The Sporting Day- State of Origin II

State of Origin returns to its spiritual home-a venue where the legend was born and the lore was written- on Wednesday evening when game two of the 2006 State of Origin series kicks off at Lang Park on Wednesday evening.

The ground name may have changed and the players are different, the facial hair is all but gone and the Blues no longer drive past the Caxton Hotel…but it is still State of Origin and the intensity and the pride and the importance of the game has done nothing but grow as the legend and the mysticism of the series builds larger with each passing year.

Danny Buderus will drive north and lead the Blues into enemy territory like Napolean marching into Eastern Europe. Like Joey and Benny and Turvey and Loz before him, Danny Buderus will walk into Brisbane in pursuit of glory. He will march the streets with an honourable gang of foot soldiers donned in blue and screaming of recent success and the need for certainty. Waiting for them will be Darren Lockyer and the mythicised maroon army, backs against the wall but full of fight and spurred by the siege.

When the two warring states meet again on Wednesday evening, it will be like all game two’s of years gone by. It will be the game one victor, high on momentum and rolling with confidence, squaring up with the game one loser, spurred by weeks of criticism and riding the natural instinct of staying alive.

There is some amazing sub-text to the match that makes the game a much anticipated affair. Darren Lockyer and the present and future of an Origin great. Youth against experience and the time honoured battle of generational superiority. Named stars against youthful exuberance. Webb and Bailey, clashing again, with Bailey seeking vengeance and Webb looking for the knockout. Brett Finch, a merely competent club player who has risen to the occasion whenever asked. The importance of getting into the siege mentality. The future aura of the Origin concept.

But while the sub-text marks the yearly differences and faint changes, it is the game itself and the series as a whole that makes the affair so entertaining and so important. The stakes are high and the play is tough where players would bleed and break in pursuit of the win.

The Blues will go in favourites ($1.70@Sports Acumen) yet again and probably deservedly so. They won game one, they have won the last three series and they have a superior side on paper. But the Maroons have won their share of Origin clashes and most as The Dog (currently $2.30@Centrbet) and that is the way they like it. They play at their best as The Dog and Wednesday has all the hallmarks of a classic Queensland upset victory.

There is no doubt the Blues will be there to play. They have one of the finest Origin packs of all time, they will be coached by a master of the game and their backline is unparalleled in size. But they are weak around the halves and lack pace. Compounding this, there may be a touch of over-confidence in the Blues camp and arrogance often comes at a high price in Origin.

So, on face value, Queensland seem the best bet. They will undoubtedly improve and Mal is using the best of his limited coaching abilities by creating a siege situation that favours the Maroons. Darren Lockyer appears primed for a big game and the added bulk of the Queensland pack will see a much tougher and physical contest. Factor in home field advantage and the need for them to win…well, the $2.30 just seems a little large.

It must always be remembered Origins aren’t won on paper, just as elections aren’t won by gunshots and scrabble isn’t won with mathematics. This is crucial. And it leads me to Queensland on Wednesday evening.

But win, lose or draw, Origin will punch on as an institution and a legacy to all that is good about rugby league. Of that, there is no doubt. For May and June would not be the same if those Canetoads from Queensland and those Blues from New South Wales didn’t spill blood and sweat and tears on the green grass of football fields in Sydney and Brisbane.

© 2006 Jack Stockton