Almanac Rugby League – Prop in the Canefield: You gotta love Origin footy!

 

 

Origin is a special time of year, especially in Queensland. I know Queenslanders go on about this but I think we ‘get it’. We get Origin and its concept. Do we have a chip on our shoulder at this time of year? Most definitely yes, and it is with good reason.  I always remember that from 1963 when I was born until the first Origin 3-game series in 1982, I never saw Queensland win an interstate series. We used to sit under the house with my Dad and we would listen to the game on the radio through the 70s. He instilled in us the terrible deeds committed over the border in taking our players and forcing them against the laws of nature to play against us. I can remember watching games where Queensland were beaten at the last moment or by some fluke that went their way. Richie Twist being ironed out by John Elford, Ian Dauth missing a goal, Raudonikis replacing Mortimer and terrorising us at Lang Park. It goes on!  So it’s no surprise that, when Origin is on, we get together as a State, as a community, as family and invest our thoughts deeply in the need to win! Tonight, will be no different.

We’ve got the pies ready; the mushy peas are on, the Gotzinger hot dogs (Queensland’s premier smallgoods company) are on the boil,  and, of course,XXXX Bitter stubbies are on ice. Origin is not the place for light or mid-strength beer – it’s the time for Castlemaine Perkins finest! I will be watching at my son’s home and his wife. My daughter-in-law is from New South Wales and she is trying to convince my little grandson, who is 3 ½, to support the Blues. This is almost treachery behind the lines but I’m only too happy to say that he won’t buy it. He has already been indoctrinated to the point where he supports Queensland.

The game itself should be like all first games in Origin – testing. I do think Queensland will be too strong. I can’t see how Haas is going to be able to carry the forward pack of New South Wales across the line on his own. I think there will be intense pressure on the 6 debutants and the Tedesco recall had to be unsettling.  New South Wales have made it known that they feel Queensland’s forwards may struggle. However, we have the 3Cs – Cotter has proven, even though he’s only small, that he can bend the line and I think that will be a difference alongside Collins and Carrigan. Collins has developed into one of the form front-rowers and Carrigan is up there with the best players in the comp. And, of course, our Coach is Origin royalty. G Squared’s favourite player in the coach’s box is another big plus.  So, all in all, I look forward to watching the game in that true Queensland spirit. We might even have a Bundy rum right at the finish of the game as we toast a victory to Queensland.

The Analyst sent me his view on the game and it makes for some interesting reading, I’ve included it -below:

A lot of the dialogue around State of Origin 2024 has been geared around the notable omissions from each line-up.

An impressive and expensive list of our game’s elite will be spectating like you and I this year, the physically/athletically demanding nature of the game cultivating a casualty ward of historical proportions.

Many of my NSW constituents have surmised and ultimately debated with me that their 3 significant losses are more critical than QLD’s 3. I have ruminated on this since said players went down in clubland through to the grand announcement of the teams a week ago.

To provide a detailed and subjectively bulletproof retort, I have come up with a weighted rating system based on a model with multiple different metrics factored and adjusted to generate a score that rates their absence from the series out of 10.

We start with NSW. Blues supporters are collectively inauspicious over the loss of their glorified Prince, Nathan Cleary. Cleary is, in my opinion, the best 7 in the NRL and it is not particularly close. His performance in the second half of the 2023 Grand Final was Australian Sports’ answer to a Michael Jordan vs Utah Jazz Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals or the infamous Tom Brady comeback from 28-3 against Atlanta Falcons in Superbowl LI. It will live forever etched in the annals of Australian sport lore.

My model integrates performances at club level and on the State of Origin/ representative stage. Cleary has just never been THE GUY for the Blues. In fact, at times he has looked overwhelmed and been clearly outplayed by his geriatric counterpart Daly Cherry-Evans. Cleary’s loss to this team isn’t as detrimental as supporters south of the Tweed would have you think and, in its entirety, it gets a 7.5.

Next on the list is Tommy Turbo. I hark back to the 2019 and 2021 series with an anxiety bordering on trauma over what Turbo served up to us Queenslanders. He was dominant in scoring a hat-trick in Game 2 at the recently erected Optus Stadium. The stunning display was later attributed to ‘boredom’. Turbo needed something to do so he went out there and obliterated us. He echoed this in the 2021 series where he deservedly won the Wally Lewis Medal for kicking the living shit out of our Maroons. Injuries in recent years have hampered his once automatic acknowledgement as a premier player in the game, he seems to have lost a step and a lot of confidence, despite still being very hard to handle. His absence from the series gets an 8.

Cam Murray – Earlier on in the decade I thought Cam Murray was going to lock down the 13 jersey for NSW (or anywhere in the back row). He was always in their top 2-3 forwards every game. His ability to bend the line with subtle late footwork and generate lightning quick play-the-balls that the nippy NSW OB’s or Damien Cook would lick their lips over and shred QLD along with his impenetrable defence and relentless stamina, forged the ultimate Origin player. I was stunned when he was demoted to the bench, and the circumstances surrounding him at Souths have surely had an impact on him mentally. Whilst I still love the guy as a player and would have him in a Maroon Guernsey any day of the week, and twice on Sundays, NSW have a production line, nay, myriad of back-rowers of a similar ilk and his loss just doesn’t leave a series-defining hole. – 6.5

Moving on to QLD and I will start with our Walter James Lewis 2.0, Cam Munster. Munster is undeniably the premier State of Origin player of the 2020s and has a ubiquitous presence. He singlehandedly won us the unwinnable series in 2020. It seems every game when there is something on the line, Munster delivers in spades. He is the faux Premier of our great state. The beauty of Origin, however, is that the loss of elite, superstar, transcendent talent, opens the door for players who may not meet all 3 of the above superlative criteria, but are still recognised as some of the best players in the game. So, let’s not overlook what Tommy Dearden offers for us as a footballer. That aside, Munster is the single most impactful loss of either side in this year’s Origin – 9.5.

Next on the Maroons laundry list is Tino. NSW and QLD’ers would agree that Tino has been the force multiplier of our forward pack on our current dynastic level run (3 or 4 in a row to be a dynasty, I think, but that’s an article for another day). He is big, really big. He is awkward to tackle and, most importantly, he takes it to the NSW forwards every game. He also gets a bit wider of the ruck where he can cause no end of chaos charging at less robust 3-in defenders. We will miss his bruising presence and he defines that tough, uncompromising Maroon spirit. Tino’s loss is an 8.

Flegler has evolved in to one of the premier front-rowers in the competition. He has fantastic leg speed that gets him over the ad line and propels him through contact. Tommy has developed a deft off-load through the line and if you’re listening to Billy Slater talk, he has made a point of repeating that QLD “will keep the ball in play”. Flegler would have been the tentpole for some of that second phase through the middle of the field. He is also an asset in the red zone as he runs beautiful lines that lack any self-preservation. He has been scoring tries more than front-rowers should off the back of these – including a Grand Final 4 pointer in 2023. While he wasn’t one of our best in last year’s series, his development from the conclusion of that series to now has seen a meteoric rise in to one of the top props in the competition and, on that basis, I give his absence a 6.5

Final Scorecard

NSW –  22

QLD – 24

Must have been a slow day in the office, Analyst, but clearly on that basis we can rest easy in the knowledge that we are, of course, the underdog! Go Queensland and…

You’ve gotta love Origin footy!

 

 

To read our library of rugby league stories click HERE.

To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.

To see the full 2024 season draw for the NRL click HERE.

To see the full 2024 season draw for the NRLW click HERE.

To see the details for State of Origin in 2024 click HERE.

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?

And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE.