League: New chapters to be written in Origin folklore

League's great rivalry comes back to life when State of Origin kicks off tonight. Photo / Getty Images

Queensland and New South Wales meet in Sydney tonight for the first State of Origin clash of 2010.

When the two sides kick off shortly after 10pm (NZT) they will write the latest chapter in the story of one of sport's greatest rivalries, as NRL's Australian stars line up for what they reverently call the "pinnacle" experience in rugby league.

Tonight's opener is crucial for the Craig Bellamy-coached NSW Blues, who must win tonight to have any hope of stopping Mal Meninga's Maroons from winning a record-extending fifth consecutive Origin series victory.

State against state, mate against mate - great Origin moments:

Game one, 1994 - Maroons back from the dead
Down 12-10 deep in their half with just 40 seconds left in the game, Queensland produced one of the most amazing tryscoring movements of all time. The play featured 11 passes and was finished off by Mark Coyne in the right corner for a remarkable come-from-behind victory.

Game one, 1980 - Beetson leads Queensland revival
When State Origin first started in 1980 many people doubted it would become the success it is today. However, Arthur Beetson, who was called-up from Parramatta's reserve grade side to captain Queensland, silenced the critics with a brutal display to carry Queensland to victory.

His crunching hit on Parramatta teammate Mick Cronin helped give rise to the Orgin catchcry - "State against state, mate against mate".

Game three, 2009 - Price king-hit against Blues
Queensland prop Steve Price was knocked out while trading blows with opposition prop Brett White as New South Wales scored a 28-16 win to avoid a series whitewash last year.

White appeared to land the decisive punch just as teammate Trent Waterhouse joined in the fray, charging down the popular Maroons forward and leaving him sprawled on the Brisbane turf.

Price's coach at the Warriors, Ivan Cleary, witnessed the encounter which robbed him of his inspirational captain.

"With all due respect to Pricey I couldn't imagine him going great in a fight," he said of the incident.

Waterhouse's role in charging in and tackling Price saw him become the first NSW player to be sent off in Origin history.

Game one, 1995 - Passions boil over
Rugby league was in the throes of war in 1995, with several premiership clubs - including the Warriors - having defected from the Australian Rugby League to the News Corp-backed Super League.

Australian players contracted to the rebel organisation were barred from playing in representative teams, meaning State of Origin teams were devoid of established stars from the League's glamour clubs

Queensland was hit particularly hard as the Brisbane Broncos had supplied virtually their entire backline during the era, while New South Wales relied on Canberra Raiders players to occupy key positions including Brett Mullins in fullback, and Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart in the halves.

Before the first game kicked off, Blues were widely believed to have had the edge over Queensland because of the heavy influence of ARL-loyal players from Newcastle and Manly, meaning established Origin heavyweights such as Paul Harragon, David Barnhill and Rod Wishart lined up against Adrian Lam, Wayne Bartrim and Ben Ikin - all relative unknowns.

Pundits had expected the series opener to boil over into a brawl and, within minutes of kickoff, it had. Manly Sea Eagles teammates Danny Moore of Queensland and John Hopoate of New South Wales fought a memorable battle near the sideline.

Less predictable was the result. Rock-solid Queensland defence shut the Blues out, a solitary penalty goal from Bartrim the only points scored as the Maroons won the first-ever tryless Origin match. Queensland would go on to sweep the series 3-0.





Game two, 1991 - Wally Lewis versus Mark Geyer
Wally Lewis, or "the King" as he is known in Queensland, always played his best football for the Maroons and with eight man of the match awards is arguably State of Origin's greatest performer. Lewis, who captained the Maroons a record 30 times, spearheaded Queensland's dominance throughout the 1980s and although he produced many memorable moments with the ball in-hand, the one which is guaranteed to feature on any Origin highlights reel is when the King stood toe-to-toe with a fiery Mark Geyer in game two of the 1991 series in Sydney.

Games two and three, 2005 - Andrew Johns
After losing game one in extra time in Brisbane New South Wales coach Ricky Stuart called on league legend Andrew Johns' services for the remainder of the series. This was seen as a huge gamble by the NSW coach as Johns' past two seasons were wrecked by injury and he had only played two games in 2005. But "Joey" answered his state's call with a sublime man of the match performance in game two, equal to or better than anything the great Wally Lewis produced for Queensland. He backed that up in game three with another outstanding game to secure an unlikely series victory for NSW.

Game three, 2001 - Alan Langer's return
Under a shroud of secrecy Queensland coach Wayne Bennett brought former Brisbane and Australian halfback back from England to steer the Maroons around in the decider. The move proved to be a masterstroke with the 34-year-old Langer defying the odds and inspiring his side to a massive 40-14 win in Brisbane.

- NZ HERALD ONLINE, NZPA