Tonight, Australians Lose Their Heads

Your mother would be proud of you boys

Tonight most full-blooded Australian men in the states of Queensland and New South Wales will lose their heads over a football match.  It is called the State of Origin and for these Australians it is bigger than Ben Hur.  So what is it all about?

For travellers to Australia there is only one thing for it - don the coloured jersey of the state you are in and head into one of the pubs with a big screen to join in a night of tremendous fun and more than one beer!  So, with that plan for tonight here a few things you need to know about the State of Origin.

The game is called Rugby League and it is a variant of rugby.  Players on two teams run with the ball of which they can only pass backwards.  Rugby League varies from traditional Rugby Union in that once a player is tacked they must immediately stop play, stand to their feet and ruck the ball back between their legs for another player in their team to continue the drive forward.  This being tackled and playing the ball back can only be continued for six times before the ball is turned over to the other team (usually the team will kick the ball forward after the 5th tackle to drive the other team as far back as possible to make it harder for them to advance to the try line within their six tackles).

The exciting thing about Rugby League is that is it extremely fast and the guys that play it are enormous.  For us travellers who don’t really care about who wins the site of massive Australians smashing into each other at senseless high speed is enough to get the emotions going - and for the Americans there is almost guaranteed explanations of disbelief that they do this all without padding.  The pubs will be playing the commentary at full bore and there is a raucous ohhs and ahhs in unison to each bash up.

Mate, who cut you hair- your sister?

Rugby League is played week in and week out in Australia (and other countries such as England and New Zealand) so what is so special about the State of Origin?  The State of Origin is the best players from their respective states - that is the place that they first played senior rugby (so in most cases their is their place of birth).  Winning the State of Origin means everything to the players and the fans.  One thing you can be guaranteed - there will be a bit of, as the Aussies say, “biffo” on the night.  Some games can’t even make it past the first few minutes without an all out 22 man brawl.  Ironic seeing as the players all then go home together that night to their clubs where they all play together.  In fact one slogan is “state against state, mate against mate”.

This year is no more special than any other although for many the stakes are very high.  Queensland are always regarded as the underdogs (they have less players playing Rugby League in the state for starters) but this year they are no way underdogs.  In fact Queensland has one the last three series (there are three matches over the coming month in the series) and no team has ever won 4 series in a row.  There has been 78 State of Origin games in the history of the battle and both the Blues (New South Wales) and the Maroons (Queensland) have won 38 a piece.  This years series should be a howler.

So, tonight is not the night for early to bed in Australia - get out and find a pub with a big screen and join in what promises to be an epic evening.  I asked one maroon-blooded Queenslander Bret Claxton from Calypos Backpackers in Cairns what tonight was all about.  His reply:

“Tonight sees Queensland start Game 1 the favourites as we defend our last 3 years of series wins against Who South Wales… excuse me New South Wales, the place below us on all facets of life in Australia, particularly geography. We will show them in neutral ground that we will not be moved from the mantle of the Greatest Rugby League Team ever.”

Bring it on!!