Opinion: State of Origin not a cure-all for Kiwis league shortcomings

"The NRL’s preoccupation with State of Origin has not only undermined international rugby league, at times, it has even destabilised its own national team."
"The NRL’s preoccupation with State of Origin has not only undermined international rugby league, at times, it has even destabilised its own national team." Photo credit: Getty

OPINION: It’s about that time of year when even we Kiwis get caught up in the Aussie obsession with State of Origin rugby league.

Yep, state vs state, mate vs mate.

Or, as I like to refer to it, over-hyped provincial footy.

If you live in this part of the world and you’re compiling a bucket list of great sporting events to tick off during your lifetime, Blues against Maroons must surely be on it.

Super Bowl, Wimbledon, Tour de France, Ashes at Lords, Olympic 100 metres final, Football World Cup final, maybe All Blacks vs Springboks in Jo’burg… Origin decider at Suncorp.

No doubt, the sheer ferocity, speed, skill and drama of this inter-state rivalry has made it compelling viewing over the years.

But across this side of the Tasman, misguided league tragics look on this series with great jealousy, thinking that this showpiece somehow holds the key to the Kangaroos’ long-held world dominance of the game.

Surely we need to imitate this cauldron to better prepare our Kiwis to compete on the international stage. Maybe Auckland vs The Rest would to that?

Opinion: State of Origin not a cure-all for Kiwis league shortcomings

Well no, actually, we don’t.

In reality, the NRL’s preoccupation with State of Origin has not only undermined international rugby league, at times, it has even destabilised its own national team.

Even when the Aussies honoured their commitment to the mid-year Anzac Test, it was only ever on their terms - only twice in New Zealand over 20 years and eventually not even on Anzac Day, which has become a commemorative round of its club comp instead.

This year’s so-called Anzac Test is scheduled for October, about as far from Anzac Day as you can get.

The NRL only really valued the international fixture as another pawn in its TV contract. That much became clear when it effectively killed off the annual game without even notifying New Zealand Rugby League.

Instead, most of its organisational focus has been on the three-headed beast known as State of Origin.

One of the funniest exchanges on the way-too-many-to-name NRL-branded shows force-fed to us on SKY this year saw a panel quizzing England prop James Graham about the readiness of a Dragons teammate to play Origin football.

“Or for Australia,” corrected Graham, who is a leading advocate for this month’s Kiwis vs England test in Denver that the NRL is so eager to derail, because it may detract from that precious club comp.

His fellow panellists laughed and continued to salivate over a State of Origin series still two months away. Graham again tried to adjust their reality, but eventually gave up.

Origin may produce an enthralling spectacle, striking a fiercely parochial chord among the game’s tribal following, but it doesn’t necessarily make for a convivial environment when assembling the national team.

During the recent 12-month period when New Zealand surpassed Australia at the top of the world rankings, there was a sneaky feeling that the Kangaroo players didn’t really like each other, a direct result of Origin enmity.

After one Anzac Test, the Aussie locker room broke into a rousing chorus of the Queensland victory song, which didn’t sit at all well with the NSW contingent.

“Were there any NSW players in that team?” quipped Kangaroos and Maroons captain Cam Smith on a recent NRL show.

Asked to give a quick rendition, Smith responded: “Have you not been listening the last 10 years?”

When the Kiwis beat the Kangaroos at the 2015 Anzac Test in Brisbane, torrential rain forced a two-day postponement. The longer those two days went, the more confident the NZ camp became of victory.

For the Kiwis, that delay offered a rare opportunity to enjoy the company of mates. For the Aussies, it must have seemed like another two days with those w*****s from across the border.

Over the past couple of years, that’s probably the biggest single improvement Mal Meninga has made to return the Kangaroos programme to the top – a smoother transition from state to national teams.

‘Culture’ is a buzz word you hear a lot around sports and it’s one of those intangibles that can make a real difference out on the field, when players have their backs against the wall.

It can often compensate for shortcomings in skill and talent, and it’s the reason New Zealand teams generally punch above their weight on the world stage despite limited resources.

Rather than trying to replicate any on-field competitive edge Origin may provide the Aussies, the Kiwis would be far better served recapturing the brothers-in-arms attitude that existed under coach Stephen Kearney, but somehow disintegrated under David Kidwell’s watch.

Pitting mate against mate won’t achieve that.

Who am I supporting in Origin 2018? No-one.

I’m happy to watch the Aussies smash the snot out of each other and thankful that we’re not making our Kiwis players inflict that same punishment on each other.

Grant Chapman is Newshub online sports editor.

Join us at 10pm Wednesday for live updates of NSW vs Queensland State of Origin I from Melbourne.