ORIGIN NEEDS THE HATE BACK
ONE of the Black Eyed Peas’ biggest hits was Where Is the Love? But in State of Origin, where is the hate?
I may need a few showers to scrub the shame off myself after admitting this as a proud Canetoad, but I actually miss Paul Gallen.
Not just because he and fellow Blues discard Robbie Farah stifled the Blues attack by hogging the ball, but because he knew that one of the most vital aspects of Origin is the pre- game theatre.
The relationship between Queensland and New South Wales has become so chummy that Blues skipper Boyd Cordner felt compelled to apologise for failing to emulate his predecessor by hurling some verbal hand grenades across the border.
It’s billed as mate against mate, but things have gotten far too amicable for my liking.
The nine- day build- up was more vanilla than a tub of Streets ice cream and the fans were the poorer for it.
Aaron Woods even said he “gets along really well” with Australian teammates Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk. For goodness sake, next the Blues and Maroons players will link arms and sing Kumbaya in the middle of the field after Origin II.
It’s only a football game. I get it. Win or lose, the sun will come up the next day and once we get over our celebratory hangovers or disappointment, life will go on.
But Gallen was right when he told reporters after the recent SharksCowboys game that he kept many of us in a job for his eagerness to throw a few insults in the Maroons camp’s direction.
I yearn for the mean hombres like Greg Bird, Willie Mason and Anthony Watmough. They knew us Queenslanders despised them and they weren’t afraid to make it abundantly clear.
Back in the day Queensland’s public enemy number one, Blues hooker Benny Elias, had no issue saying he hated opposite number Steve Walters.
One of the most famous sledges in Origin history was when Steve Walters told Benny Elias to be quicker to a scrum because he “had a Test to play on the weekend”.
Big Mal accused NSW powerbrokers of trying to undermine the dominant Maroons, calling them “rats and filth” in a newspaper column.
All good, juicy stuff which helped hype up the game’s showpiece event. Even when Queensland was thrashed 28- 4 on Wednesday night, the normal rage brewing inside wasn’t nearly as intense because the Blues don’t have that many villains.
David Klemmer has “crazy eyes” on the field but the big Bulldogs prop isn’t really one to get into a verbal stoush off it.
“Breezer brothers” Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson have their fair share of “haters”, especially in the ACT.
But Andrew Fifita, deservedly named Man of the Match on Wednesday, is the only Blue who incites genuine hatred from those north of the Tweed.
The rest of the Blues? Cleanskin good blokes who you would probably let date your daughter.
New South Wales coach Laurie Daley is universally regarded as one of the nicest guys in rugby league.
His opposite number Kevin Walters also sits comfortably in that category.
Each week they sit beside each other on Fox Sports show where they play a straighter bat at every question than Bill “corpse with pads” Lawry trying to save a Test match on day five.
Both camps are very careful not to generate any ‘ fuel’ to motivate the other beforehand, but the fans love it and no doubt the NRL would welcome it with open arms.
Plenty were shocked when Suncorp Stadium failed to sell out for an Origin for the first time in living memory this week. Were the astronomical ticket costs to blame? Is it the late start to the match on a school night?
Or is it because the low key build up to the game doesn’t sell the game as well as when the teams were at each other’s throats?
Can a Blues player please call us “two heads”.
Can a Maroon call a Blue a grub? Something, anything, to light the spark which used to give the State of Origin its unique feel.
Somebody please throw a chair at someone soon, before it’s too late.