Every year rugby league fans in Australia and indeed fans right around the world look forward to one series more than any other. The State Of Origin series is known as the most exciting and fierce league competition around the world. It is known as “State vs State” which sees “Mate vs Mate” and those two slogans could not be underlined more when it comes to this competition. Every year the series offers up some unforgettable moments and I am sure this year's State Of Origin Series will be no different. Three games pitting the best players, and in some cases the best of friends, up against each other all fighting for the same thing - the right to say that their state, be it New South Wales or Queensland, is the better and more powerful state. It all happens in Origin.
Game #1: Suncorp Stadium Brisbane
The wait was finally over and fans were all geared up as this year's Harvey Norman State Of Origin Series finally got underway in front of a sellout crowd inside one of Australia’s greatest football stadiums, Suncorp Stadium in the great Queensland city of Brisbane. As was expected, the Maroons got off to a flying start and it took them no time to score the first try and get a 6-0 lead. It was the worst start that the Blues could possibly have asked for.
Then it was all Queensland for the next ten minutes of the game, but they could not get over the line and I was very impressed with the defending from NSW. After some poor handling errors from the Blues when in a scoring position, the score stayed at 6-0 going into halftime. To be honest, throughout the match it was NSW who looked the better team and if it weren’t for the simple handling errors they made on just a few too many occasions they would have won the game. When the Blues scored with just minutes to go and took the lead, everyone was thinking the streak was finally coming to an end! But then stepped up a man from the Melbourne Storm, Billy Slater, who got the ball and scored out of nowhere to save the game for Queensland and shove it right down the throats of NSW supporters. Queensland win the opening game of this years Origin series 16 – 12 and they continue there dominance.
Many people felt that NSW would be the winner in this game and they would have been if they had a little more luck and more ball retention.
