The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
series between two
Australian state
The states and territories are the national subdivisions and second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereignty, sovereign, administrative divisions that are autonomous administrative division, self-governing polity, ...
representative sides, the
New South Wales Blues and the
Queensland Maroons.
Referred to as "Australian sport's greatest rivalry", the State of Origin series is one of Australia's premier sporting events, attracting huge television audiences and usually selling out the stadiums in which the games are played. It is regularly described as the pinnacle of rugby league, inclusive of comparisons with international competitions.
Players are selected to represent the Australian state in which they played their first senior rugby league game (either high school or local senior club). Before 1980 players were only selected for interstate matches based on where they were playing their club football at the time. Queensland was not generally competitive under these selection rules, with a total record of 54 wins, 8 draws, and 159 losses, as their smaller economy and ban on poker machines meant that leagues clubs could not compete and the vast majority of elite players ended up playing in the much richer
Sydney Rugby League premiership.
In both 1980 and 1981, there were two interstate matches under the old selection rules and one experimental "State of Origin" match. From 1982 onwards a best-of-three match series has been played around the middle of the rugby league season for the State of Origin shield. During the early years the overall series results remained relatively even, but Queensland surged ahead between 2006 and 2017, winning 11 out of 12 series, including a record eight series in a row.
Teams
Since the 1908 establishment of
rugby league in Australia, the sport's two major states,
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 ...
and
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 ...
, have played representative matches against each other which have continued into the "state of origin" era which began in 1980. The two states' teams are frequently referred to as the Blues and Maroons, reflecting the respective colours of their jerseys. These were the colours of the
Australia national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competitions since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League Com ...
's jersey until the adoption of the green and gold. The Blues team is administered by the
New South Wales Rugby League and the Maroons by the
Queensland Rugby League. The New South Wales team are sometimes referred to by the nickname "
Cockroach
Cockroaches (or roaches) are insects belonging to the Order (biology), order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known Pest (organism), pests.
Modern cockro ...
es" and the Queensland team as "
Cane Toads", due to names given to them by Barry Muir and Johnny Raper respectively. It was reinforced by a marketing campaign used in the 1980s where the respective teams were caricatured as such.
While other Australian states and territories also have representative rugby league teams, they have not competed in the State of Origin.
History
Interstate rugby league before 1980
The first calls for a state of origin selection policy in interstate
rugby football
Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league.
Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...
came before the schism between the union and league codes eventuated in Australia. In 1900, a journalist known as 'The Cynic' wrote in ''The Referee'' that star rugby player and recent immigrant to Queensland, Stephen Spragg, should be able to play for his home state of
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 ...
.
Since the beginning of Australian rugby league in 1908, an interstate competition between
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 ...
and
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 ...
has been conducted almost annually (apart from during WWI, Spanish flu and WWII). Until 1982 each team drew its players from the clubs based in that state. No consideration was given to the origins of the players themselves.
The
first of these interstate games was played at
Sydney's Agricultural Ground on 11 July 1908, before Queensland had even commenced its club competition. New South Wales easily accounted for Queensland in a 43–0 victory. The local media were unimpressed.
The interstate series was dominated by New South Wales, apart from a golden period for Queensland in the 1920s. From 1922 to 1925 Queensland defeated New South Wales 11 times in 12 matches. At the end of the 1925 season, a
Kangaroo team was to be picked for touring Great Britain. Instead of announcing an Australian team dominated by Queenslanders, the
Australian Rugby League Board of Control informed the media that the
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in England. Founded in 1895 as the Northern Rugby Football Union following 22 clubs resigning from the Rugby Football Union, it changed its name in 1922 to the Rugby Footb ...
had decided that the
Kiwis would provide stronger opposition and that there would be no Australian tour. The period spanning 1922 to 1929 saw no Australian team play in Great Britain, the only such hiatus outside the two World Wars.
The New South Wales dominance of interstate football increased after 1956 when gaming machines were legalised for all registered clubs in New South Wales. This provided New South Wales football clubs with a revenue source unmatched by Queensland clubs. From this time on an increasing number of Queensland players moved to the much stronger
Sydney Rugby League competition, which then made them ineligible to play for Queensland in state selection.
Paul Hogan famously told a Queensland Rugby League gathering in 1977 that "every time Queensland produces a good footballer, he finishes up being processed through a New South Wales poker machine."
Before 1956, NSW had won 75% and Qld only 25% of series played. From 1956 to 1981, NSW dominance soared even higher and Qld wins dwindled to only 3.8% with only 1 series win, in 1959.
Conception of State of Origin football
By the 1970s the prestige of interstate matches had been seriously downgraded, in most part due to the fact that a number of Queensland players signed to NSW clubs could not unseat the NSW incumbent and also were not eligible for Queensland selection, so they did not play at all. Matches were played mid-week, so as not to interfere with the Sydney club competition, and the small crowds in New South Wales were hosted at suburban grounds.
[ ] Interstate football reached its nadir in 1977 when the
New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) declined to host the Queensland team, and both interstate games were played in Queensland.
Former Queensland captain and Australian vice-captain
Jack Reardon, who had later become a journalist, was the first to suggest that Sydney-based Queenslanders should be available for selection to represent their state.
Brisbane ''Courier-Mail'' reporter
Hugh Lunn,
Barry Maranta (the future co-founder of the
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
) and Maranta's business partner
Wayne Reid played a part in persuading QRL chairman
Ron McAullife that the concept could be used in rugby league. Lunn told McAullife that "you can take the Queenslander out of Queensland, Ron, but you can't take the Queensland out of the Queenslander." McAuliffe was initially skeptical. "What if we recall our boys from Sydney to play, and we are beaten. Where would we go from there?" Reid spoke to NSWRFL president
Kevin Humphreys and suggested that a one-off state of origin match could be used as a Test Match selection trial.
New South Wales clubs were reticent in their support of the concept and set two conditions:
* If the third game was to decide the series it was not to act as a selection trial, and also,
* that the expatriate Queenslanders would be under the supervision of a representative of the NSWRFL whose duty it would be to protect the interests of both the NSWRFL and the clubs to which they were contracted. (From 1980 this role was filled by Bob Abbott, a
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks official.)
Three Sydney clubs remained opposed to the plan:
St. George Dragons,
South Sydney Rabbitohs and
Eastern Suburbs Roosters. As these clubs were refusing to release players, Humphreys threatened to make the game an official
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League Commission Limited (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League Limited known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australi ...
trial, which would make release mandatory. The clubs backed down.
Experimentation
After Queensland lost the first two interstate matches in 1980 (35–3 and 17–7, the second game in front of only 1,638 Sydneysiders) it was announced that
a 'state of origin' match would take place on 8 July at
Lang Park in Brisbane. The
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 ...
media gave both the event and Queensland's chance of winning it little credence, calling the game a "three-day wonder". Australia's 1978 captain
Bob Fulton called the match "the non-event of the century". Ron MacAullife, however, was now committed to the concept and vigorously promoted the match. Thousands of tickets were sold before the game had been officially sanctioned. Although interstate matches in Brisbane had still been well attended (24,653 had attended the opening match of the 1979 series), few expected the sell-out crowd of 33,210 Queensland rugby league fans, delighted to see their heroes in the likes of Arthur Beetson representing their home state for the first time. Queensland convincingly beat New South Wales 20–10.
In 1981, the first two interstate matches were again played under the old selection rules. As New South Wales won the first two matches in the series, state of origin selection rules were used once more in the third match. Although New South Wales ran out to an early 15–0 lead in the game, Queensland rallied to win 22–15.
Adoption
The interest generated by the experimental state of origin matches of 1980 and 1981 and the potential for financial rewards were enough to convince the authorities to play all three games under the state of origin rules the following year.
Despite the Maroons' success so far in the State of Origin experiments, the New South Wales media dismissed the seriousness of the Queensland threat to the Blues' long-held dominance in series wins. Queensland, under the leadership of
immortal captain
Wally Lewis, was inspired by this, and for the first three State of Origin series, Queensland won 2 matches to 1.
However, in 1985, under the leadership of captain
Steve Mortimer, New South Wales won the deciding match in front of 39,068 spectators at the
Sydney Cricket Ground, claiming the series for the first time. The following year the Blues were able to go one better and complete the first state of origin whitewash, taking the series 3–0.
1987: American match
After Queensland had won the 1987 series 2–1, a fourth game was played at
Long Beach, California to showcase
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
to the American public.
The match was played at the
Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach, California in front of 12,349 fans. The Blues won the game 30–18.
On 15 July 2003, the
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League Commission Limited (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League Limited known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australi ...
announced that the fourth 1987 game was to be classified as an official match, and that a win in the state of origin match on 16 July 2003 would take New South Wales into the overall lead.
ARL chief executive
Geoff Carr said: "There had been some debate over whether the Origin fixture . . . in 1987 was counted as an official match but a search of ARL records has confirmed the status conferred on that clash by the game's governing body at the time. In announcing the match in Big League in April 1987,
Ken Arthurson, the ARL's chief executive in 1987, was quoted as saying 'It's an exciting experiment but the match isn't and won't be billed as an exhibition match'."
1990s
The Queensland halves pairing of
Allan Langer and
Wally Lewis led the Maroons in their 3–0 series wins in both 1988 and 1989. The rise of the Canberra Raiders in the then Winfield Cup club competition produced for the Blues the formidable halves combination of
Ricky Stuart and
Laurie Daley who brought New South Wales back from defeat in the opening game with two wins in the 1990 series. It was evident that as the rivalry between the two states grew, the Origin matches had become much more physical forward orientated game than the open running play seen in earlier series.
As the great Queensland players from the 1980s began to retire from the game, the Maroons struggled with a team of fresh faces and considerable inexperience. 1992, 1993 and 1994 series all went to NSW as the talent and experience of Blues players such as
Brett Mullins, Daley and Stuart in the backs and
Benny Elias and
Bradley Clyde in the forwards gave the Blues the edge when the games were on the line. It wasn't until the upheaval of the
Super League war in 1995 that the Maroons were able to again clinch a series.
The main cause for concern for Queensland was the fact that the
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
, its players and many other Queenslanders were not aligned with the
ARL prohibiting any players signed with the
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
to play for the Maroons. Despite this, the Queenslanders won the 1995 series 3–0 in a shocking white-wash. The 1996 series saw the off-field contract dramas put aside as all players were allowed, regardless of contract, state of origin selection. Having the majority of the Queenslanders back didn't help the Maroons though as the Blues 1996 white-wash with a 3–0 series win of their own.
The Australian game divided in 1997 into two competitions, one run by the
ARL and one by the News Limited-owned
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
, and an interstate series was played in each. Under the Super League banner, there was a Tri-Origin series with a New Zealand side added to the competition. The
ARL meanwhile stuck to its traditional format. The teams were selected using origin rules, and New South Wales and Queensland met twice. These matches do not count towards the official state of origin record. As with the premiership, players were spread between two representative tournaments as well.
The competitions merged again in 1998 as the current
National Rugby League, and the series that year proved to be enthralling as both sides won a game each away from home, setting up a decider at the Sydney Football Stadium where 39,000 fans witnessed the visiting Queenslanders take the series 2–1. The end of the decade saw a dramatic series with each side taking one game each and game three ending in a draw. Queensland was awarded the series as at the time the previous winners retained the interstate honors.
2000s
The early to mid-2000s saw New South Wales starting to assert its traditional interstate dominance, causing some critics to question the future of State of Origin. However, this imbalance tipped in the third and deciding game of the
2006 State of Origin series, which is seen as the starting point of Queensland's unprecedented dynasty. Queensland followed by winning the
2007 series, as well as the
2008 series, which made Queensland's streak three series in a row.
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 ...
won Game 1 on 21 May 2008, however, Queensland won Game 2 on 11 June 2008, and Game 3 on 2 July 2008. Queensland continued to follow this up by winning the first two games of the 2009 series becoming the first state to win four series in a row.
2010s
In 2010, Queensland won its historic, record-breaking, fifth consecutive Origin series with a 23–18 win in the third and final match. This was the first Queensland team to win all three consecutive State of Origin Games in 15 years. Queensland full-back
Billy Slater won the man of the match in the third game and was awarded the
Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series in 2010. The 2010 State of Origin series was also the second televised program in Australia to be shot in
3D 1080i
In high-definition television (HDTV) and video display technology, 1080i is a video display format with 1080 lines of vertical resolution and Interlaced video, interlaced scanning method. This format was once a standard in HDTV. It was particular ...
DVB-T
DVB-T, short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in Singapore in Fe ...
as well as being simultaneously broadcast in regular
576i
576i is a standard-definition television, standard-definition digital video mode, originally used for Digitization, digitizing 625 lines, 625 line Analog television, analogue television in most countries of the world where the utility frequen ...
,
1080i
In high-definition television (HDTV) and video display technology, 1080i is a video display format with 1080 lines of vertical resolution and Interlaced video, interlaced scanning method. This format was once a standard in HDTV. It was particular ...
DVB-T
DVB-T, short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in Singapore in Fe ...
and
PAL.
In the first game of the 2011 series, Queensland defeated New South Wales 16–12. In the second game, New South Wales defeated Queensland 18–8. Queensland won the series 34–24 in the 2011 decider in what was Queensland captain Darren Lockyer's 36th and final game. Cameron Smith won the man of the match in both the first and third game and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series.
In 2012, then NRL CEO
David Gallop introduced the Under-20s State of Origin for
Toyota Cup players which saw New South Wales winning. Queensland went on to win a historic 7th series win in 2012, winning the final game by 1 point.
In 2013, New South Wales defeated Queensland 14 to 6 in game 1, Queensland defeated New South Wales 26 to 6 in game 2, while in-game 3 Queensland defeated New South Wales 12 to 10 to take out the overall Origin title for the eighth consecutive time. The 2013 series set a new State of Origin television rating record for a whole series since the 2001 introduction of the rating system.
In 2014, New South Wales defeated Queensland 12–8 in the first game of the series, and 6–4 in the second. In the third game, Queensland defeated New South Wales 32-8 after scoring the first try of the game in the 37th minute, with Queensland leading 6–2 in the first half. This gave the Blues the first series win in 8 years.
In 2015, Queensland defeated New South Wales 11–10 in game 1 played in Sydney, New South Wales defeated Queensland 26–18 in game 2 played in Melbourne, Queensland defeated New South Wales 52–6 in game 3 played in Brisbane, winning the series 2–1.
In 2016, Queensland defeated New South Wales 6–4 in game 1 and clinched the series with a 26–16 win in the second match. New South Wales closed off the series with an 18–14 win over Queensland.
In 2017, New South Wales won Game 1, 28-4 sparking the New South Wales media to start proclaiming the beginning of the Blues Dynasty. Queensland won Game 2, 18-16 after making changes to the team with the returning Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston, who kicked the winning goal for Queensland. Thurston injured his shoulder in the 30th minute of the match, essentially disabling it as he played out the whole match. Thurston was later ruled out for the rest of the year after scans revealed his shoulder needed a reconstruction, ending his representative career as he announced 2017 would be his last representative year. In Game 3, New South Wales went in with an unchanged lineup for all three games, the first to do so since 1996. Queensland dominated the Blues, winning 22–6, with Queensland winger Dane Gagai winning the Wally Lewis Medal for Best Player in the series. It also had Johnathan Thurston raise the Origin Shield with Queensland Captain Cameron Smith, before being chaired off the ground by his teammates, ending Thurston's representative career on a high note.
In 2018, New South Wales won their first State of Origin series in four years, defeating Queensland 22–12 and 18–14 in the first two games. Queensland scored a consolation victory 18–12 in the final game.
In 2019, Queensland defeated New South Wales in the first match 18–14. New South Wales then defeated Queensland 38–6 in the second and also won the third game 26–20. This was the first time since 2005 which New South Wales won a series decider and a consecutive series win.
2020s
In 2020,
Ampol became the naming rights partner of the series until at least 2023, taking over from
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
.
The
2020 series was originally due to be played during the middle of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
, but was shifted to the post-season for the first time in history, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
which forced the suspension of all non-essential services in March. The series was played on consecutive Wednesday nights in November (4th, 11th, and 18th), with the venues for the fixtures designated as:
Adelaide Oval,
ANZ Stadium and
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 ...
. Former New South Wales captain Paul Gallen and Daily Telegraph journalist Dean Ritchie notably described the Queensland team as the worst ever Maroons side. Game 1, held for the first time in Adelaide, saw Queensland beat New South Wales in a nail biting 18–14 win. At half time, the Blues were leading the Maroons 10–0, but a huge upset secured the game for Queensland. Game 2 held in Sydney, New South Wales, at ANZ Stadium, was a blue wave. Queensland scored the first try but eventually lost the game to New South Wales 34–10. Game 3 was held in Brisbane on 18 November at Suncorp Stadium and was a physical match which saw Queensland regain the shield with a 20–14 win over New South Wales. In his post game speech, Captain Daly Cherry Evans quipped "and on behalf of the worst ever Queensland team, thank you very much". A reference to critical comments made by former New South Wales Captain Paul Gallen. Cameron Munster was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for his exceptional performances throughout the series, despite being out due to HIA for most of Game 2.
Game 1 of the
2021 series was held at
Queensland Country Bank Stadium in
Townsville
The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
on 9 June, moved from the MCG after another COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne. This became the first Origin match to be played in a regional centre. New South Wales then recorded their biggest win in series history, defeating Queensland 50–6.

NSW would go on to win the series with a 26–0 win against Queensland at Suncorp, with Queensland gaining a consolation win by defeating NSW 20–18 on the Gold Coast, with the venue being required due to the resurgence of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
The
2022 series took place on 8 June 26 June and 13 July, being played at
Accor Stadium in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Optus Stadium in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
and
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 ...
in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
with the notable addition of former player
Billy Slater, as coach for the Queensland side. Queensland would go onto win the first game 16–10, with New South Wales hitting back on game 2 with a huge 44–12 finish. Game 3 finished in a nail biting 22–12 to Queensland, with Hooker
Ben Hunt intercepting a mid-air kick from New South Wales halfback
Nathan Cleary, securing the game with an 80 metre sprint to score. The game has been called "one of the greatest games in State of Origin history".
The
2023 State of Origin series began in Adelaide with Queensland winning game one after coming from behind in the second half. In game two, Queensland would win 32-6 in Brisbane to claim the series. New South Wales would win game three to avoid a clean sweep. In the wake of another series loss, Brad Fittler resigned as head coach of New South Wales.
The
2024 State of Origin series started on 5th June in Sydney and the last game was played on 17th July in Brisbane. The game was held at
Accor Stadium,
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...
and
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 ...
. New South Wales won the series after winning 2nd game in Melbourne and 3rd game in Brisbane.
Venues
Queensland
New South Wales
Interstate & International
Popularity
In 2013, each individual game in the series drew a higher Australian television audience than any other sporting event, the only time this has ever happened.
In recent years the series has gained popularity outside of New South Wales and Queensland, with games played in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
drawing record crowds for rugby league and local television ratings comparable to those of major
AFL matches. Internationally, the series is televised in 91 countries, and is a national obsession in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
, occasionally sparking riots, violence and deaths. It also draws a strong following in neighbouring
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
Broadcasting
Within Australia,
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
is the main broadcaster for the series, with replays airing on
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...
. The series is also broadcast on radio by
ABC Radio Grandstand.
Setanta Sports broadcasts live matches in Asia. In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Fox Soccer televised all matches live using the Nine feed since 2011, with the coverage moving to
Fox Sports 2 when Fox Soccer was discontinued in August 2013.
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
broadcasts live coverage of State of Origin in the UK.
Roy and HG's State of Origin commentary was once broadcast on Australian youth radio network
Triple J. This broadcast was presented by the characters "Rampaging"
Roy Slaven and
HG Nelson (played by
John Doyle and
Greig Pickhaver
Gordon Greig Pickhaver (born 10 February 1948) is an Australian actor, comedian and writer, who forms one half of the satirical sports comedy duo '' Roy and HG'' as the excitable sports announcer HG Nelson. The award-winning duo teamed up in 1 ...
), who commentated the game with a unique comedic style. Roy and HG's broadcasts began in the late 1980s and continued until 2008. Roy and HG moved from Triple J to radio network
Triple M in 2009, at which point the duo ceased their State of Origin commentary.
*Includes overnight and total viewership (in brackets)
**From 2024, the ratings system was changed and will only include total viewership not metro.
Selection rules
Under State of Origin rules players were previously selected for the state in which they first played senior (or registered) rugby league. In 2012, the NSWRL, CRL, QRL and ARLC agreed on new criteria in determining Origin eligibility, to encompass other factors, such as place of birth. Players must also be eligible to represent Australia at international level.
Controversy
From time to time, the selection of players under the
State of Origin rules creates controversy. Since 1980, Queensland has completed just 7 series with a team completely made up of players of a Queensland birth, while for New South Wales the total is only 6, although every New South Wales player has been legally eligible for the state, unlike some of Queensland's.
However, the place of birth has only been a relevant factor in eligibility since 2012. The issue was parodied in the song "
That's In Queensland".
An issue of contention has been the selection of players such as
Peter Sterling,
Ken Nagas,
James McManus
}
James "Jim" McManus (born March 22, 1951) is an Americans, American teacher, writer and poker player living in Kenilworth, Illinois. He is a professor in the Master of Fine Arts program for writers at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Poker and ' ...
,
Israel Folau and
Greg Inglis.
NSW controversies
Ken Nagas was born and raised in Queensland but decided to play for New South Wales,
Peter Sterling was born in Toowoomba, Queensland but raised in Wagga Wagga, Newcastle and Sydney, all in New South Wales, while McManus was born in Scotland and was raised in the Northern Territory, but was ruled eligible to play for New South Wales in the 2009 series. New South Wales also claim players who were born and raised in the Australian Capital Territory, including Nick Cotric and Terry Campese. However, given that the Australian Capital Territory local competition is administered by the
NSWRL and is part of the New South Wales jurisdiction, this makes NSW eligibility for ACT players legitimate.
Queensland controversies
Israel Folau was born and raised in New South Wales but is eligible to play for Queensland as he played his first senior rugby league match in Queensland.
Many other Queensland players were born outside the state yet played for the Maroons, such as
Sam Thaiday (born in Sydney),
Petero Civoniceva (born in Fiji),
Adrian Lam (born in Papua New Guinea),
Lote Tuqiri (born in Fiji),
Michael Crocker (born in Sydney),
Billy Moore (born in Tenterfield),
Tonie Carroll (born in Christchurch),
Karmichael Hunt (born in Auckland) and
Brad Thorn (born in Otago region, NZ).
Inglis scandal
The selection of
Greg Inglis by
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 ...
was the most controversial. The
Queensland Rugby League selected him based on the reality that
Brisbane Norths was Inglis's first senior football club, as per the eligibility rules at the time. However, some claim that schoolboy competitions count as senior football; and, with Inglis having previously played for Hunter Sports High School in
Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...
, in the
Arrive Alive Cup, he should have played for New South Wales.
Notable cases of odd eligibility
Due to the clarification of selection rules, the Sims brothers are eligible for different States.
Tariq and
Ashton are eligible for New South Wales, while
Korbin Sims is eligible for Queensland. Previously father and son combinations, such as
Steve and
Mat Rogers, have represented different states. This duo was especially notable because Mat was born in New South Wales and played for Queensland while Steve was born in Queensland and played for New South Wales. Steve Rogers played his first senior game of rugby league for the Southport Tigers on Queensland's Gold Coast, in an NSW CRL competition.
Foreign-born players have also represented each state. New Zealand has had several players, such as
Brad Thorn,
Ben Te'o,
Craig Smith,
Willie Mason,
Tonie Carroll,
James Tamou and
Karmichael Hunt play Origin. Tamou's selection by New South Wales in 2012 was controversial as he was born in
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...
and played for the Junior Kiwis, lived in New Zealand until he moved to Sydney when he was 13 and was included in the
New Zealand national rugby league team training squad for the
2011 Four Nations. Both Hunt and Tamou played for
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
before being selected for the State of Origin. Other players, such as
Sam Kasiano and
Jason Taumalolo are also eligible, creating concern in the
New Zealand Rugby League. Apart from representing Queensland, Brad Thorn is also a dual rugby international, having played international rugby league for Australia, and international rugby union for the
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
.
Papua New Guinea–born
Adrian Lam and Fijian-born
Lote Tuqiri,
Akuila Uate and
Petero Civoniceva have also played Origin.
Benny Elias was born in Lebanon and has played for and captained NSW.
Mario Fenech was born in Malta and has played for NSW.
Anomalies
# In 1995 and 1997
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
players were made ineligible for the
ARL State of Origin series selection. This included most of Queensland's usual team, who now played for the Super League affiliated
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
. The ARL hence decided to relax the rules in those years, allowing Queensland to select
Adrian Lam who had previously played for
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
. The 1995 Origin series was the scene of the biggest upset in Origin history when the relatively inexperienced Maroons swept aside NSW, who even without their Super League players could still boast several senior Origin and international players, 3–0.
# During the
2000 World Cup several Australian players were granted dispensations to appear for other nations under the
grandparent rule. The players affected were
David Barnhill (NSW, Ireland),
Kevin Campion (Qld, Ireland),
Tonie Carroll (Qld, New Zealand),
Graham Mackay (NSW, Scotland),
Willie Mason (NSW, Tonga),
Luke Ricketson (NSW, Ireland),
Lote Tuqiri (Qld, Fiji) and
Adrian Vowles (Qld, Scotland),
Results
Year by year
Of the 43 full series played, Queensland has won 24, New South Wales 17, with 2 series drawn. However, on both of the 2 occasions there was a drawn series, the previous year's winner retained the title, with both being retained by Queensland, meaning Queensland have won 26 titles and New South Wales 17 titles. With the addition of three one-off games that were played in 1980, 1981 and 1987, the total number of games played is 132. Queensland have won 70, New South Wales have won 60, with 2 matches being drawn.
The series of 1999 and 2002 are considered drawn series, as both New South Wales and Queensland won a single game of each 3 match series, with the final game concluding in a draw. At that time there was no overtime rule to break the deadlock, and by the same set of rules, Queensland retained the shield as they were the previous holders. Due to the controversy around the second drawn series, and the rule awarding the series champions to Queensland, the rules were subsequently changed to rule out drawn matches and series. Equal points at the close of full-time are now resolved with the
golden point
The golden point, a sudden death overtime system, is used to resolve drawn matches in a number of sports. The term is borrowed from soccer's now-defunct golden goal.
Rugby league Australia
The golden point is used to determine a winner (where a ...
method.
Wally Lewis Medal
The Wally Lewis Medal was awarded by the
Queensland Rugby League for the Queensland player of the series from 1992 to 2003, when The
Ron McAuliffe Medal replaced it as the Queensland exclusive award. From 2004 onwards it has been awarded to the player of the series irrespective of state, to the following players:
* Bold denotes player won it from the losing state.
Records
Team
*Most games won: 70, Queensland
*Most series won: 24, Queensland
*Most titles: 26, Queensland
*Most consecutive games won: 8, Queensland (Game II,
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
– Game III,
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
)
*Most consecutive series won: 8, Queensland (
2006–
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
)
*Most series clean sweeps: 4, Queensland (
1988–
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
,
1995,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
)
*Largest winning margin: 46, Queensland 52–6 New South Wales (Game III,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
)
*Most points scored in a game: 72, New South Wales 56–16 Queensland (Game III,
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
)
*Most points scored by a team: 56, New South Wales 56–16 Queensland (Game III,
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
)
Individual
*Oldest player: 36 years 98 days,
Daly Cherry-Evans (2025) (Queensland)
*Youngest player: 18 years and 83 days,
Ben Ikin
Benjamin Ikin (born 21 February 1977) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and the chief executive officer, CEO of the Queensland Rugby League from 22 May 2023. He previously worked in football operations roles for the ...
(1995) (Queensland)
Playing
*Most games: 42
Cameron Smith (2003–2017) (Queensland)
*Most consecutive games: 36
Johnathan Thurston (2005–2017) (Queensland)
*Most games as captain: 30
Wally Lewis (1981–1991) (Queensland)
*Most games won: 24
Cameron Smith (2003–2017) (Queensland)
*Most series won: 11
Cameron Smith (2006–2013, 2015–2017) (Queensland) &
Johnathan Thurston (2006–2013, 2015–2017) (Queensland)
*Most Man of the Match Awards won: 8
Wally Lewis (1982–1991) (Queensland)
*Most points: 224
Johnathan Thurston (2005–2017) (Queensland)
*Most tries: 18
Greg Inglis (2006–2018) (Queensland)
*Most goals: 101
Johnathan Thurston (2005–2017) (Queensland)
*Most field goals: 4
Andrew Johns (1995–2005) (New South Wales)
*Most points in one game: 32
Ryan Girdler (Game III, 2000) (New South Wales)
*Most points in one series: 52
Ryan Girdler (2000) (New South Wales)
*Most tries in one game: 3 (
Chris Anderson,
Kerry Boustead,
Ryan Girdler,
Lote Tuqiri,
Matt Sing,
Matt King,
Dane Gagai,
Valentine Holmes,
Tom Trbojevic,
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow)
*Most tries in one series: 5
Ryan Girdler (2000) (New South Wales),
Lote Tuqiri (2002) (Queensland)
*Most goals in one game: 10
Ryan Girdler (Game III, 2000) (New South Wales)
*Most goals in one series: 16
Ryan Girdler (2000) (New South Wales)
*Most field goals in one game: 2
Ben Elias (Game III, 1994) (New South Wales)
*Most field goals in one series: 2
Ben Elias (1994) (New South Wales),
Andrew Johns (2003) (New South Wales)
:1.Smith, and Thurston competed in at least one game associated with each series wins.
Coaching
*Most games: 30
Mal Meninga (2006–2015) (Queensland)
*Most games won: 19
Mal Meninga (2006–2015) (Queensland)
*Most series won: 9
Mal Meninga (2006–2015) (Queensland)
Other Records
Players still currently active are listed in bold.
Source
Asterisk (*) indicates series with limited attendance due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Under 19s
The Under 19s State of Origin has only had 3 seasons so far (2022 to present)
Under 20s
The Under 20s State of Origin has only had eight seasons so far (2012 to 2019) with only one game a year, instead of three. New South Wales has won seven of the eight, with Queensland winning their first in 2018. They play for the Darren Lockyer Shield. It became Under 19 Origin in 2022, after the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Women's State of Origin
The
Women's State of Origin
A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl.
Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uter ...
is the
Women's rugby league
Women's rugby league is the female-only version of rugby league.
The sport has growing more popular in Australia, France, Great Britain, and New Zealand. These countries regularly compete in the Women's Rugby League World Cup which has been i ...
version of the game. It has been running since 1999 and was originally known as the Interstate Challenge. From 2005, the Nellie Doherty Cup was awarded to the winner until being replaced with the a shield when the competition was brought under the State of Origin brand in 2018. The Nellie Doherty Medal was introduced as the player of the match award in 2018 and since 2023 it has been awarded to the player of the series.
Women's Under-19s
In 2019, a Women's Under 18s match was played as a curtain-raiser to the Women's State of Origin match. In 2021, the first Women's Under 19s State of Origin match was played.
Wheelchair State of Origin
The first
wheelchair rugby league
Wheelchair rugby league is a wheelchair-based version of rugby league football, one of two recognised disability versions of the sport. It was developed in France in 2000. Unlike other wheelchair sports, people without disabilities are allowed to ...
match between Queensland and New South Wales was played in 2015 as the Wheelchair Interstate Challenge. Between 2019 and 2022 the matches were played under the State of Origin brand before the competition was renamed as the
Wheelchair State Challenge in 2023.
In popular culture
In an episode of the third season of the
ABC Kids animated series ''
Bluey'' titled "The Decider", Bluey, her family, and her neighbours Pat, Janelle, Lucky, and Chucky watch a third State of Origin match where Queensland win the series.
See also
*
National Rugby League
*
City vs Country Origin
*
Super League Tri-series The Super League Tri-series was an international rugby league, rugby league football tournament contested in 1997 between Queensland rugby league team, Queensland, New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales, and New Zealand national rugby le ...
*
International Origin
*
Rugby League War of the Roses
*
State of Origin
*
Rugby league in Australia
*
Affiliated States Championship
*
Australian regional rivals – NSW vs. QLD
Notes
References
History
#
"State of Origin 30 Years: 1980 – 2009"by Liam Hauser, Rockpool Publishing,
by Sean Fagan, ''RL1908'', Retrieved 15 November 2005
by Sean Fagan, ''RL1908'', Retrieved 15 November 2005
by Sean Fagan, ''RL1908'', Retrieved 15 November 2005
by Sean Fagan, ''RL1908'', Retrieved 15 November 2005
#
#
#
#
by Jeff Wall, ''Crikey'' 12 April 2005, Retrieved 18 November 2005
#
by Jeff Wall, ''Crikey'' 23 May 2005, Retrieved 15 November 2005
#
"We Still Want Hunt"National Rugby League, 21 March 2005, Retrieved 18 November 2005
#
"How it all began"stateoforigin.com.au, no date, retrieved 8 May 2007
General records and statistics
"State of Origin 30 Years: 1980 – 2009"by Liam Hauser, Rockpool Publishing,
# Fagan, Sean (2005
''RL1908'', Retrieved 15 November 2005
"History: State of Origin Results 1980–2003"by the Australian Rugby League, Retrieved 15 November 2005
"History"by The Roar, Retrieved 8 July 2016
"State of Origin Records"by the Queensland Rugby League, Retrieved 15 November 2005
by World of Rugby League, Retrieved 15 November 2005
# Official State of Origin website http://www.stateoforigin.com.au, Retrieved 15 November 2006
Sources disputing the 1987 Los Angeles match
# Colman, Mike (26 November 2005) "Assigning History by asterisks" ''The Courier-Mail'' (page 61)
# Dick, Barry (16 July 2003) "Origin Battle Rages On and Off the Field" ''The Courier-Mail'' (page 1)
Player lists
State of Origin website
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
State of Origin news sectionHugh Lunn talks about the origin of State of Origin
{{Australasian Rugby League links
1982 establishments in Australia
Rugby league competitions in Australia
Rugby league rivalries
Rugby league in Queensland
Rugby league in New South Wales
Annual sporting events in Australia
Recurring sporting events established in 1908
1908 establishments in Australia
Sports leagues established in 1908
Nine's Wide World of Sports
Sports rivalries in Australia
Winter in Australia