State of Origin rugby league is as tough as sport gets. If you haven’t witnessed this sporting phenomenon before, do yourself a favor this Wednesday night. It pits two Australian states – New South Wales and Queensland – against each other and the pride and passion they bring to this game is amazing. Queensland has dominated NSW in recent years but “blue to the bone” fans like me live in hope that the tables will be turned sooner rather than later. NSW will eventually win a series again (having lost the last seven) – it’s only a question of when. For close to a decade know it has been a total “maroon” dominance. So why is this week’s State of Origin going to be any different?
Well if you speak to the Queenslanders, they tell you that things won’t be changing any time soon. They have lost some key players over the last few years but still have a strong core that knows how to beat the Blues. Stability and experience both at a playing and coaching level always counts for a lot when you are playing at this level. Queensland will range from being good to sublime, depending on the night. Their backline is fast and versatile and they have the edge over the Blues here. Their forwards look a little undermanned on paper against the star studded Blues pack but this has always been the Maroons Achilles heel and they always seems to hold no matter how much they are pushed to breaking point.
It all looks like doom and gloom for the NSW team but there are some reasons why they can win and it all revolves around captain Paul Gallen and his explosive forward pack. This is one of the most intimidating forward packs I have ever seen in State of Origin They have size, strength, mongrel and most importantly the ball playing prowess that can win the battle against Queensland. They need to clearly win the contest up front and hope that their backline can stand up against their much more seasoned and skilled opposition. The Blues have picked a backline that should keep tackling until they drop. This is a good start and at the very least they have the speed out wide to finish off any cracks that will hopefully start to appear late in the game up the middle.
NSW coach Laurie Daley was a champion for the Blues himself but this is his first taste of serious coaching. I have my reservations but I pray they are unwarranted and that he shows the kind of tenacity and fight he did as a player. Anyway, enough talking — bring on the footy!
