Games like tonight remind me of why I love and despise Origin at the same time. I love it because you get to see the best players in the game come together as two seperate units and playing all-in footy for 80 minutes. The contest is (generally) on another level.
Yet I despise it because (despite my avatar) I consider myself a a footy purist first and foremost. When it comes to Origin I'd rather see both teams left to play their best and let the result fall as it may. If we get a close game/ series- great. If one side gets whitewashed, so be it. Origin should be a 'test' of the current players available from NSW/ Qld and what they can do over 3 games. Yet time and time again, it all becomes so contrived. This series was no different-
You have these narratives that have existed since day 1- of the Maroons apparently not being a chance. Of Origin nights at Lang Park/ Suncorp. Passion, spirit, never giving up, close finishes etc etc. Unfortunately it feels increasingly like The Narrative has taken priority over the actual football itself. Again tonight we saw little consistency from Sutton and how he officiated the game, and the cynic in me feels like the NRL/ 9 got exactly the game and the result they wanted. Another Decider (TM) that comes down to the dying seconds and won by the home team by 6 points. I hate to sound like Gus, but I'm sure I called it exactly as this earlier in the thread?
All being equal, maybe this series would still have gone the same way. But all wasn't equal. I can take losing, but it's those inconsistencies that leave you talking about the game for the wrong reasons, those 'what ifs' that annoy the f**k out of me. I'm glad the season is over, it's felt like it's gone on for ages and yeah I'm annoyed about a number of things coming away from this game tonight. At the same time, I know I'll be back 6 months from now in 2021 hoping NSW can prove a point...