I'd agree regarding the appeal of Origin in the AFL states (part of the reason the series now has a game in the expansion states annually). People like myself (and OP I'd gather) don't want to kill the golden goose, rather are looking at how the game is expanding and how Origin can be changed moving forward to minimise the negative impact it has on the rest of the competition. As somebody else said in this thread already: if 20 years from now Origin is still the pinnacle of the game, then expansion of the game in Australia and the Pacific has been for nothing.
But this idea that Qld "should" be getting beaten every year has more to do with a narrative perpetuated by the Qld media than with reality. Having spent a number of years in Qld myself over the years, I know first-hand how the media operates up there. Those Maroons teams during the Wally Lewis era and the 2006-16 squads would win their share of games/ silverware in any era of the game. But the media knows that nothing sells like perpetuating this view of Qld as the perennial battlers fighting for the little guy, with the entire world stacked against them. It's something you can't fully appreciate unless you spend time up there and see how they cover events, especially around Origin time.
Regarding neutral support for Qld, I've found it varies. In Melbourne the majority of support leans towards the Maroons (the Storm connection and this weird Sydney complex Melbournians have plays its part). But in Perth it definitely swings more towards NSW, and I'd expect this to become more pronounced with the coming Bears connection.
The perennial underdog tag that Queensland has stems from population, playing stocks, number of NRL clubs. This year, on paper, we'd be lucky to have four players even make the Blues side (Munster, Grant, Carrigan and Tino). Most years it's about the same, then you have the real tough years like 2020 and 1995 where we struggle to scrape together an NRL level side, let alone a rep side.
Honestly, this Panthers dominated NSW side should have just wrapped up their 8th straight series this year. You've had the better side since 2018. Thats not a media beat up, it's just reality, NSW should be utterly dominating Origin like the Kangaroos do the Kiwis, win most of the time with an upset sprinkled in every now and then... But NSW don't and that's why Origin is magical.
Agree on expansion. NRL need to take the current potential of the international game and really run with it, no more false dawns. Pacific has good investment now, let's help England, let's invest in Wales and France and we could have a 16 nation world cup (amongst other tournaments) that is interesting, competitive and profitable.