I think that rugby league bosses are making a massive blunder with State of Origin on three fronts this year:

1. No games should be played in Victoria as there is no Victorian side in the series (and never has been).

2. The matches should be played on a weekend, not right in the middle of the week when most people have to work the following day.

3. The week of the State of Origin should be a bye for all clubs, so that those teams that have multiple players representing their state are not unfairly disadvantaged when playing against teams with few or none on representative duties.

The Try and the send off were probably two of the worst decisions in Origin history.

Armchair_Politician wrote on May 23^rd, 2012 at 8:46pm:


The NRL need to quit having Origin games in Melbourne.  Victorians just aren't interested in the game. 

The Inglis try was a joke and so was the sin bin.  There was easy half a dozen that should have been binned.  Geesus such a close match was swung by crap decisions...

Big Mal in his press conference reckons Inglis's try was fair  .....I wonder what he would have said with the boot on the other foot...???

Swagman wrote on May 23^rd, 2012 at 11:43pm:


I agree that Origin games should not be played in Victoria, but disagree that they aren't interested in watching the game down there. It was a sellout crowd at the game last night and I suspect that is why (or one of the main reasons) the game was played there.

They had me worried a bit, but in the end we pulled through. I watched the whole thing in a bush pub. (Probably the last time for me in Moura.) They are always the best for atmosphere.

I thought the ref had a good game.

the NSW ran in from 30 M away and threw a haymaker - have a rest mate.

the ball was kicked from Inglis's hand - which is illegal.

We won, NSW lost. It was a good game.

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No the point is that both teams make the sacrifice every third year alternately and it is in the interests of the game as a whole. That NSW always has a pathetic whinge about it show everyone exactly why they are struggling.

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This is already in discussion. It has been put forward for debate in the lead up to the next media negotiation, both paying bonuses to players and compensation to teams who loose players to origin. Interesting that this attitude that the club matters more than state or country is what killed it in the AFL. NSW selfishness will kill Origin.

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Rubbish, it would have been a penalty to QLD for kicking in danger.

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For fighting yes or any normal incident but that was a total brain explosion. He ran in from distance and threw a punch with intent to injure. It was a Les Boyd moment.

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NSW need to be loyal to what is an excellent team that can win this thing. There biggest impediments are their attitude to difficulty, team spirit and the idiot Coach. I see he was verbaling Harrigan today. He has no honor.

Swagman wrote on May 24^th, 2012 at 4:25pm:

Swagman wrote on May 25^th, 2012 at 8:33am:


The boy from Bowraville, my home town till 12 month ago, has never complained about playing for QLD. He was taken as a teenager from Macksville to brisbane before he played senior footy. By your theory Sterlo the boy from Toowomba should have been a QLD'er.

NSW still need to stop whinging and blaming others for their own stupidity like Jenkins sin bin, if they can they will win a series no problem. Oh that idiot of a coach will need to go too.

Ok.
You all know that I believe that the other half of a very successful Sharks 'centre' pairing that are also very successful away from the game ...should be the NSW Blues Coach.
Mark 'Sparkles/The Hammer' McGaw

I still have yet to see the recent game.
My prediction was a NSW win in a QLD won series again.
Ricky Stuart to blame the Refs as usual. He played Union where the 'rules' are rules ...unlike League, and he still can't adapt to Rugby League's 'stupidity' of rulings.
Under McGaw (runs the 'Scientific' Sports Academy with HEAPS of success), he would push the players to score tries 5 to 1 to nullify anything the Refs could 'blunder'. Its like going overseas (or to QLD to fight Mundine / team Fenech) to fight in Boxing and knowing you will need to knockout the opponent to win, not via the judges. Read Kostya's books and he'll tell ya straight about this mentality.

...so I wasn't far off in regards to the game.
Inglis scored - the ball was dislodged by a kick, he fell upon the ball again for a try.

Ricky Stuart teaches players to attack/blame the Referee and so Gallen did just that.
STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH fellas 

I also predicted this T-Rex dude to get sent off. Did this actually happen also? Was he the one sent off?

Although BIG (headswell) Mal is listed as the Greatest Aust Player, etc and belted an aged non-boxing Mark 'Jacko' Jackson (AFL) around the ring in a very anal match.
Mark McGaw is someone who always bettered Mal Meninga, as a Centre (thats when the blues began winning ) as a pair of fists and hopefully as a Coach.

I predict Mal to retire asap when news of Mark McGaw coming onto the scene let alone his lip to curl in anger at the sight of that 'sparkle' in Mark's eyes as he smiles at the QLD demise.

Ef-Off Stuart you little angry Ref biatching. Go hang out with Ian Roberts again. Maybe take a plane to Christchurch where I saw you because you couldn't cope with coaching the Sharks.

Farrah Played at the ball.

About 85% of the time this type of thing happens it is ruled as no try.

Looking at the point in the air where Slatter first touched the ball the reality is that it probably went forward, when you consider that his momentum was fwd and he landed on the line he had to have been a few feet before the line when he made contact and the ball landed closer to the try line. While you could not see this from the film it had to have been the case as it is the only way the ball could have landed where it did. Slatter clearly did not touch the ball and then drop at 90 degrees.

It_is_the_Darkness wrote on May 31^st, 2012 at 3:05pm:


the latter - the TRY.


In my view it was definatly the case and the correct interpritation is that it is a try however this is mitigated by the fact that it is only ruled this way about 15% of the time.

You often hear the commentators say things like no ball security or he didn't have control of the ball.

This is one of the more flexable areas where the refereeing decision is more related to the phase of the moon than anything which happened on the field.

THe probability is about 85% that this same incident would be ruled to be no try next time around so in that respect the referees were wrong.

It_is_the_Darkness wrote on Jun 1^st, 2012 at 9:31pm:


I think you are missing the most important issue here. The ref made it clear by the decision that the NSw player played at the ball. This means quite clearly that the ball was live. He then made it clear that the Qld player did not play at the ball, so this is a rebound. The alternates in old rules before it was allowed to use a boot to defend the line would probably have been kicking in danger penalty try.

Well, the Blues managed to scrape a win. I guess they had to. Let's see how they go in Brisbane.

There was a lot of fumbling and dropping the ball, mainly from Queensland.

John Smith wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 10:36pm:


You should have been worried. The Blues had the lions share of the ball, field position and decisions but only just managed to scrape through on a piece of total arse when Haine dropped the ball and it hit his foot, other wise it was a QLD win on what could only have been seen as a very off night. The funny thing is QLD had the sin bin this time and dam near still won but NSW can always find something to whinge about.

nairbe wrote on Jun 14^th, 2012 at 7:31pm:


Who's whinging? it's arse when the luck goes to NSw , and skill when QLD get lucky? get real ...

Dnarever wrote on Jun 14^th, 2012 at 9:16pm:


the only one NSW needs to change is that moron that let the ball bounce (forgot his name) ..... twice he let QLD score ... useless twat ... didn't once contest the ball in the air

two incidents in the game.

The ball was ruled as forced when it was bobbling around in the ingoal area, I suspect that had Qld forced the ball it would have been awarded as a try or BOD YRT TRY YRT.

When the Qld player was tackled near the sideline and the NSW player chose to not go on with it and push him into touch then he got up and played on. Had the NSW player pushed him out it would have been penalised.

Very strange decisions made no difference.

John S wrote on Jun 15^th, 2012 at 2:50pm:

Yeah - it was a rough game.

i thought NSW were better in both games.
now we have many walking wounded and they have their backs up

it's not looking good to me.

Swagman wrote on Jun 17^th, 2012 at 1:08pm:



Billy was lame in both games - a teriffic player but has done nothing in this series, Frightening that they could replace him with Inglis who may well tear us apart.

I walked away from the game at half-time.
1. I'm in NSW and they served only VB & XXXX, not Resches or Tootheys New.
2. The game was a bore of dropped bores and points scored from mishaps and as usual ...kicking.

I say this as a Blues supporter.
Ricky Stuart is so unimaginative and his style is mostly based upon - yep, ...kicking. So they plugged away with kicks to Slater. Wow - what a tactic

Thank god he ain't coaching the Blues next year and even I can agree that QLD will win Game 3 

Meninga's EGO wants a DECADE OF WINS and he can achieve that. But I'll still plug away at Mark (Sparkles / The Hammer) McGaw being the saviour of NSW and what a nice touch it would be to see Meninga snuffed out at the 9th .
Mark McGaw is Meninga's NEMESIS and he is a very successful one at that - both on field against Meninga and in his 'after league' life as well with his Science Academy of Sport ...a success just like his centre partner Ettingshausen.
Most other NRL players have to get by doing adverts or promos after football. 

I think Des Hasler will be next Coach ...but even he will fail.

Its not QLD that has to be beaten ...its MENINGA.

I definately agree Swaggie. Meninga is over-rated as a Coach, but he has the stats to back his Ego up considerably. He is the quintessential Maroon 'Big Bully' who is getting his spoiled way and 'Big Bubba' wants his Decade of Wins ...and what Big Bubba wants,

Why are rugby supporters such bogans? No wonder Swan's so into it.

Swagman wrote on Jun 26^th, 2012 at 1:43pm:


Apparently Mal does little coaching, as such. he is more the public image, the front person.
So it leaves the real coaches out of the limelight and able to focus on what they do.

Must make Abbott want to be more than Rudd is as a Queenslander, wot!

bugger me, as a blues supporter living in Qld, this is all I'm going to hear about for the next 4 weeks. ...... again ... I'm getting used to it though.

matty wrote on Jul 5^th, 2012 at 8:49pm:


yeah, why is that?

Told yas.
Nananananana

Meninga will get his PERFECT 10

...unless McGaw appears to just give him 9


Knowing NRL (and AFL ...which is like watching the Ren & Stimpy Show)
...they won't bring in McGaw.
That would be 'common sense'

Officially today on TV:

Michael Hagan is the 'brains' behind QLD
Mal Meninga is the 'father figure' (have heard of a 'pedophile' history with Mal and why he was moved to Canberra years ago  )

So Mark McGaw to over-ride Meninga like he did on the field during those NSWinning years.

Who will combat Michael Hagan?

...this is why QLD can play so pathetically and STILL WIN. 

C'mon - who has the answer?

John Smith wrote on Jul 17^th, 2013 at 10:51pm:


As a Queenslander living in NSW i will be grinning for another year, 8 in a row.

The NSW players/supporters did not  whinge about the ref this time,NSW won the penalty count so they could not use that as an excuse.

The NSW players punch like girls,fair dinkum cheap shots from the big men in NSW and they couldnt even drop someone with a free punch.