The 2003 State of Origin series was the 22nd year that the
annual three-game series between
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
and
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
was contested entirely under '
state of origin' selection rules. Queensland's return to a renovated
Lang Park was soured when
Andrew Johns returned to form for New South Wales in devastating fashion.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
appeared in television promotions for the 2003 series.
Blues coach
Phil Gould sparked controversy before the series had even started when he slammed the form of his champion half-back Johns in his ''Sun-Herald'' column. Gould claimed that Johns had lost his "self-confidence" in an attack that caused outrage from all corners, including Johns himself, who had words with Gould at a pre-Origin briefing. But in the end it was psychology that worked, as 2003 was Johns' best ever series performance.
__TOC__
Game I
In Game I, Andrew Johns spoiled what was supposed to be a party time for the Queenslanders, who returned to their spiritual home of
Suncorp Stadium
Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
formerly known as
Lang Park. The ground was quickly nicknamed the "Sand Pit" as its sandy surface was constantly shifting under the feet of players. Both Maroons centres
Justin Hodges and
Paul Bowman, were taken from the field with serious knee injuries which were later blamed on the shifting surface.
The Blues pack led by interchange prop
Luke Bailey, hammered their Maroons counterparts and gave Johns plenty of room to weave his magic. Johns contributed 13 points to the tally while
Anthony Minichiello scored a try double.
Game II
The series was virtually decided by half-time of game II after the Blues raced to a 17–0 lead. Johns was again the catalyst starting the scoring with a brilliant banana kick that rebounded off the cross bar, went through the hands of
Michael De Vere
Michael De Vere (born 11 December 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Australia in four tests and New South Wales in five State of Origin matches. A goal-kicking o ...
and fell to the ground before
Ben Kennedy pounced.
There was no greater example of the brilliant halfback's influence than the last minute before the break. Johns kicked for touch from a 20-metre restart, then after winning the ensuing scrum, hoisted a bomb high into the air which was contested before being batted back into his hands. Without a second thought and while on the run, he potted a 25-metre field goal with ease.
The final score was 27–4 to the Blues who remained unbeaten from seven matches on their home turf of
Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...
.
Game III
Game III, a "
dead rubber", restored some much needed pride for the Maroons who dominated the Blues in every facet of the game. Winger
Matt Sing was superb, scoring three tries in a man-of-the match performance.
Queensland started with a new-found zest and led 16-0 after just 17 minutes before strangling the Blues out of the contest. Johns was forced to accept the shield in front of an almost empty stadium after Queensland had completed a lap of honour. It was an anticlimactic end to what had been the gifted number seven's best ever series. Queensland's
dead rubber win equalled their biggest ever State of Origin victory, which was first equalled in 1989, and then again in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, before it was broken in the
third game of the 2015 series.
Teams
A total of twelve players from the
2003 Brisbane Broncos season were selected to play in the series, making them the most heavily represented club. A total of nine players from the
2003 Sydney Roosters season were selected to play in the series, making them the second most heavily represented club.
New South Wales
Queensland
See also
*
2003 NRL season
References
Footnotes
* ''Big League's 25 Years of Origin Collectors' Edition'', News Magazines, Surry Hills, Sydney
External links
2003 State of Origin at ''sportsphotography.net''
at ''rugbyleagueproject.org''
{{2003 in rugby league
State of Origin series
State of Origin series
The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two States and territories of Australia, Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales Blues and the Queensland ru ...