KEY POINTS:
It's that time of year again when lifelong friendships are put on hold and sometimes even at risk.
I'm talking about State of Origin football.
With the first game due next Wednesday night at Suncorp Stadium, the great Australian sports marketing machine is in full swing.
Since the
first Origin game in 1980 the contest has generated a passion like no other in Australasian sport. It markets itself.
Why, you may ask, does this happen year in, year out?
Much has to do with the unpredictability of the series, but most of all it's the memories and legends that are produced on this wonderful stage.
Test football has come close over the past few years but it still hasn't been able to capture the Australian public's imagination like Origin does.
And whether the politically correct brigade of academics in sport like it or not, the fans are hoping to see an old-fashioned dust-up.
It's these moments of madness blended with brilliant skill that make Origin the most awaited and talked about sporting event in Australia.
And its these moments of madness that get transferred to minutes then hours of story telling in the pubs around NSW and QLD. To hell with the PC brigade, the fans love them. A blue may have gone on for all of 15 seconds during a game but that dust-up gets remembered as though it was an all-in war lasting hours.
The incredible thing about the Origin in years gone by is how many of the players from both camps have been able to build a real hatred towards the player they were marking.
Hate is a strong word, but believe me, the venom aimed at NSW that I witnessed while involved as coach of Queensland was not just for show. These blokes meant it.
And don't think for a moment the same wasn't going on in the NSW camp. These players do whip themselves into a frenzy.
When you consider this feeling was often between club mates, it is quite remarkable.
But with modern day NRL players virtually hugging opposition players before each game, I doubt if that type of parochial hatred will be seen again.
More than any other games I am able to recall every minute of Origin football I was involved with and those minutes also seemed like hours.
I also clearly recall as if it were yesterday the searching eyes that looked at you in the dressing room at halftime when things weren't going well.
Players like Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Allan Langer, Martin Bella and co were all very experienced players. But under stress they needed the same encouragement, discipline and direction as your local under-12 team.
This phenomenon called State of Origin delivers emotions you wouldn't think existed.
How else could you explain the actions of former NSW and Australian second-rower Mark Geyer? The big Penrith forward was a good fun bloke off the field but in Origin football he was downright scary.
Maybe one of the biggest surprises in Origin history was when Queensland named me, a Kiwi, as coach back in 1991. It is that out-of-the-square thinking that makes the contest so unique.
The element of surprise and that risk-taking are what the Warriors seem to be lacking at the moment. They have become too predictable.
It's almost impossible to predict what either NSW or Queensland will do in the series this year because the players are encouraged by the fans and motivated by their coaches to do anything to win.
The selection of Steve Price in the front row for Queensland again clearly illustrates the form and reliability this veteran consistently offers.
With in-form Bronco Petero Civoniceva as his front row partner, the Queenslanders have a very tough and experienced-looking pack.
I was surprised that Billy Slater didn't get a look in as Queensland's fullback. His recent form has been better than that of Karmichael Hunt from the Broncos.
The great recent form of Roosters fullback Anthony Minichiello has rightfully given him the Blues fullback role.
And it's great to see tyro Newcastle halfback Jarrod Mullen getting that role in the NSW team.
I'm tipping a Queensland victory. I like the look of the less experienced Blues team but a home game in this vital first match of the series is worth a couple of points in itself.
* Sunday's game between the Warriors and the Wests Tigers will be an enthralling affair, and the outcome is hard to predict.
The Warriors have been very disappointing in the past couple of weeks and have now lost Price to Origin duties. His leadership alone will be sorely missed.
The Tigers are coming off a great 27-8 win last week against the Dragons.
The successful and experienced Wests Tigers coach, Tim Sheens, has his team playing a different brand of football from most other clubs.
Their use of the ball from set plays allows them to dictate to opposition defences and this is the biggest danger for the home side on Sunday.
The other factor Sheens has developed in this side is enthusiasm. His players are constantly up on the balls of their feet and ready for action. This produces the high-speed game which the Warriors struggle with.
There is an old saying the Warriors should consider: Bursting on to the ball will put any opposition defence on the back foot. Then momentum can be gained and maintained.
I'm expecting the Warriors to win in a nail-biter. But unless they can match the intensity that Sheens' men will bring to Mt Smart, they may as well stay in bed for the day.
* The acid is also on the Auckland Lions Premier team on Sunday against the Balmain Ryde Tigers. After a 14-4 away loss to the Knights last week, Lions coach Graeme Norton will be desperate to win. The inclusion of Grant Rovelli, George Gatis, Todd Byrne and Wairangi Koopu should give his team a strong chance.
