State of Origin game One.....and so it begins

[El Presidente]

State of Origin (game one of three game series) kicks off tonight.

This is Rugby league at its finest and most brutal. The best players from two states who absolutely hate each other....Queensland and New South Wales. It is arguably the biggest sporting event in Australia.

mates are getting together this afternoon for beers/BBQ in preparation for tonight's game. Some people like Ken can't watch the game with anyone else in attendance...they just have too much nervous energy. I made the mistake one year to pop around his place unannounced to watch the game ....what a mistake as I had to watch it from his deck outside

My mother dresses in Queensland gear for the game. I can't watch the game with her either....she screams non stop. My father is worse.

For all my New South Wales mates....good luck...let the best team win. Go Queensland!!!!!

[Trevor2118]

Y

For all my New South Wales mates....good luck...let the best team win.

Yes....the occasional win would be nice.

[El Presidente]

Y

Yes....the occasional win would be nice.

Trev...we Queenslanders won't shed a tear. Until the commencement of State Of Origin we had to go back to 1959 for a Queensland series win

[Ken Gargett]

Y

Yes....the occasional win would be nice.

trev, you are welcome to one out of three.

and rob, yes, i made you stand on the balcony but if you recall, that was back when you were still smoking cigarettes. i was not having them in the house. thank god, or otherwise i would have had to find some other excuse.

and it is true, unless i am actually at the ground, i hate watching big sporting fixtures with anyone else. by myself, i can smoke cigars, drink rum, yell abuse, get outraged, curl up in the foetal position and so on, without embarrassment.

i remember a bledisloe when i had a heap of people at the house down at the coast for a weekend. all i asked of them was quiet for the game - back in the afternoon footy match times. they could do what they liked for the entire time but i just wanted quiet for that short period. someone's girlfriend had brought a friend - she was a pain in the porverbial from the moment she arrived - and as soon as the game started, off she went. motormouth. please, i begged. worse than the tide. please shut up. but no. endless inane nonsense. needless to say, i completely cracked. exploded. threw everyone out for the game. she spent the next four hours sobbing and i am was apparently the worst person on the planet. was a fairly tense weekend for the rest of it.

i won't even watch with family if i can avoid it.

[Wil]

Is the ball really necessary?

[Guest rob]

If only Inglis knew where he came from, we might win a game or two...

[El Presidente]

If only Inglis knew where he came from, we might win a game or two...

Yes...hard to see why any aboriginal player would not want to play for NSW. is Andrew Johns still the back line coach?

[Ken Gargett]

if inglis played for nsw (sorry, was eligible for nsw), the papers would be asking why he and merrett couldn't get games.

and always interesting that you blokes ***** about no inglis but fail to mention that sterlo and steve rogers and a good few others were all born up here. plus, you stole our players for a century. why do you think origin started?

and your prop, tamou, been in australia 6 weeks before your lot suddenly decided he was a nsw-man. shame!

my fave story was back in that bizarre series in 95 when fatty coached qld and they were desparate for players as all ours off with super league. they could not find a hooker. went through name after name. finally came up with a backrower who could play hooker.

'so where is he from? qld?'

'no, murwillumbah, northern nsw'

fatty - "close enough"!

and we had a hooker.

[polarbear]

and rob, yes, i made you stand on the balcony but if you recall, that was back when you were still smoking cigarettes.

Wait wait wait

Rob Smoked Cigarettes!?

Mind=Blown

[First Lady]

Thought you would like this Ken and Rob

[ARRV]

I think I promised last year that I would stop caring/watching due the pantomime like quality of origin refereeing in recent years.

Oh well, sucked into the vortex once again.

As least NSW has decided to play 2 games at home this year instead of Melbourne. That makes it easier as refs always favour home team.

Am hopeful for a NSW win but cannot see the halves combination doing it for us. Melbourne smashed the Roosters halves last week (or week before cant remember) and you can bet Mal et al were watching that.

On paper the NSW pack should dominate but Qld usually at least obtains parity in the forwards if not dominates NSW themselves. And with that backline Qld only needs parity in the forward pack to win.

So refs will make it close. Depends on whether the Qld pack aims up gets the yards and shuts down / pressures the kicking game of NSW. If so Qld backline will win it.

[Fuzz]

That hurts, Lisa. Way to go, kicking somebody when they're down...

[El Presidente]

Wait wait wait

Rob Smoked Cigarettes!?

Mind=Blown

Rob smoked everything once upon a time

[Ken Gargett]

I think I promised last year that I would stop caring/watching due the pantomime like quality of origin refereeing in recent years.

Oh well, sucked into the vortex once again.

As least NSW has decided to play 2 games at home this year instead of Melbourne. That makes it easier as refs always favour home team.

Am hopeful for a NSW win but cannot see the halves combination doing it for us. Melbourne smashed the Roosters halves last week (or week before cant remember) and you can bet Mal et al were watching that.

On paper the NSW pack should dominate but Qld usually at least obtains parity in the forwards if not dominates NSW themselves. And with that backline Qld only needs parity in the forward pack to win.

So refs will make it close. Depends on whether the Qld pack aims up gets the yards and shuts down / pressures the kicking game of NSW. If so Qld backline will win it.

love the cartoon.

and yep, chimney stacks ayala!

completely agree re the thoughts here for the nsw pack and qld backline. we need parity or we are stuffed. we get parity and it would be disappointing not to win. all that said, achieving parity much, much harder than done than said.

HOWEVER, does it sum it up - "As least NSW has decided to play 2 games at home this year"!!! you guys had two games last year and then rorting the system in the sort of crap qlders have endured for decades to swap things about to give yourselves two again this year. a disgrace. absolutely shameful. not our fault you sold, yes sold, a game to melbourne. but it serves your lot right. had you done this dark deed sooner, i have it on authority very close to stuart that he would have stayed for another year if nsw had 2 games at home. when it was planned to be just one, before this perfidiousness, he bailed. and i would rather be facing a daley coached team than ricky again.

[ARRV]

love the cartoon.

and yep, chimney stacks ayala!

completely agree re the thoughts here for the nsw pack and qld backline. we need parity or we are stuffed. we get parity and it would be disappointing not to win. all that said, achieving parity much, much harder than done than said.

HOWEVER, does it sum it up - "As least NSW has decided to play 2 games at home this year"!!! you guys had two games last year and then rorting the system in the sort of crap qlders have endured for decades to swap things about to give yourselves two again this year. a disgrace. absolutely shameful. not our fault you sold, yes sold, a game to melbourne. but it serves your lot right. had you done this dark deed sooner, i have it on authority very close to stuart that he would have stayed for another year if nsw had 2 games at home. when it was planned to be just one, before this perfidiousness, he bailed. and i would rather be facing a daley coached team than ricky again.

I thought it was Qld's turn for 2 games.

Well that has cheered me up - at least some fool down here worked out that we need 2 home games to have a reasonable chance of winning the series instead of heading to melbourne to waste time down there in a park with the atmosphere of a deflated balloon.

Obviously someone from NSW did some great work in stealing the extra game for Sydney.

Whatever it takes guys. Whatever it takes. (probably going to take another year with new halves including Reynolds at 7 and not sure re 6 - was thinking Carney but he has not been on fire of late - do not know how Pearce has done it - must be nepotism as I just do not see it with him)

[Ken Gargett]

I thought it was Qld's turn for 2 games.

Well that has cheered me up - at least some fool down here worked out that we need 2 home games to have a reasonable chance of winning the series instead of heading to melbourne to waste time down there in a park with the atmosphere of a deflated balloon.

Obviously someone from NSW did some great work in stealing the extra game for Sydney.

Whatever it takes guys. Whatever it takes. (probably going to take another year with new halves including Reynolds at 7 and not sure re 6 - was thinking Carney but he has not been on fire of late - do not know how Pearce has done it - must be nepotism as I just do not see it with him)

no, you guys had two last year and sold one to melbourne. it was our turn this year so the dodgy nsw-dominated board pulled a fast one and said that they would rejig the lot and go back to scratch and it just happens, nsw will kick off with two. we'll get two next year. it is why i've long thought we were a reasonable shot for 9 series in a row but long shots for ten. if we did get to 9, be a shame if we could not get the tenth as it is a record that will stand for a long time, i suspect. mind you, that is getting way ahead of ourselves. tonight, i'll be happy with a one point win.

[Ken Gargett]

and yes, we are always very happy when pearce gets picked. they must be dynamite photos of the selectors that he has because why else.

and i really hope i don't have to eat my words tomorrow.

[Guest rob]

if inglis played for nsw (sorry, was eligible for nsw), the papers would be asking why he and merrett couldn't get games.

and always interesting that you blokes ***** about no inglis but fail to mention that sterlo and steve rogers and a good few others were all born up here. plus, you stole our players for a century. why do you think origin started?

and your prop, tamou, been in australia 6 weeks before your lot suddenly decided he was a nsw-man. shame!

my fave story was back in that bizarre series in 95 when fatty coached qld and they were desparate for players as all ours off with super league. they could not find a hooker. went through name after name. finally came up with a backrower who could play hooker.

'so where is he from? qld?'

'no, murwillumbah, northern nsw'

fatty - "close enough"!

and we had a hooker.

Just had lunch and browsed the 'news' online and found this....

http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/state-of-robbery-why-the-qld-7-0-streak-is-a-fraud/story-fndv2twz-1226652148241

[Ken Gargett]

Just had lunch and browsed the 'news' online and found this....

http://www.news.com....z-1226652148241

priceless. how pissed was that bloke when he blubbered that? whaaaaaa. whaaaaaaa. what a cry baby.

first, what a monumental lack of understanding of the game to think you can just swap tries across like that. how really stupid is this bloke?

next, qld spotted and picked him young. he would not have made the nsw side at the same time (you were in a winning streak and no way would he have got in), who knows when he would have been picked especially given the perceived racism involved (ask timu or merrett or even johns - a wonder that eddie doesn't manage them), and what position he would have played.

at the time, there was some confusion over the rules but where is this bloke saying that qld was robbed for the best part of a century by nsw pinching our players endlessly pre origin. even after it started, why did nsw claim sterlo, rogers (two all time greats) and nagas? and more? what a total useless hypocrite.

actually, a great mate of mine (a fanatical blues supporter - yes, i have them) told me the tale about how his brother was a teacher at newcastle and instrumental in sending young greg up to brizzy for a change to assist him. he has never forgiven his brother.

inglis played in something called the alive cup in newcastle. there is serious doubt if that qualifies a player for origin under the rules as it was for kids. he then played for the wavell heights high school in brizzy. it may also not apply but the claims are much stronger. but then he played for norths in the brizzy comp and that definitely applies. but inglis had always maintained he never wanted to play for anyone but qld.

if we'd lost these last seven, you wouldn't hear a peep from this idiot.

and what of tamou? what a joke. maybe there is a god and he is punishing the hypcorisy and deviousness of nsw with this winning streak.

now - "GREG Inglis would be classified as a New South Welshman and James Tamou would be a Kiwi under the ARL Commission's new State of Origin eligibility rules.

ARLC chairman John Grant last night revealed the controversial and messy rules would be tightened and the NRL's benefit of the doubt rule would also be scrapped.

From next year a player would only be eligible for NSW or Queensland if he lived in that state before his 13th birthday or was the son of an Origin player.

That means a born-and-bred Sydneysider could represent Queensland if his dad had previously.

Queensland Rugby League chairman Peter Betros praised the new Origin laws and said they would end eligibility chess matches.

"This adds more certainty to eligibility," Betros said.

Inglis first set foot in Queensland as a 16-year-old attending Brisbane's Wavell State High while Tamou moved to Sydney from New Zealand at age 13."

[Guest rob]

I love you KG.... Though not in AndrewNR sort of way

It would have been a sight to see you in your element back in your lawyering days! The judge interrupting you to ask you for the condensed version

[Ken Gargett]

door is still locked. for both of you.

[khamy]

T minus 3:00. Lets bring on the pain! Redemption time. Karn the Blues!\

<at the very least the probabilities stats are in our favour. - tested by flipping a coin 7 times!>

[El Presidente]

How bad are you going player management wise when a player "Doesn't wan't to play for you"

Was it Jamie Lyons who also pulled the plug on NSW? I wonder how Merrit feels today. We would pick him in a flash.

origin is about heart and swallowing the koolaide. You New South Welshmen need to mix a stronger brew.

I may be out a few percentile......but 70% of NRL players are eligible for NSW. So somehow the mighty maroons have won 7 series with 30% of the stock?

[Ken Gargett]

How bad are you going player management wise when a player "Doesn't wan't to play for you"

Was it Jamie Lyons who also pulled the plug on NSW? I wonder how Merrit feels today. We would pick him in a flash.

origin is about heart and swallowing the koolaide. You New South Welshmen need to mix a stronger brew.

I may be out a few percentile......but 70% of NRL players are eligible for NSW. So somehow the mighty maroons have won 7 series with 30% of the stock?

actually, i think you are. i think that we are a bit over 20%, nsw most of the rest, plus a few kiwis. so effectively, the whingers have 3 times the players we do. and they still *****.

and to our friend with the law of averages, if only it was as easy as tossing a coin...

[bummy]

BOOM BABY! GO THE BLUES