Reflector
Juniors
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The State of Origin concept has been a huge success since it launched, a ratings winner and one of the biggest events in the RL calendar annually, every series we now take one game to a non-RL state as a vehicle to promote the game at it's best. So why kill the golden goose? There are two issues to consider with the Origin concept as it stands:
a) We can't take the popularity or success of Origin for granted, or else the concept risks a steady and inevitable decline. Indeed, Origin may already be at its' peak in terms of scope.
b) RL in Australia has changed considerably since the current Origin concept began in 1980. At a time where PVL has been pretty clear that expansion is the future, the State of Origin series needs to reflect this so it doesn't just survive into the future, but goes to a whole new level. As I see it, there are four key reasons we need to think seriously about changing how Origin is run:
#1. The Game Has Changed Geographically
In 1980 when Origin began, there were two separate RL club competitions in Australia: the Sydney competition (NSWRL) and the Brisbane competition (QRL) with zero overlap in terms of fixtures or players. They were still suburban competitions, largely unchanged since 1908. If you played for Easts, Souths or Newtown in Sydney, the furthest away trip you made all season was an hour to the foot of the mountains to play Penrith. If you played for Easts, Souths or Valleys in the QRL, the furthest away trip you made all season was 45 minutes up the peninsula to play Redcliffe. If you lived in S-E Qld, you got to see the top players in the game 3 times a year (at best) - in the Origin matches at Lang Park and then when the Kangaroos played. That was it.
Skip forward to the present day and we have one unified, nationalised competition in the NRL. We have professional teams everywhere from Melbourne to Townsville and across the ditch in Auckland. Any given weekend, Qld sees 2 or more top-flight matches featuring some of the best players in the game. There is no longer the "us and them" aspect of separate competitions or players either staying in Qld for beer money or having to move south to get what they deserve to earn as a professional. The Broncos recruited NSW halfback Adam Reynolds to help steer the team around and provide experience on the park, while in Newcastle, it's Qlder Kalyn Ponga who is their go-to man. PVL has been quite clear that he wants to grow the game beyond the east-coast of Australia and sees the entire Pacific region as key to the codes' future success (more on this soon)...
#2. The Game Has Changed Politically
Origin began because the balance of power by 1980 lay with the wealthy Sydney clubs backed by their leagues clubs that had pokie money rolling in (St George, Canterbury, Manly etc). This had created a completely lopsided Interstate series with the public losing interest in an annual NSW beat-up. But in the current NRL era, the wealthiest and (arguably) the biggest club in the competition comes from Brisbane. One of the most successful clubs of the past 20 years is based in Melbourne. While NRL HQ is in Moore Park, the power is much more spread out across the RL landscape than it used to be. Origin, in its' current format, is the remnant of an out-dated version of the game, where the NSWRL had the money and the political power through it's wealthy clubs, while the QRL was essentially a feeder competition. In the current era of the game, both the NSWRL and the QRL are feeder competitions for the biggest competition, the NRL, where 40 years of expansion means the power is no longer centralised as it once was.
#3. The Game Has Changed Demographically
The amount of kiwi/ Pacific Islanders playing at the highest level (indeed, even in the junior levels) has grown exponentially since 1980, and as a result created a lot more grey areas regarding Origin eligibility. It's understandable that players want to make themselves eligible for NSW or Qld if possible to enjoy the financial perks of doing so - and also because when Origin is hyped up as footy at it's very best, players who aspire to that level want to be part of it. But it brings into question how much it means to these players, compared to players who only ever grew up and played footy in one of the two states and are only eligible for Australia at international level. At a time where the percentage of players with direct ties to the Pacific region in the top-flight is near half, how much sense does it make to still treat a 3 game series between 2 Australian states as the absolute pinnacle of the RL calendar?
#4. The Questions That Started Origin Have Been Answered
When Origin kicked off in 1980, there were two big questions: Could a team of Qld born and bred players be competitive against NSW? And- would the people of NSW support the Origin concept? Looking at some of the Qld teams over the decades and the accolades they've achieved, the answer to the first question is a resounding yes. And considering how the people of NSW continued turning up and tuning in despite not winning the shield for 8 years, I rest my case. Look at the size of Blatchy's Blues at Game 2, 2005: just a couple of bays. Then look at Game 2, 2014 and Blatchy's Blues is the whole entire end of the stadium on both levels.
The above points all indicate that RL in Australia has changed a lot since 1980 for a number of reasons, yet State of Origin remains rooted in a version of the game that ceased to exist some time ago ago. There is only so big you can make a 3 game series featuring just 2 teams before the concept becomes stale. Meanwhile PVL realises that (like any successful sporting league) expanding the game is key to staying on top.
While I'm not suggesting we get rid of Origin altogether, what I AM suggesting is we make one of the biggest events in the RL calendar even bigger. And in the next post I outline how we can achieve this...
a) We can't take the popularity or success of Origin for granted, or else the concept risks a steady and inevitable decline. Indeed, Origin may already be at its' peak in terms of scope.
b) RL in Australia has changed considerably since the current Origin concept began in 1980. At a time where PVL has been pretty clear that expansion is the future, the State of Origin series needs to reflect this so it doesn't just survive into the future, but goes to a whole new level. As I see it, there are four key reasons we need to think seriously about changing how Origin is run:
#1. The Game Has Changed Geographically
In 1980 when Origin began, there were two separate RL club competitions in Australia: the Sydney competition (NSWRL) and the Brisbane competition (QRL) with zero overlap in terms of fixtures or players. They were still suburban competitions, largely unchanged since 1908. If you played for Easts, Souths or Newtown in Sydney, the furthest away trip you made all season was an hour to the foot of the mountains to play Penrith. If you played for Easts, Souths or Valleys in the QRL, the furthest away trip you made all season was 45 minutes up the peninsula to play Redcliffe. If you lived in S-E Qld, you got to see the top players in the game 3 times a year (at best) - in the Origin matches at Lang Park and then when the Kangaroos played. That was it.
Skip forward to the present day and we have one unified, nationalised competition in the NRL. We have professional teams everywhere from Melbourne to Townsville and across the ditch in Auckland. Any given weekend, Qld sees 2 or more top-flight matches featuring some of the best players in the game. There is no longer the "us and them" aspect of separate competitions or players either staying in Qld for beer money or having to move south to get what they deserve to earn as a professional. The Broncos recruited NSW halfback Adam Reynolds to help steer the team around and provide experience on the park, while in Newcastle, it's Qlder Kalyn Ponga who is their go-to man. PVL has been quite clear that he wants to grow the game beyond the east-coast of Australia and sees the entire Pacific region as key to the codes' future success (more on this soon)...
#2. The Game Has Changed Politically
Origin began because the balance of power by 1980 lay with the wealthy Sydney clubs backed by their leagues clubs that had pokie money rolling in (St George, Canterbury, Manly etc). This had created a completely lopsided Interstate series with the public losing interest in an annual NSW beat-up. But in the current NRL era, the wealthiest and (arguably) the biggest club in the competition comes from Brisbane. One of the most successful clubs of the past 20 years is based in Melbourne. While NRL HQ is in Moore Park, the power is much more spread out across the RL landscape than it used to be. Origin, in its' current format, is the remnant of an out-dated version of the game, where the NSWRL had the money and the political power through it's wealthy clubs, while the QRL was essentially a feeder competition. In the current era of the game, both the NSWRL and the QRL are feeder competitions for the biggest competition, the NRL, where 40 years of expansion means the power is no longer centralised as it once was.
#3. The Game Has Changed Demographically
The amount of kiwi/ Pacific Islanders playing at the highest level (indeed, even in the junior levels) has grown exponentially since 1980, and as a result created a lot more grey areas regarding Origin eligibility. It's understandable that players want to make themselves eligible for NSW or Qld if possible to enjoy the financial perks of doing so - and also because when Origin is hyped up as footy at it's very best, players who aspire to that level want to be part of it. But it brings into question how much it means to these players, compared to players who only ever grew up and played footy in one of the two states and are only eligible for Australia at international level. At a time where the percentage of players with direct ties to the Pacific region in the top-flight is near half, how much sense does it make to still treat a 3 game series between 2 Australian states as the absolute pinnacle of the RL calendar?
#4. The Questions That Started Origin Have Been Answered
When Origin kicked off in 1980, there were two big questions: Could a team of Qld born and bred players be competitive against NSW? And- would the people of NSW support the Origin concept? Looking at some of the Qld teams over the decades and the accolades they've achieved, the answer to the first question is a resounding yes. And considering how the people of NSW continued turning up and tuning in despite not winning the shield for 8 years, I rest my case. Look at the size of Blatchy's Blues at Game 2, 2005: just a couple of bays. Then look at Game 2, 2014 and Blatchy's Blues is the whole entire end of the stadium on both levels.
The above points all indicate that RL in Australia has changed a lot since 1980 for a number of reasons, yet State of Origin remains rooted in a version of the game that ceased to exist some time ago ago. There is only so big you can make a 3 game series featuring just 2 teams before the concept becomes stale. Meanwhile PVL realises that (like any successful sporting league) expanding the game is key to staying on top.
While I'm not suggesting we get rid of Origin altogether, what I AM suggesting is we make one of the biggest events in the RL calendar even bigger. And in the next post I outline how we can achieve this...
