If you could bottle up the spirit of State of Origin and sell it, you would become a billionaire. Imagine cruising on the Amalfi coast on the finest yacht in the northern hemisphere with the Roosters grand final starting 13 as your personal butlers. Think of the possibilities, Jake Friend as your footrest and James Tedesco the yacht’s captain.
Sounds great doesn’t it but only problem is that no one knows what makes State of Origin, State of Origin? The secret recipe is more heavily guarded than the Colonel’s herbs and spices.
However, I think we have come as close to the secret formula than we ever have before. As tried with the original concept of the All Stars match with the Indigenous players up against the NRL All Stars who were there more for the pay day and a weekend on the Gold Coast than to celebrate the Indigenous community in the NRL and Rugby League. The World All Stars was a step forward but still lacked the same desire to make it a competitive match up against players who are playing for their family verses the best players in the world who are not injured in mid-February from off season surgeries
Things looked bleak for the future of the unofficial season opener especially when the NRL would not go ahead every year to limit player burnout. It was often the first feature to be cut if the season started to look too jam packed. The problem with this was as soon as the game began to gain some traction, it was quickly lost due to year off. And as we all know, a week is a long time in Rugby League let alone a whole calendar year.
We fell in love with the spirit and support that Tongans showed during the 2017 World Cup. The fans, the colour and the passion were second to none. Only State of Origin can beat that sort of sceptical. At last we had something to take Rugby League to the next level. Nothing but shattered dreams when it comes to the NRL opener taking place in Los Angeles or a hybrid match between the Wallabies and the Kangaroos to finally prove who is the superior Rugby force in Australia.
Along comes the announcement with a long overdue revamp of the concept. The indigenous All Stars will now come up against the New Zealand Maori Kiwis. Finally, a worthy opponent to challenges the Indigenous boys not just physically and skilfully but spiritually. The clash of cultures will explode all over AAMI Stadium in Melbourne that those AFL loving hacks won’t know what hit them. But I’m a dreamer and a realist at the same time. I had to restrain myself from screaming from the rooftops when I heard this match was going to happen.
I am a little disappointed that this game is happening in Melbourne instead of Rugby League heartland like Brisbane or Western Sydney or even Auckland. This could be the start of something special at the start of the NRL calendar. The Indigenous boys will bring the fire as they also do but this time, they have an equally driven competitor in the Maoris. Bringing their own family values, history and heritage to the field and laying it all on the line for themselves and for our entertainment.
State of Origin started with less promise and even the late great Jack Gibson thought it wouldn’t work. Jack wasn’t wrong about much, but it was got terribly incorrect about Origin. The feeling of Origin game day when you woke up on that Wednesday and spoke about it to your colleagues and school friends about who will win and who will throw the first punch. We now have something to rival the pinnacle of the game and get excited about Rugby League in February.
It came to no surprise when I heard the news that Latrell Mitchell has turned down the Roosters World Club Challenge match to crown them the official World Champions (they already are according to American football fans in Atlanta) and select the Indigenous All Stars instead. It shows how much it means to them. This wasn’t just a glorified trial match with players pulling out left, right and centre but a chance for players to showcase their skills in an open free flowing field and proudly represent their brothers in arms. Latrell has won a comp, played for NSW and Australia all in one year but expect him to step up and shine in a way that NRL or other representative footy wouldn’t allow him too.
My prediction is a fast paced and brutal encounter with the Indigenous All-stars winning in a tight match. Latrell for man of the match but Rugby League will be the real winner at the end of the night.
John Caristo
A full time part time Rugby League nut
https://www.instagram.com/johncaristo14/
Another fad that hopefully will die out.
Should never be mentioned in the same paragraph as SOO.
Even the rugby league 7’s is better than this tripe.
Talk it up Kev 😛
Your long winded blog talks it up enough for everyone John.
The All Stars concept has been a dud since day one and swapping out the original All Stars for the islander all stars won’t change that.
Kev, I think it’s fair to say you’re a glass half empty man, and that may well be because you ordered a lemon, lime & bitters, without the lemon and lime.
Whilst I’d agree it’s not the SoO, and probably never will be, and it’s a risk to players, as is every game, it’ll be a good game of RL.
I think the players will embrace it, because it’s a chance to represent something they are passionate about, but the clubs won’t like it, because of the potential injury risks, so it will come down to the level of support from the RL audience as to whether it will work or not.
I’ll vote for it.
Lol origin in dead
👍
Agree with Kev. Rubbish concept
Okay then so how about a team of players with European heritage ? Or would be …..” raycis ” ?
Let’s not try to pretend that a team of European heritage would care about this event as much as the Indigenous/Maori side do. That was basically the original NRL All Stars team, nothing to play for. Us whites have more of a connection to Origin than this cultural fixture
Well I’m thinking this has the potential to be a great game – if it lives up to the hype.
The teams seem fairly equal talent wise so it could be a good game.
Perhaps Melbourne is the starting point because of the large Maori population living there, although NSW and Queensland do have more.
But who cares where it’s played so long as it’s a quality game.
Whilst I understand the concept and the appeal, I do not believe that any team should be chosen purely on racial grounds. However, playing a Maori team makes sense. It was next to impossible for the NRL All Stars to gain any support Are you obliged to support the All Stars because you are non-indigenous?
It should be a good game but will never match SOO. SOO succeeds on fierce, narrow-minded parochialism and no-one does that better than the Canetoads, they’e in a class of their own.
Looks like the indigenous team will need another full back.
Seriously? Rival SOO?
Is it April the 1st already?
I think the concept of indigenous is different in Australia than NZ, PNG, Samoa and Tonga. Too many players change their country alliance depending on their expectations of being selected and $$.
Imagine a NRL Islander All star team too, would be just as good and as passionate as these two teams. The crowd and attention it’d draw aswell would be crazy!
1. Tuivasa-Sheck (C)
2. Vunivalu
3. Leilua
4. Fusitua
5. Isaako
6. Lolohea
7. Milford
8. Taupau
9. Koroisau
10. Papalii
11. Kikau
12. Frizell
13. Taumalolo
14. Campbell-Gillard
15. Asofa-Solomona
16. Pangai Jnr
17. Taukeiaho
Imagine a European heritage team ?
Tedesco , Trobojevic , Sam Burgess, Gillett , Cordner , Klemmer , Morgan …..
Would be unstoppable.
Imagine an NRL domestic violence team……….Barba, Walker, Aava, Greg Bird, Lodge, Inglis……….
😂😂
My mates were thinking along those lines for a Hall of Fame prison team. We were tossing up whether Les Mara or Gary Sullivan should be captain. No doubt there are other candidates, but they were the 2 who readily came to mind.
Chuck in Les Mason as well as the big fat ugly mascot.
What about Luai at Halfback & Milford at 5/8th in your team Wests?
Imagine a drug offender team……………… Sharks, Barba…………………………………………………….
Imagine a Souffths import team. Inglis, Jennings, Gagai, Burns, Facebook Stripper Burgess and his twin pommie brothers Tom & George although George wants out, Cook, Walker, etc.etc.etc.
Bevan French has been called up for Barba.Hope he dont get injured as that would be a big blow for Wentworthvilles chances this season
Drug offeder team easy thats why they have DRUGNULLA WITH Captain coach Gallen 82 KGS when Parramatta punted him next year 105kg at Drugnulla and remember playing a full game of SOO in the front row no less i guess thats why they surf so much there they are waiting for the right PEP-TIDE
SERIOUSLY WHEN ARE THEY KICKING THIS RAVELL OUT
Melbourne has every right to stage this match maybe even more than a saturated Sydney where they simply cannot be bothered to turn out. At least Ammi Park will be a sell out. Look what happened when they took Origin to the ‘G’.
Melbourne has 91,513 reasons why they deserve to host it and an Origin every year too.