State of Origin series

State of Origin
Current series
2023 State of Origin series
SportRugby league
Inaugural season1982
Number of teams2
Australian state Australia
Holder Queensland (2023 men)
Queensland (2023 women)
Total winsNew South Wales mens (16 titles)
Queensland mens (24 titles)
New South Wales womens (5 titles)
Queensland womens (19 titles)
WebsiteNRL website
Broadcast partnerNine Network
Related competitions

The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons.[1]

Referred to as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”,[2][3][4][5] 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.[6] It is regularly described as being the pinnacle of rugby league, even in comparison with international competitions.[7][8][9][10]

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.

  1. ^ Melissa Jane Johnson Morgan & Jane Summers (2005). Sports Marketing. Thomson Learning Nelson. p. 8. ISBN 9780170128599.
  2. ^ "The countdown is on to sport's greatest rivalry!". melbournestorm.com. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  3. ^ Tasker, Norman (2005). State of Origin: twenty-five years of sport's greatest rivalry. Caringbah, New South Wales: Playright Publishing. ISBN 0949853933.
  4. ^ "Rep season officially launched". sportsaustralia.com. 5 April 2006. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Eye of the storm". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 June 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  6. ^ Ashworth, Susie; Smitz, Paul; Bain, Carolyn; Bedford, Neal (2004). Australia. Lonely Planet. p. 132. ISBN 9781740594479.
  7. ^ Harms, John (2005). The Pearl: Steve Renouf's Story. Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 105. ISBN 9780702235368.
  8. ^ Webster, Andrew (April 2004). "A few drinks with Ray Warren". Inside Sport. Australia: insidesport.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 September 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  9. ^ Vanessa Battersby; Paul Smitz; Barry Blake (2007). Australian language & culture. Lonely Planet. p. 83. ISBN 9781740590990.
  10. ^ Mackay, Jamie (17 July 2009). "State of Origin in league of its own". The Southland Times. Fairfax New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 9 October 2009.

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