Nine iconic moments that have shaped State of Origin

Everyone knows those famous words. State vs State. Mate vs Mate. The Origin rivalry is nothing short of intense. Many of these players not only represent their state, but also the small towns and communities that they came from. State of Origin is one of the greatest displays of camaraderie, late hits are greeted with jabs and choice words. Players are incredibly protective of their teammates, they form a band of brothers relationship where no man is left behind. We take an in-depth look at some of the most iconic State of Origin moments and an insight into the characters that make Origin what it is today. Alfie's return A scene we've all seen before. An Origin series locked at 1-1. In 2001 Maroons coach Wayne Bennett made a call that would shake the Rugby League world. Hidden under pure secrecy Wayne Bennett recalled Queensland great and halfback Allan 'Alfie' Langer. Langer at the time was supposedly finishing up his career in England's Super League at the Warrington Wolves, however made the trip back down under for the 2001 Origin series decider. Despite receiving endless amounts of criticism from the likes of Gus Gould, who thought the selection was pathetic, saying that Queensland had to "bring back 35-year-olds to win". Bennett's selection proved to pay off, with Langer setting up two tries and scoring one of his own in a 40-14 demolition of New South Wales. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Op_lbJpD20 Michael Jennings' 'Superman Punch' In what was only a short skirmish, Michael Jennings jumped over a pack of players and struck Queensland's Brent Tate in the side of the head, and was soon pulled aside by Maroons great Billy Slater. Despite being sent off for ten-straight after, Jennings' superman punch saw him reach cult hero status in New South Wales. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kls4uY6jG-w Freddy's Farewell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fYNia22wQE With the series tied 1-1, Blues coach Gus Gould bit the bullet and recalled Brad Fittler back into the side. In what would be his last game of representative football, Fittler, alongside Trent Barrett, led the Blues to an emphatic 36-14 victory in front of 82,000 fans. With seven minutes left on the clock, Freddy charged down Darren Lockyer's attempted kick and scored underneath the sticks. A suiting farewell for a man who represented the sky blue on 31 occasions. http://gty.im/51031054 Gorden Tallis 'rag-dolls' Brett Hodgson Game III, 2002 saw Gorden Tallis make one of the most famous tackles in Rugby League history. While Brett Hodgson was looking to make a devastating break through the Queensland defence, the raging bull caught his collar and rag-dolled him into touch. That tackle was the last time Hodgson and Tallis had interacted with one-another, until 2018 where it was reported that the pair bumped into each other at ANZ Stadium. The two shook hands, said g'day and went their separate ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOl-pLZ8Fk0 Blues end eight-year drought With the first game going right down to the wire at the traditional Suncorp fortress, New South Wales' morale was at an all-time high leading into the second fixture at home at a packed ANZ Stadium. http://gty.im/450835076 In what can only be described as an incredibly slow game, it was Trent Hodkinson's 71st-minute try and 73rd-minute conversion that cemented the Blues' win. With 10 seconds left on the clock the Maroons' last-ditch effort to score was thwarted by Jarryd Hayne, who ran the ball dead and was embraced by a sea of Blatchy's Blues supporters. http://gty.im/450808028 1995 MCG Brawl Even before the game had commenced the Rugby League world was well aware of what was about to unfold. As Paul Vautin described to Channel 9. “The day of the game I received a phone call from a mystery person that said he had mail out of the NSW camp that Gus (NSW coach Phil Gould) said the first person that yells Queenslander out of that mob, I want you to put one on his chin,” he said. “I said (to the Maroons players) ‘who is going to yell it out first?’ and fair dinkum about 25 sets of hands went up.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSEzsMzhDd0 The night it rained XXXX Gold With under 20 minutes to go, what was only a lighthearted scuffle between Greg Conescu and Phil Daley eventually turned into an all-out brawl. Straight after the brawl Wally Lewis was sent to the bin for talking back to the ref, which sparked outrage from the local Queensland supporters. The passionate Maroons fans protested to the decision by hurling cans of their local nectar onto the field, while shouting, "send Stone off!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NottgZJhUk Billy Slater's chip-and-chase try Trailing by two points with 18 minutes to go, Darren Lockyer's unexpected grubber kick was collected by a 20-year-old Billy Slater. The former track-work jockey steamed onto the grubber and chipped it over a scrambling Blues defence and score what would be known as one of the greatest tries in NRL history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quy8f6q39Pk Greg Oliphant v Graeme Wynn v Artie Beetson, 1980 Queensland vs New South Wales played each other at Lang Park for the first time under the new "State of Origin" selection rules. Players were selected based on where they were born or where they had started their first grade career. It didn't take long before tensions reached boiling point and Queensland great Artie Beetson inadvertently created the Origin we know today. https://twitter.com/NRLonNine/status/1322044347437715458?s=20