On Monday the 13th of November last year, all the State Of Origin 2024 dates were confirmed with the extra announcement that the women’s version will equal the men’s version in terms of number of games in a series with both versions now featuring 3 games, which is the historic standard for a State Of Origin series since the inaugural men’s edition in 1982. Women’s State Of Origin had an inaugural 2-game series last year after 5 years as a single match.
State Of Origin (men’s version) 2024 will have all matches on a Wednesday night with kick-off at 8:05pm local time with the matches dates’ & venues being:
Game I – 5th of June, Stadium Australia, Sydney
Game II – 26th of June, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Game III – 17th of July, Lang Park, Brisbane
Starting just under 3 weeks earlier, the Women’s State Of Origin will take place on:
Game I – 16th May, Lang Park, Brisbane
Game II – 6th of June, Hunter Stadium, Newcastle
Game III – 27th of June, North Queensland Stadium, Townsville.
All Women’s State Of Origin matches will be on a Thursday night with kick-off at 7:45pm local time.
Despite now being a 3-game series, Women’s State Of Origin will not be classified as a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular yet. The minimal ‘official celebration’ of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: Australia & New Zealand last year has hampered Women’s State Of Origin‘s short-term chances of being recognised as a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular. Most importantly, this year’s edition is also not being held in Sydney at all. The closest venue is Newcastle, 160 kilometres north of Sydney, which has never hosted a State Of Origin match before. The attendance is also still too low compared to the men’s version (15,000 per event day vs 59,000 per event day). Sydney Spectaculars will continue to monitor Women’s State Of Origin‘s development for possible future recognition.
Gold Or No Alcohol: AUD$149 per adult, AUD$139 per junior/concession & AUD$428.95 per family*
Silver: AUD$89 per adult, AUD$79 per junior/concession & AUD$249 per family*
Bronze: AUD$59 per adult, AUD $49 per junior/concession & AUD$159 per family*
Restricted View: AUD$25 per adult & AUD$70 per family*
*2 adults & 2 juniors
Hospitality packages including dining & cocktail functions are also available here.
Australia’s biggest rugby league match will be played in Australia’s biggest stadium, as the MCG hosts the decisive 2nd game of the 2024 State of Origin series. We’re proud to bring this iconic contest back to the MCG & welcoming fans from near and far to enjoy Melbourne’s vibrant hospitality, retail and hotel sectors.
Steve Dimopoulos, Victorian Minister For Tourism, Sport & Major Events
On 6th August last year, it was announced that Perth Stadium in Perth, Western Australia (WA) will host a State Of Origin match in both 2025 & 2028.
This is in line with the event’s policy of 1 neutral venue & 1 home venue for each of the States (New South Wales (NSW) & Queensland) in the 3-match series.
The sponsored name of the venue is Optus Stadium.
Perth Stadium, the Swan River & Matagarup Bridge Photograph: Grant Trouville/State Of Origin
Later this year, Melbourne in Victoria will host the neutral round of State Of Origin, which it will also host in 2026.
Perth Stadium has hosted a State Of Origin match before in both 2019 & 2022, the only times Perth has hosted a State Of Origin match, with crowds of 59,721 & 59,358 respectively.
Australian Rugby League Commissioner, The Honourable Kate Jones said the Commission wanted to continue to provide a strong footing for the sport in WA:
State Of Origin in Perth has been an outstanding success & we’re delighted to be able to continue this partnership with the Western Australian Government.
There is already strong support for rugby league in Western Australia & our ongoing commitment to grow the game in areas outside of rugby league heartlands will ensure even more people are attracted to the game by the biggest sporting rivalry in the country.
We are privileged to bring State Of Origin back to Perth & I’d like to thank Premier, Roger Cook, Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister, Rita Saffioti & the Western Australian Government for their ongoing support of rugby league.
The Honourable Kate Jones, Australian Rugby League Commissioner
Being able to host 2 more State Of Origin clashes is another great win for tourism & sport within WA plus an awesome opportunity to showcase our state across Australia.
The WA Government continues to bring major sporting & tourism events to our shores with the award-winning Optus Stadium once again taking centre stage.
Rita Saffioti, WA Deputy Premier & Tourism Minister
It is a great endorsement for rugby league to secure the support of the WA Government to host the game’s showpiece in Perth in 2025 and 2028 & a strong indication of the appetite for the game in the west & while it is a neutral venue, the Blues, with the strong support of The Star Blatchys fans, are thrilled at the prospect of returning to Perth where we have great memories of this ground, experiencing success at the debut Perth game in 2019 and again in 2022.
Brad Fittler, NSW Blues Coach
State Of Origin 2025 & 2028 are supported by the WA Government through their tourism agency, Tourism WA.
New South Wales scored 4 tries to win at home in the final game of State Of Origin 2023 as Queensland lift the Shield with a 2-1 series victory.
The event begun just over 2 hours prior to kick-off, at 5:50pm, with an exhibition New South Wales RISE Academy under-15’s men’s rugby league match between RISE Blue & RISE Navy. RISE Blue won 28-6.
The Nine Network, in the pre-match coverage, again showed the team line-ups with pre-recorded footage of the respective states’ iconic bridges in the background lit up in their team’s colours, complete with computer-generated fireworks. The pre-recorded footage (despite claiming it was live) of the Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up blue completely was shown again later.
A surprise drone show over Sydney Showground featured in the lead-up to the match, broadcast on TV on delay (so it started before 7:18pm). It only featured the non-sponsored State of Origin logo in horizontal form (brand image to the left, the words ‘State of Origin‘ in blue to the right). More pre-recorded drone show footage was shown again later (and thus, finished no later than 7:35pm).
Then at 7:30pm, the pre-match entertainment began. Indigenous performances & a light and pyrotechnic show featuring New Zealand’s biggest band, SIX60, featured. The latter opened with a Maori performance, followed by SIX60‘s 2011 song, Don’t Forget Your Roots, which again featured Maori performances including a mid-song haka. This all was in front of a stadium crowd of 75,342 (a new record for a ‘dead rubber’ State Of Origin match) and the multi-million sized TV audience (though the Indigenous performances only featured in the broadcast background & the rest of SIX60‘s set not being televised).
The New South Wales side then walked from their Centre Of Excellence across the road through the former athlete transfer tunnel from The Games of the XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000 to Stadium Australia where they met the Queensland side on the field, who came from the stadium’s changing rooms.
The customary Welcome To Country, conducted by Aunty Kerrie Kenton and performance of the National Anthem, sung by Courtney Monsma, then immediately preceded the main match,
Anyway, to the game. Queensland took the upper hand at the start with their only converted try scored by David Fifita in the 11th minute.
Brian To’o saved New South Wales from complete domination by diving into the corner a few minutes later to score the 1st unconverted try for New South Wales in the game.
The lack of conversion was quickly reprieved 3 minutes later when New South Wales received a penalty due to Queensland’s Harry Grant tackling in mid-air after a Mitchell Moses kick. They took the penalty’s opportunity to score a field goal which levelled the scores.
A couple of minutes later, Josh Addo-Carr ensured Queensland won’t have the upper hand again for the rest of the series by showcasing his speed & kicking skills in a classic unconverted try.
New South Wales debutant, Bradman Best, met the Origin challenge by backing up Addo-Carr a few minutes later to score his debut Origin try, which was converted, to lead by 10 points.
It looked like New South Wales was going to storm to victory, but Queensland’s Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow reminded them that Queensland doesn’t give up victory without a fight by finding a gap in New South Wales’s defence & to the best of his ability with the space available, recreate Josh Addo-Carr’s try except with a low kick along the ground, to score what would end up being Queensland’s last unconverted try of the series.
A minute before half-time, New South Wales received another penalty thanks again to Harry Grant who crowded the ruck. They used the penalty to score a field goal to add an extra 2-point buffer.
At half-time, the score was 18-10 in favour of New South Wales.
During half-time, a Little Origin match was held between Sacred Heart Mount Druitt & Cessnock Public School.
The 2nd half was fairly even but as time went on, the more likely a New South Wales victory in the game was assured. It began with a couple of arguments after a few minutes & then, around the 60-minute mark, there was a flurry of try attempts by both sides but all were unsuccessful.
Then, in the 64th minute, James Tedesco found a gap ‘in Queensland’s defence and ran to the try line. When confronted with Queensland’s fullback, he quickly passed at the last minute to Bradman Best who made the rest of the journey with no obstacles in the way to score his 2nd Origin try on debut, which was converted. He celebrated with Josh Addo-Carr with dancing. New South Wales now felt assured of victory leading by 14 points.
The rest of the 2nd half was evenly poised though around the 70-minute mark, Queensland had a few unsuccessful try attempts to leave open the potential for a reduced deficit in the game.
5 minutes before full-time, a couple of pitch invaders appeared, which security apprehended & 2 minutes before half-time, Josh Addo-Carr suffered a hamstring injury requiring an interchange with Clint Gutherson.
All successful conversions were kicked by Stephen Crichton for New South Wales & Valentine Holmes for Queensland.
At full time, the final score for the final game was New South Wales 24-10 Queensland & the final score for the 2023 series was Queensland 2-1 New South Wales.
The series presentation followed on a stage in the field’s centre with James Bracey as Master Of Ceremonies & Wally ‘The King‘ Lewis, Queensland rugby league great, Andrew Abdo, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League and Brent Merrick, Ampol Executive General Manager of International & New Business waiting on the stage.
New South Wales coach, Brad Fittler, was invited onto the stage to award the Player of the Match medal, which was awarded to Cody Walker.
The winner of the Wally LewisMedal, awarded to the player of the series by Wally Lewis, was then announced as Reuben Cotter.
Um, firstly, ah, congrats to New South Wales. Um, congrats to our boys. Ah, it’s been a, you know, a great series. I’ve loved every moment, ah, with youse, in camp.
Um, (breathes deeply) I just want to say thanks to all the Queensland supporters for coming out tonight… (crowd cheers) …& to the 5 million back home, uh, watching. Uh, thanks, thanks for supporting ma-, us all the way through & thanks to the coaching staff. Abuntoo!
Reuben Cotter, Queensland rugby league player
Uh, firstly, I just want to thank, uh, the Queensland boys for the series. Um, they were f-, too good for us the 1st 2 games, um, so congratulations to you boys. Thanks for the series. Oh, thanks all the fans – the New South Wales fans for coming out tonight. Um, we wanted to get some pride back into the jersey & get a win for you so really glad we could, um, though disappointed to lose the 1st 2 but want to thank my team, the staff, the series. Obviously wasn’t, uh, how we wanted to go – going down the 1st 2 games but, um, we fought hard tonight for a win so, uhm, we look forward to next year. Thanks guys.
James Tedseco, New South Wales captain
Yeah, look, I just want to take the time to thank all of the hard work that goes putting this stuff on. All of the corporate partners, the administrators, Queensland Rugby League, thank you so much for getting this on. It’s always a pleasure to play in such, such a big stage.
I want to thank ‘The Blues’ for the series. It’s been a tough series regardless of the result. Theys…These guys played fair all the way, made it a tough series & we had to work every bit of it so thank you very much for ‘The Blues’.
I want to thank everyone that’s come here tonight in particular you Queensland fans… (crowd cheers) …& as Reuben touched on, there’s 5 million of us sitting at home in Queensland. I hope youse enjoy this moment that’s coming up. It’s all for you.
Last but not least, the playing group & the footy staff. It’s been a hell of a lot of hard work gone into this but as Reub said boys, it’s something special here. Enjoy the moment. Abuntoo boys. Let’s go!
Daly Cherry-Evans, Queensland captain
Wally Lewis, Andrew Abdo & Brent Merrick then presented the State Of Origin Shield to Daly Cherry-Evans, who immediately lifted it up to the cheers of the crowd as flamethrowers lit up the stage. The former three people moved out the way for the rest of the Queensland team and staff who gathered around the Shield as Queen‘s iconic song, We Are The Champions, played. Ground fireworks exploded behind the stage as Queensland cheered in victorious glory while their families joined them on stage. That was State Of Origin 2023.
With less than 24 hours to go until the final game of the 2023 State Of Origin rugby league series, a “difficult but necessary” media obligation boycott as part of an industrial dispute regarding a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for their players looks set to affect its broadcasts & journalism of the match.
This was decided unanimously at a meeting of the Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) last Tuesday night (4th of July) that contained over 50 player “leaders” & was announced by the Rugby League Players’ Association at a press conference at Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour last Wednesday afternoon.
It was in response to an “ultimatum” presented to them by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) on behalf of National Rugby League (NRL), Australia & New Zealand’s professional franchise rugby league competition, which is a separate event series to State Of Origin but is tied very closely, logistically & on sporting terms. It should be noted most, but not all, of the matters in dispute detailed below do not directly affect State Of Origin but rather the NRL competition.
The “ultimatum” involved the ARLC & NRL “taking away” players’ medical information “rights”, ‘exploiting’ their property, ‘controlling’ how ‘the players’ money’ is spent on player funds and benefits & ‘making’ players pay for insurances that “don’t benefit” them.
With the ultimatum not acceptable by the RLPA, CBA negotiations have come to a halt as a result.
The players will abandon all media obligations tomorrow regarding State Of Origin including preview stories, interviews in the broadcasts before, after and at half time of the match as well as press conferences before & after the match.
However, they will still produce content for Queensland & New South Wales Rugby League.
The ARLC, whose Chairman Peter V’landys is on leave, have met to discuss next steps, which are still unclear. The ARLC & NRL released a statement last Wednesday evening saying they are “disappointed” as well as making “corrections” to the RLPA announcement and stating certain facts of their proposal. The full statement can be found at the bottom of this article.
Broadcasters have declined to comment.
As far as we are aware, this is the 1st industrial dispute ever to affect a flagship Sydney Spectacular. For more information, there is a Frequently Asked Questions page found here on the RLPA website.
The final game of State Of Origin 2023 will be held tonight at 8:05pm at Stadium Australia, Sydney.
The players have unanimously decided to take action in response to the current impasse in collective bargaining negotiations with the NRL & ARLC.
Recently, the RLPA submitted a proposal to the NRL and ARLC that is fair, contains numerous concessions by players & does not ask for a single dollar more than what had already been agreed upon. Unfortunately, the NRL and ARLC responded with changes that deviated so significantly from our proposal that they restricted the rights of players to an unacceptable level. They also made it clear that their response was non-negotiable & not open for discussion.
I want to emphasise the gravity of the situation we find ourselves in today. We are witnessing a disappointing breakdown in negotiations & a blatant disregard for the rights and welfare of our players. This is a clear attempt to intimidate players into a deal that undermines their rights, their voice and their control over their own careers & players agree unanimously that they will not roll over to union-busting tactics such as what we are witnessing.
That is why, from Thursday 6 July, our players will be boycotting all broadcast & media engagements on days when…State of Origin matches are scheduled. This includes pre-match, half-time & post-match interviews as well as press conferences & other media opportunities.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the strength and courage of our players…who continue to break barriers and pave the way for future generations. As a woman in a leadership role within rugby league, I understand the significance of their presence & the importance of their voices being heard. Our sport, our players & our fans deserve better. We stand with them & we urge the NRL and ARLC to do the same.
Doctor Deidre Anderson AM, RLPA Board Chair
As the CEO of the Rugby League Players’ Association, I want to add to the Chair’s message and provide further context.
I would like to thank the recent facilitator of the negotiations for his dedication to achieving a good outcome for all. However, negotiations now require a different approach, but his contribution is greatly appreciated.
This issue hits home for me on a personal level. I have lived and breathed this sport; as a fan, player and administrator for as long as I can remember. I understand the sacrifices our players make and the risks they take every time they step onto the field. Their careers can be fleeting, and they deserve to have their rights and welfare protected.
Over the 20 past months, we have seen a disturbing pattern of behaviour from the…ARLC. What we have seen is a failure to respect the role of the players’ representative body, erosion of fundamental player rights & attempts to buy off players without understanding this CBA is about so much more than money. They have failed to honour their commitments in providing a CBA everyone can be proud of – one that respects the players’ irreplaceable role. They did not properly disclose financial information and payments owed to the players & disregarded their collective concerns. The players have shown tremendous patience & goodwill throughout this process, but their trust & resolve have been tested time & time again.
I want to be clear that we have been forced into this position & importantly our issue is not with the media. Unfortunately, unless we were prepared to fail in our obligations to appropriately represent & protect our members, the only choice we are left with is to take action. It’s important to understand that this action will be seen by some players as not hard enough, but for now, this is considered appropriate action given the NRLs’ take it or leave it position, which now rewinds much of the good outcomes we were optimistic about securing.
We must also remember not to let this dispute overshadow the connection between the players & the fans. While there is no game without players, there is no profession without fans. Fans are the lifeblood of this game & our players are dedicated to playing for them and providing the entertainment they deserve. They have a deep connection with the community because they too, all started their journey as a fan.
We entered into negotiations with the hope of reaching a fair & reasonable agreement that addresses the needs & interests of all players. We made concessions, we engaged in good faith & we presented a settlement proposal that did not ask for a single dollar more than what had already been agreed upon. Yet, the NRL responded with over 100 changes that would have sent players backward in many key areas. This response was unacceptable with clear erosion of player rights, including taking away player rights (medical information), exploiting their player property, controlling how players spend their money on player funds and benefits, increase the amount of matches played without player agreement & making players pay for things they shouldn’t have to (insurances that don’t benefit players).
We urge the NRL and ARLC to come to the table & provide the players with a fair deal.
As one of the leaders in our game, I am fearful and concerned about the trajectory of our game – with all major stakeholder agreements unsigned, unresolved & unannounced. These include the…NSWRL and QRL member agreements…. We need to come together & provide certainty for everyone. This must be a non-negotiable.
Let us not forget: Our game is the only game in world sport that started due to a workers’ and player rights dispute & more the 100 years on here we are again except it’s with our own governing body.
We are standing up and stepping forward to represent the will and conviction of the players & we will continue to stand firm for the benefit of current, past and future players & the overall health and success of the game.
Rugby League Players’ Association Chief Executive Officer, Clint Newton OAM
The NRL’s offer to the RLPA represents a landmark deal for the players. The NRL…have provided substantial improvement in player payments, benefits and conditions.
The players will share an unprecedented $1.347 billion in total player payments from 2023-2027.
This represents a 37.4% increase as compared to the $980 million total player payments agreed for 2018-2022.
The minimum wage will progressively increase reaching $150,000 by 2027.
Introduction of a past Player Medical Support program, Transition and Past Player programs and General Hardship Fund with a combined allocation of $10 million to establish these new programs.
An expanded Injury Hardship Fund will be created, with a dedicated allocation of $9 million.
An expanded and jointly managed Wellbeing & Education program will be available to all players with an allocation of $25 million.
Beyond financial benefits, the Players will receive improved conditions compared to the previous CBA including…mandated entry and exit medicals to ensure accurate medical data is kept up to date to better serve the recovery of players.
The NRL is disappointed that the RLPA has decided to take this unnecessary action, which is damaging to the game and to the detriment of broadcast partners, sponsors and importantly fans.
It is important to correct a number of statements made by the RLPA today that are incorrect.
The NRL’s offer provides increased agreement and consultation rights for the RLPA and players. The NRL and Clubs have spent well over 12 months negotiating and carefully considering the players requests. This includes recognising the players priorities to provide greater support to players transitioning from the game and support players in retirement and hardship. In listening to the players, the NRL offer meets the RLPA’s request on the Injury Hardship Fund, and establishment of new and expanded funds including the General Hardship Fund, Past Player Medical Support and Past Player Transition Program.
The ARLC is the governing body of rugby league in Australia & has an obligation to act in the best interests of the game both in the immediate and long-term including protecting the interests of all of stakeholders in the game.
A dominant Queensland side scored 6 tries to achieve ultimate victory in Game 2 of State Of Origin 2023 to secure the Shield.
The event begun just over 2 hours prior to kick-off, at 6pm, with an exhibition Queensland RISE Academy under-14’s men’s rugby league match between RISE Maroon & RISE Silver. These teams are based on the Sunshine Coast where the Academy, open to boys and girls, aims to give players the tools to reach their potential. RISE Silver won 12-4.
Then at 7:30pm, the pre-match entertainment began. Indigenous performances & a light and pyrotechnic show featuring Aussie legend, Shannon Noll, featured (though the Indigenous performances only featured in the broadcast background & Shannon Noll, not at all). QLD Origin greats, Wally Lewis & Darren Lockyer concluded the pre-match entertainment by bringing out the State Of Origin shield, accompanied by junior rugby league players from both states, onto the ground for the stadium crowd of 52,433 and the multi-million sized TV audience.
The Nine Network again showed the team line-ups with pre-recorded footage of the respective states’ iconic bridges in the background lit up in their team’s colours, complete with computer-generated fireworks. The Story Bridge lit up maroon complete was shown again later.
A surprise drone show on Brisbane’s Southbank Parklands near the Victoria Bridge featured in the lead-up to the match, broadcast on TV on delay (so it happened before 8pm), It featured 3 sequences. First, was the words ‘STATE OF ORIGIN’, with the latter word in maroon and the 2 former words in blue, above a italised ‘2‘. in the colours of green & orange. Second, was a blue rugby league ball flying in between the game’s goalposts, orange in colour with a white ‘dot’, planted on a strip of grass. And lastly, the chant of QLD pride, ‘QUEENSLANDER!’ in plain white.
The customary Welcome To Country, conducted by Ashley Ruska and performance of the National Anthem, sung by Amy Lehpamer, then immediately preceded the main match,
Anyway, to the game. Disaster at the start for NSW. Tom Trobojevic sustained a pectoral injury a few minutes into the game, ruling him out for the rest of the match.
Up until the 8th minute of the match, when the first try was given, the Premiers of both states had not resumed ‘The Bet’, so the Sydney Harbour Bridge will not be lit maroon for at least 35 minutes on Friday 14th of July 2023 despite losing the series. This may a result of the NSW Election held on 25 March. Since the election, the new Premier, Chris Minns, has been reluctant to lit up the Sydney Opera House for significant occasions due to cost & over-use (the latter we tend to agree with). It would not be a surprise if his policy has been applied to the Sydney Harbour Bridge too.
So it looks like ‘The Bet’ was a 1-year wonder under NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been taunting NSW into ‘The Bet’ for years but did not follow through on it when NSW won) who has been the only NSW Premier to follow through on the bet if the state lost. As you can tell above, he lost the election 8 months later – coincidence? Probably…maybe.
However, ‘The Bet’, despite no-one following through on it until 2022, has been called off before. In 2020, ‘The Bet’ did not occur due to diplomatic tensions between the Premiers during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, tensions are only sporting this year, so it looks at this stage to be a new NSW policy under Chris Minns to not do ‘The Bet’. This may mean ‘The Bet’ may not occur again or at the earliest, 2027.
Anyway, bank to the game. It was a fairly even first half despite 2 controversial tries. An unconverted try by Valentine Holmes was declared by The Bunker for Queensland in the 8th minute despite near universal opinion it could not be considered a try. Even the QLD team thought it wasn’t a try! It may have met the definition of having “downward pressure”, but Holmes clearly didn’t have a grip on the ball. In the 33rd minute, Murray Taulagi also scored a converted try, which was cleared by the on-field referees & The Bunker, even though the sequence of passes, from the TV coverage, seemed to begin with a forward pass & end with 2 consecutive forward passes. At half-time, the score was 10-0 in favour of Queensland.
During half-time, a Little Origin match was held between Burrowes State School & Morayfield East State School.
Queenland turned it up a notch in the 2nd half, outplaying New South Wales frequently. There’s no controversies regarding the tries in the 2nd half. Queensland scored a converted try first in the 44th minute by Valentine Holmes. New South Wales’ Payne Haas assumed the ball would bounce in his favour in the 50th minute & when it didn’t, it allowed Queensland’s Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to follow through with a clear path to the try line to score a unconverted try, seemingly sealing the victory for Queensland. A faint glimmer of hope appeared for New South Wales when Damien Cook found a flaw in Queensland’s defence in the 57th minute & took the opportunity to score New South Wales’s only try, which was converted. It was just a mistake on Queensland’s part as they responded with conviction with 2 more converted tries as New South Wales fell asleep. Xavier Coates scored in the 64th minute, to again seal the victory, while Jeremiah Nanai took advantage of a free ball laying beyond the try line after a collision in mid-air between 2 New South Welshmen (Josh Addo-Carr & Damien Cook, the latter had catched the ball just prior to the collison) to not just celebrate the victory but to confirm it.
It was pain in New South Wales’ wounds. New South Wales were making crucial unlucky errors like passing the ball out of play & tactical errors like letting themselves being tackled on the last tackle and thus, losing possession & any possible field gains.
Then with 22 seconds to go, an argument broke out between the 2 sides as the players grabbed each other’s collars. New South Wales’s Josh Addo-Carr was spotted by the referees throwing a punch and was promptly sent to the sin-bin for the remainder of the match. His teammate, Jarome Luai & Queensland’s Reece Walsh were found, in the slow motion television replays, to be headbutting each other, twice by the latter while the former had the most powerful. Both were sent off for the remainder of the match.
The final score was Queensland 32-6 New South Wales.
All successful conversions were kicked by Valentine Holmes for Queensland & Stephen Crichton for New South Wales.
Lindsay Collins was player of the match.
Proud’s an understatement. This group of players… just, just keep raising the bar & we have seen some great Queensland victories & great Queensland performances, but the adversity – and different adversity this time, um, that come from the opposition. You know they, they applied the pressure in that 1st half & you know, we were defending our try line. Um, they would make line breaks & we’d come up with some big plays including the one from the guy (Daly-Cheery Evans) sitting next to me & and then, the 12 other Queenslanders backed him up and got back there & defended their try line & there’s no excuses in this team. There’s no, there’s no, worrying about what’s just happened. It’s, it’s just about getting on with the job and um, being resilient & that’s what the people of Queensland do so we try & reflect that.
Queensland coach, Billy Slater.
I thought at the end of the game, when I looked at the score & I thought “Wow!”, you know like… It’s a sign our opponent was a good team because I didn’t think we were that far out of the game & we got beat by, you know, 4 or 5 tries so yeah for the, you know, outside the moments that they, you know, scored the tries, I thought we competed & we fought hard & I was happy with the rest of it – just couldn’t save the tries & weren’t good enough to convert our opportunities.
New South Wales coach, Brad Fittler.
The question now is can Queensland win the 1st whitewash (3-0 series victory) since 2010?
Australian Idol 2003 runner-up, Australian singer/songwriter, Shannon ‘Nollsy’ Noll, will headline the pre-game entertainment for State Of Origin 2023: Game 3 – Sydney on Wednesday the 12th of July at Stadium Australia.
He will be performing his classics as well as new promo songs such as the Fried Night Footy Anthem, recorded with DZ Deathrays on behalf of Kentucky Fried Chicken & the National Rugby League (NRL).
For international readers, his song, Drive, featured during the 9pm Family Fireworks of Sydney NYE2004 – Reflections On Australiana.
Additional pre-game entertainment will include, at 5:45pm, a rugby league match between 2 RISE Academy sides, RISE Maroon & RISE Silver. The RISE Academy comprises of aspiring athletes aged 17 & over. Following this, at 7:30pm, a pyrotechnic/light show welcomes and farewells Shannon Noll & his band. A Welcome To Country followed by the National Anthem will also occur just before kick-off at 8:05pm.
The half-time entertainment will be a Little Origin match between local junior players from Sacred Heart Mount Druitt & Cessnock Public School.
1 lucky fan will have the chance to race against the tracked time of Queensland’s Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow for a chance to win a Dolphins NRL Premiership jersey!
You can also be in the chance to win a $300 NRLShop voucher by posting your selfies using the hashtag #HisenseAU. This will get your selfie on the Lang Park big screen.
And if you’re at the stadium and sitting in your seat at the time of drawing the winner, you could win a massive Hisense Bar fridge!
Lastly, if you catch the match ball during play, you do not have to throw it back onto the field, you cna keep it!
State Of Origin 2023 – Game 2: Brisbane kicks-off at 8:05pm AEST on Wednesday the 21st of June.
New Zealand’s biggest band, multi-platinum selling SIX60, who regularly fill New Zealand’s biggest venues, will headline the pre-game entertainment for State Of Origin 2023: Game 3 – Sydney on Wednesday the 12th of July at Stadium Australia.
Additional pre-game entertainment will include a pyrotechnic/light show and a Welcome To Country followed by the National Anthem. The half-time entertainment will be a Little Origin match between local junior players from Sacred Heart Mount Druitt & Cessnock Public School.
Tickets for Game 3 of State of Origin 2023 are available from AUD$59 for adults and AUD$165 for families here.
Game 2 of State Of Origin 2023, a possible decider, will be held at Lang Park, Brisbane on Wednesday the 21st of June. The extra entertainment for this match will be in a future article.
It’s an honour to be playing the pre-game show for Game 3 of State of Origin 2023!
We are huge fans of rugby league & State of Origin is the pinnacle of the sport. To be playing a part in the action is something we will never forget. We can’t wait!
A 12-man Queensland side score 2 tries in quick succession after a slip from Brian To’osaw New South Wales see a sudden defeat in Game 1 of State Of Origin 2023 just as victory was in their grasp.
After all the White Noise of pre-match mind games, State Of Origin 2023 begun with Indigenous performances & a light & pyrotechnic show before Origin greats, Darren Lockyer & Paul Gallen brought the State Of Origin shield onto the ground. This was followed by Australian rock band, The Living End, building up the atmosphere for the record-Adelaide crowd of 48.613 with a 10-minute set to the lead up to kick-off. The customary Welcome To Country, conducted by Uncle Karl Winda Telfer and performance of the National Anthem, sung by Stefanie Jones, then followed. Preceding all this, just under 2 hours prior to kick-off, was an Under-18’s match between Combined Affiliated States (CAS) Blue Vs CAS Silver to help decide which players would be selected for the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League Under-18’s Championships CAS Team. CAS Blue won 28-12.
Broadcast-wise, it started with the Nine Network adding a live camera to the team buses & doing interviews with players from inside the bus on the way to the stadium. Only Queensland had this as NSW had already arrived before the broadcast started so their footage was on delay or non-existent.
The Nine Network also showed the team line-ups with the respective states’ iconic bridges in the background lit up in their team’s colours, complete with computer-generated fireworks. The Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up blue complete with blue pylon projections was shown again later but despite host James Bracey saying the shot was “live”, it was actually filmed 6 nights ago, before ‘flagship’ ‘Sydney Spectacular, Vivid Sydney, started and after Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s visit to Sydney being commemorated with the Harbour Bridge being lit up in the colours of the Indian flag, which was also projected onto the pylons.
Anyway, to the game. Queensland got off to a great start with 2 quick tries (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow & Selwyn Cobbo) 1 of which was converted, carving through the New South Wales defense. Then, the first injury of the night – a dislocated shoulder for Tom Gilbert. Liam Martin then broke through to score New South Wales’ 1st try of the night, converted. At half-time, the score was 10-6 in favour of Queensland.
Throughout the game, the Nine Network issued new ‘fatigue alerts’ when the game had gone 3 or 4 minutes without a stoppage.
During half-time, a Little Origin match was held between Elizabeth North Public School & East Torrens Public School.
New South Wales got off to a flyer in the 2nd half after a series of stumbles by Queensland saw Apisai Koroisau, score another converted try for New South Wales, bringing them into the lead for the 1st time during the match. Shortly after, Reuben Cotter was placed on report for an alleged crusher tackle on Josh Addo-Carr. This was followed by Selweyn Cobbo scoring another converted try with the littlest room available before the sideline which returned Queensland to the lead. Meanwhile, Stephen Crichton turned the tables around again after Queensland’s defence went to microsleep with another converted try.
To make matters worse for Queensland, a minute later, Thomas Flegler, was sent to the sin bin for a high knock until the final 90 seconds of the match. Murray Taulagi was interchanged at this point for a head injury assessment. Leaving Queensland with a man in the sin bin and thus, only 12 on the field and much needed talent on the sideline with injuries or injury assessments, it looked like a New South Wales victory was in sight but a slip from Brian To’o allowed an easy converted try scored by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. New South Wales’ spirit was broken and another unconverted try quickly followed suit, scored by Cameron Munster, to give Queensland the win in Game 1 of the 3-game series.
All successful conversions were kicked by Valentine Holmes for Queensland & Nathan Cleary for New South Wales.
The final score was Queensland 26-18 New South Wales. At this stage, if the Premiers resume ‘The Bet’ before Game 2 starts, the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be lit maroon for at least 35 minutes on Friday 14th of July 2023 with Queensland just 1 win away from 2023 series victory.
It’s so good to get the win, the way we stuck in it and held on in that second half. We spoke about our cyclone and staying in the fight and keep turning up for each other
Player of the match, Reuben Cotter (QLD)
It was everything and more. As a kid you dream of putting on a Maroons jersey. There were nerves today but glad to get the win. Everyone’s going to question myself but Billy is a good coach and he has the trust in me. They didn’t need me to do anything more or less, just my job. Every session he pulled me in and gave me advice.
Queensland fullback, Reece Walsh.
Game 2 will be held at Lang Park on Wednesday, June 21 at 8:05pm AEST & Game 1 of an expanded 2-game Women’s State Of Origin is tomorrow at 7:45pm at Western Sydney Stadium.
(You may have noticed a name & date change for Wings Over Illawarra – more on this another time!)
The best of 3 series between the New South Wales (NSW) (nicknamed Blues/Cockroaches & Queensland (QLD) (nicknamed Maroons/Cane Toads), held annually with a match each in May, June & July, sees most of the world’s best rugby league players attempt to score tries, worth 4 points (and convert them into a goal – 2 points) & field goals, worth 1 point, by passing the ball to each other & when the opponent has the ball, tackling the opponent, in order to be the team with the most points after 2 40-minute halves, one half each way. The team with the most points wins the match. If a team wins the most out of the 3 matches, they win the State Of Origin Shield.
Historically, out of 41 editions, QLD has won 22 (53.66%), NSW 17 (41.46%) and 2 draws (4.88%). Draws are no longer possible due to extra-time & golden point rules.
Team lists are released 9 days prior to Game 1. Here is the 2023 Game 1 Team List:
GAME 1 TEAM LISTS
QLD
Fullback – Reece Walsh
Winger – Selwyn Cobbo
Centre – Valentine Holmes
Centre – Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
Winger – Murray Taulagi
Five-Eighth – Cameron Munster
Halfback – Daly Cherry-Evans (captain)
Prop – Thomas Flegler
Hooker – Ben Hunt
Prop – Lindsay Collins
2nd Row – David Fifita
2nd Row – Tom Gilbert
Lock – Patrick Carrigan
Interchange – Harry Grant
Interchange – Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
Interchange – Reuben Cotter
Interchange – Jai Arrow
Replacement – Tom Dearden
Reserve – Christian Welch
NSW
Fullback – James Tedesco (captain)
Winger – Brian To’o
Centre – Latrell Mitchell* Stephen Crichton
Centre – Tom Trbojevic
Winger – Josh Addo-Carr
Five-Eighth – Jarome Luai
Halfback – Nathan Cleary
Prop – Tevita Pangai Junior
Hooker – Apisai Koroisau
Prop – Payne Haas
2nd Row – Tyson Frizell
2nd Row – Hudson Young
Lock – Isaah Yeo
Interchange – Junior Paulo
Interchange – Cameron Murray
Interchange – Liam Martin
Interchange – Nicholas Hynes
Replacement – Stephen Crichton Matt Burton
Reserve – Stefano Utoikamanu
*Calf strain sustained during training over the weekend. This is a significant blow for NSW.
Match Officials
Referee: Ashley Klein
Touch Judge: Drew Oultram
Touch Judge: Phil Henderson
Senior Review Official: Grant Atkins
For the 2023 series, Game 1 will be held in Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, Game 2 in Brisbane at The Cauldron (Lang Park) on Wednesday, 21 June and Game 3 in Sydney at Stadium Australia on Wednesday, 12 July. For international readers, the games are traditionally held on a Wednesday night. This year, kick-off is at 8:05pm AEST. Buy your tickets today! Tickets start at $49 for adults and $145 for families. Apart from the match, tickets include live performances & interactive experiences. Corporate hospitality packages are also available.
We’re looking forward to getting down to Adelaide – the boys have good memories here from 2020. There’s nothing like the intensity of an Origin battle, no matter where we’re playing – and the fans have a big part in that. I hope we’ll see plenty of Maroon around the stadium this year.
Johnathan Thurston, QLD Assistant Coach
The Living End
Game 1 pre-match entertainment will be a Welcome To Country, a light show & a performance from 6-time Australian Recording Industry Award-winning rock band, The Living End, best known for hits including Prisoner of Society and White Noise, while half-time entertainment for all games will be Little Origin matches – a dream chance for Year 5 and Year 6 students to take to the field representing their schools in front of their home audience!
Holy smokes this is an awesome thing, we’re pumped to be playing State of Origin! Turn up your TV folks because footy and rock’n’roll music is a mighty pairing. We can’t wait!
Chris Cheney, ‘The Living End’ lead singer & guitarist
Ampol State of Origin 2023 – Game 1 is supported by the South Australian (SA) Government through the South Australian Tourism Commission:
When these two teams went into battle at Adelaide Oval in 2020, it was an absolute cracker of a game, with the Maroons just sneaking home in front of more than 25,000 fans, so we are very excited for the rematch.
Adelaide Oval and South Australia always puts on a great show & it will be terrific to welcome interstate fans to our city & have thousands of people exploring our restaurants, pubs and laneway bars & filling hotel rooms.
South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas
Hosting State of Origin Game One in May will be a true highlight amongst the world-class events we’ve brought to South Australia this year. With fans travelling in their tens of thousands from within and outside the state, the game will be worth an estimated $15 million our hotels, restaurants and cafes. We can’t wait to welcome Blues and Maroons fans back to Adelaide.
South Australian Minister For Tourism, Zoe Bettison MP
Paul McGregor, Paul Sironen, Petero Civoniceva & Johnathan Thurston with Steeden rugby league balls & the State Of Origin Shield in Victoria Square, Adelaide.
The 2023 series was launched in late-March in Adelaide’s Victoria Square with over 40 local students from East Torrens Primary School as well as the above-mentioned names (except the SA Premier) but the dates & venues are actually announced in early November the year prior while tickets went on sale in mid-February. Any rule changes are announced in mid-January, which for 2023, there were none but in mid-March, the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) announced that following a diagnosed concussion, whether in training or match, a mandatory 11-day stand-down period for that player will be implemented.
There is no greater priority for us than player safety. It’s front and centre of everything we do.
Our current head injury protocols are exceptionally strong. Following a review of the data and the expert advice we have received, the Commission have enhanced these protocols even further by providing a mandatory 11 day stand down period following a diagnosed concussion.
ARLC Chairman, Peter V’landys AM
Also, in mid-December 2022, South Korean automobile manufacturer, Kia, was announced as a sponsor of State Of Origin until and including 2025 while in late-February 2023, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was announced as a sponsor of State Of Origin until and including 2027. In early March 2023, Chemist Warehouse was announced as a sponsor of State Of Origin until late 2025 and in mid-March 2023, Hisense Australia was announced as a major sponsor of State Of Origin until 2025.
On 23rd May, they announced a ‘One Pass At A Time’ partnership initiative with the Gotcha4Life Foundation that will raise awareness & funds to host mental fitness workshops in Australian grassroots rugby league clubs. You can do this by purchasing a Virtual One Pass for $20, $40 or $80 at onepass.gotcha4life.org & sharing your story on social media using #virtualonepass, or by donating at any 2023 Ampol State of Origin game.
We all go through difficult times in our lives. No matter how tough you are, negative thoughts can take over. It’s not a weakness to reach out but rather a strength.
The Gotcha4Life program provides the pathways to remove this stigma. As a game we want to provide our reach and support to assist them in their fight to normalise mental health issues.
The One Pass At A Time initiative is more than just a fundraising campaign, it’s about fostering conversation, connection and making a meaningful impact on people’s lives. We encourage everyone involved in our great game to support it.
Peter V’landys AM, Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission
Providing access to simple and practical tools and resources to have deeper conversations to get through challenging times can help change a life, just as one pass can change a footy game.
The team at Gotcha4Life deliver programs in schools, sports clubs and the community, which provide tools to have more meaningful conversations, so we all feel comfortable to speak up and know what questions to ask beyond the banter.
Gus Worland, Gotcha4Life Foundation Founder
I’ve been an Ambassador for Gotcha4Life for a few years now and in that time Gus and the team have created a positive space for players to open up. It’s really important to make those conversations part of everyday life, especially for professional athletes where there’s still a lot of stigma around being open with your emotions.
New South Wales Captain, James Tedesco
Daly Cheery-Evans & James Tedesco
During Origin games, we do everything we can to beat the other team, but the overarching message is that it’s just a game and there’s a bigger fight at hand, which is mental fitness.
There’s still a stigma surrounding vulnerability, and showing emotion is a sign of weakness. This partnership is working to change that and hopefully destroy these stigmas in the process. Physical fitness is still a huge part of my preparation for games, but my mental fitness has become just as important because I know that without a clear head, without having balance in my life, I can’t go out and perform to the best of my ability.
Since the Sydney Harbour Bridge was first lit up for Vivid Sydney in 2013, the Bridge has been lit up blue to encourage NSW & to celebrate their victories, notably in 2014 when they finally won after an 8-year losing streak:
But in more recent years, something new had started,,,
‘The Bet’
Before and during recent State Of Origin series, the Premiers of NSW & QLD decided to wager the illuminating colours of their respective iconic bridges – the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Brisbane’s Story Bridge – if they lost that year’s State Of Origin series. So, if NSW lost, the Sydney Harbour Bridge would be lit maroon and if QLD lost, the Story Bridge would be lit up blue.
This ‘bet’ was wagered numerous times over recent years but none of the Premiers followed through on the bet when their state lost…until 2022, when NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, lit up the Sydney Harbour Bridge maroon for 35 minutes, 2 days after the final match.
Therefore, a standard had been set – the illumination of the opponent’s colours on your state’s respective bridge has to be a minimum of 35 minutes.
Note: The Premiers, so far, have not made ‘The Bet’ for 2023.
History
State Of Origin began in 1982 after 2 years of trials where the final match of an existing interstate rugby league best-of-3 ‘state of residence’ series between NSW & QLD was run under ‘state of origin’ rules. These ‘state of residence’ rules were used since rugby league was 1st played in these states but the matches tended to be one-sided due to NSW being the home of Australian rugby league despite just over half of the players starting their rugby league journeys in QLD. After the 1st ‘state of origin’ trial in 1980, everyone saw a completely different game – fiery, gladiatorial and no longer one-sided. When it became a full series in 1982, it transformed the game in Australia. The annual NSW rugby league season (now called NRL or National Rugby League) was no longer the main rugby league competition in Australia, it was State Of Origin. In fact, it is now the world’s greatest rugby league competition.
State Of Origin has grown year on year with daily attendance now at an average of 64,000 people and a daily Australian television broadcast average audience of 2.6 million people – the 2nd most watched show on Australian television annually!
Apart from the capital cities of NSW & QLD (Sydney & Brisbane), State Of Origin matches have also been held in Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide & in 1987, the United States Of America at Long Beach, California, the concluding match in a rare 4-match series.
To acknowledge the fact it is the world’s greatest rugby league series, it’s sporting pride of place in Sydney, it’s association with other Sydney Harbour events, particularly Vivid Sydney, and the ‘The Bet’, we have decided to designate State Of Origin as a flagship Sydney Spectacular.
What if I cannot attend the event?
The Australian broadcast rights are held by the Nine Network and internationally, it is broadcast to various countries (check your local guides to see if a broadcast is held in your country). The lighting of the Sydney Harbour or Story Bridges in the opposing state’s colours if the Bridge’s state loses is not broadcast (at least not yet).
Sydney Spectaculars will be providing coverage of the 2023 series. While we will provide a link to 9Now, the official Australian internet streamer of State Of Origin, on our ‘Watch LIVE’ page for Game 1 of the 2023 series, a direct embed will not possible for any future match unless a change in broadcast rights or contract conditions allows 3rd party embeds of the match broadcasts. In future editions or games, we may provide a list of international broadcasters on the ‘Watch LIVE’ page.
Also, remember it is a best of 3 series so if you miss the 1st or 2nd game, you can still attend the 2nd or final game!
There is also Women’s State Of Origin, which is not considered a ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular. Sponsored as well by KFC & Chemist Warehouse, this game started as a single annual match in 2019 – with both teams winning half the games – and will expand to 2 matches this year with Game 1 on Thursday at Western Sydney Stadium & Game 2 on Thursday 22 June at North Queensland Stadium in Townsville. Both games start at 7:45pm AEST. Rules, half-time entertainment & corporate hospitality information in this article applies for this series too. Tickets went on sale in late April at $20 for adults and $40 for families, while juniors under 15 can enter free with a paying adult. The team lists are announced 8 days prior to a game and Game 1’s team list can be found here.
Sydney Spectaculars 
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