswich Grammar School	Waratahs
11	Digby Ioane	Wellington, NZ	St Josephs Gregory Terrace	Reds
10	Quade Cooper	Tokoroa, NZ	Anglican Church Grammar School	Reds
9	Will Genia	PNG	Brisbane Boys College	Reds
8	Richard Brown	Townsville, QLD	St Josephs Nudgee College	Force
7	David Pocock	Zimbabwe	Anglican Church Grammar School	Force
6	Rocky Elsom	Melbourne, VIC	St Josephs Nudgee College	Brumbies
5	Nathan Sharpe	Wagga Wagga, NSW	The Southport School	Force
4	James Horwill	Brisbane, QLD	Brisbane Boys College	Reds
3	Greg Holmes	Warwick, QLD	Downlands College	Reds
2	Stephen Moore	Khamas, Saudi Arabia	Brisbane Grammar School	Brumbies
1	Ben Daley	Sydney, NSW	All Saints Anglican School	Reds
16	Sean Hardman	Brisbane, QLD	St Josephs Nudgee College	Reds
17	James Slipper	Gold Coast, QLD	The Southport School	Reds
18	Rob Simmons	Theodore, QLD	The Southport School	Reds
19	Scott Higginbotham	Subiaco, WA	The Southport School	Reds
20	Ben Lucas	Ipswich, QLD	St Josephs Gregory Terrace	Reds
21	Matt Toomua	Melbourne, VIC	Brisbane State High School	Brumbies
22	James O’Connor	Gold Coast, QLD	St Josephs Nudgee College	Force

NEW SOUTH WALES:

	Name	Born	High School	Team
15	Cameron Shepherd	Windsor, UK	Barker College	Force
14	Lachlan Turner	Sydney, NSW	Newington College	Waratahs
13	Stirling Mortlock	Sydney, NSW	The Kings School	Brumbies
12	Rob Horne	Sydney, NSW	Georges River College	Waratahs
11	Adam Ashley-Cooper	Sydney, NSW	Berkleyvale High School	Brumbies
10	Kurtley Beale	Sydney, NSW	St Josephs College, Hunters Hill	Waratahs
9	Luke Burgess	Newcastle, NSW	St Josephs College, Hunters Hill	Waratahs
8	Wycliff Palu	Sydney, NSW	Balgowlah Boys High School	Waratahs
7	Phil Waugh	Sydney, NSW	Sydney Church of England Grammar School	Waratahs
6	Matt Hodgson	Sydney, NSW	St Edwards College	Force
5	Dean Mumm	Auckland, NZ	The Kings School	Waratahs
4	Kane Douglas	Maclean, NSW	Maclean High School	Waratahs
3	Ben Alexander	Sydney, NSW	Knox Grammar	Brumbies
2	Tatafu Polota-Nau	Sydney, NSW	Granville High School	Waratahs
1	Benn Robinson	Sydney, NSW	The Kings School	Waratahs
16	Adam Freier	Sydney, NSW	Waverley College	Waratahs
17	Laurie Weeks	Sydney, NSW	St Josephs College, Hunters Hill	Reds
18	David Dennis	Sydney, NSW	Richmond High School	Waratahs
19	Stephen Hoiles	Sydney, NSW	Waverley College	Brumbies
20	Brett Sheehan	Geraldton, WA	St Josephs College, Hunters Hill	Force
21	Ryan Cross	Sydney, NSW	Waverley College	Force
22	Morgan Turinui	Sydney, NSW	Waverley College	Reds

So what do you think? I was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of that QLD team. But what about some of those match-ups? The back three of Hynes, Mitchell & Ioane v Shepherd, Turner and Ashley-Cooper! Chambers and Berrick taking on Stirling and Robbie Horne. Quade and Will together again v Beale and Burgess. I tell you what, I’d back the Queenslanders in each of those contests.

But what about the forwards? Just look at the backrows! Rocky, Pocock and Richard Brown up against Cliffy, Phil Waugh and Matty Hodgson. Wow! I’d be calling a slight edge to QLD at lock with Big Kev and Sharpie too good for Mummy and the raw Kane Douglas. Up front though it is all NSW with that awesome front row of a couple of Ben(n)s and Taf against Holmes and Daley propping next to the Wallaby hooker Moore.

The benches are fairly equal though, perhaps a lean towards QLD in the backs particularly with Rabbit O’Connor and young Matty Toomua.

But what do you think? Firstly, did I get the teams right? If so, who’d you back? QLD or the boys in blue?

In the end, I reckon it’s all moot. If the players pull the pin on a Probables v Possibles selection trial, as they did last year, are they really want to play this one? And what do we do with those boys from our nation’s capital? You know. Giteau, the Faingaas, Jack Kennedy! Just a RDO for them?

And what relevance is there for someone like Berrick Barnes who is contracted to the NEW SOUTH WALES Waratahs only to play for Queensland in a one off? I couldn’t see it pulling the passion that first Origin did all the way back in 1980.

Let’s face it, even Origin has lost its passion. It is still the show piece event, no doubt. But more because it pits the best 26 players in the NRL (in which there are a lot of very average players) together for three nights of battle. In the end, the Super 14 (and 15 next year) captures all our best players, playing week in and week out already. What’s the origin concept really going to add to it all?If they do bring it back though. I have some stipulations.

* No sponsor names on the jerseys unless it’s a full strength beer or a cigarette company.

* Teams to stay on the field at half time for their oranges (and oranges only!)

* Game to be played either Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

* One coach per team.

* Teams gather one week prior to the game.

* Game to be played at either Ballymore, Concord Oval or the SCG.

* Moustaches compulsory (and hair product banned).

* No citing officer.

* The game is between QUEENSLAND and NEW SOUTH WALES. Not the QR Reds or HSBC Waratahs.

* The crowd is allowed on the field at full time (or even before it on occasions).

Oh, and one more thing, no match payments. This one would be for nothing but good old fasioned braggin’ rights!