State of Origin Hyperbole

In a world of sporting cliches, rugby league's State of Origin marketing has outlived its hype.

Every year, every game, we hear the call - State against State, mate against mate. We're told to expect fireworks, we're shown highlights of King Wally and Mark Geyer going toe-to-toe. We're also told NSW will start as favourites.

The concept has proved to be the making of rugby league and remains as one of the great contests on the Australian sporting calendar. As for worldwide attention, I fancy the claims that countries like the United States, China and Russia are glued to their 3D sets is somewhat exagerated.

We are still enthralled by the impending showdowns between the Blues and the Maroons. And yet, as the years roll by, the promotional hype fails to materialise.

The fact is that rarely do State of Origin matches result in an outbreak of football warfare. The game has moved on. Referees and judiciaries are less forgiving than they were even a decade ago.

This shouldn't be seen as a diluting of the contest. But the world has become more civilised, and what was seen as accepted and encouraged violence in sporting battles now raise understandable comparisons with deteriorating community standards.

The unpredictable nature of the outcome of the matches has taken a blow with a four-year dominance by the star-studded Queensland squad. For years the underdogs who collectively played above their individual worthiness, the Maroons now boast the undisputed superstars of rugby league. Slater, Thurston, Inglis, Folau, Lockyer, Smith - six of the biggest names in the sport.

The biggest names for the Blues? Try perhaps Watmough, Gidley, Morris, Kimmorley, Cooper and, of course, Hayne. Only Hayne could be considered anywhere near the elite status of the star Queenslanders. Even without the injured Smith in game one of the 2010 series, the Maroons were too good and more dominant that the 28-24 scoreline suggested.

The simple problem for NSW is this. They can't match the Maroons in terms of personnel and, unlike the era when Queensland had inferior talent, nor can NSW match the Maroons for passion - the vital ingredient that carried past Queensland teams to results that should not have been possible.

So, a message for the promoters. Yes, you still have a great product but let's forget the hype. The game is no longer likely to erupt into some sort of Ultimate Fighting Championship free-for-all (see blog December 21) and gone are the days when the Queensland fibros attempted to bring down the NSW silvertails.

Time has moved on.