Today we take a look at where the State of Origin should be played and whether or not Michael Maguire's "glass houses" comments hit the mark in Origin's off-field battle.
Read on as we tackle some of the big talking points in this week's State of Origin Real or Not.
Origin should be kept in the competing states for the real fans
NOT REAL: The 2024 State of Origin series moves to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a pivotal Game II, with Queensland up 1-0. It will be the sixth game played at the venue where the record crowd for Origin was set in 2015 at 91,513. The self-proclaimed "Sporting Capital of Australia" has a proud reputation for attending big sporting events, no matter what the code. There have also been three games at Melbourne's other premier venue, Marvel Stadium, where the average attendance was just shy of 54,000.
A hot topic of debate just about every year is whether Origin should be shared with the non-believers. There is a strong train of thought that regardless of the commercial rewards, the ultimate battle between New South Wales and Queensland should always be hosted by either of the two states. The old system of alternating two home games between Queensland and New South Wales each year has a lot of fans, but it overlooks one important factor; it is hard to fill Sydney's Olympic Stadium once, let alone twice.
The cost of taking your family to a State of Origin game has become so restrictive, that not many families are in the position to attend two games in the one year. Financially, attending one game can be a stretch, especially when you compare it to having a party at home. The 2024 series opener saw 77,214 fans through the gates, but when Sydney has hosted two games in the past, the numbers are usually way down, particularly if the series is decided before the third game.
It is a much better prospect to share the experience around the other states, to showcase rugby league at its pinnacle, and maybe even win over a fan or two. Capital cities jostle for a slice of the Origin action, as they know that thousands of Blues and Maroons fans will travel for the experience. With talk of a second NRL team in New Zealand, what better promotion than to take an Origin clash to Eden Park? It would be the ultimate destination Origin, with Australian fans making a holiday out of the trip across the ditch, and Kiwi fans having a chance to enjoy the Origin experience live.
Rugby league may never take over the world, but its survival does depend on growth, and sharing the State of Origin around is one it its premier promotional tools.
'Glass houses' line not a high point for Madge
REAL: In the lead up to Origin games, the media is constantly scratching around for a new angle, preferably one that illustrates the animosity between the two states. You can't promote a series that is based on a mutual hatred, without trying to stir up some evidence of that ill feeling.
With Queensland coach Billy Slater quite vocal about the mistreatment of fullback Reece Walsh in Game I, the media was out to dig up a response from New South Wales coach Michael Maguire. And so Maguire was asked what he thought of the suggestion coming out of the Queensland camp that Walsh was deliberately targeted in the series opener. His response was cryptic at best.
"You've got to make sure that you don't live in glass houses, that's all I'll say," Maguire cryptically replied.
"Things happen on the field. Joey is a special human being, and for him to have to deal with that. He'll be in and around the camp at some stage, but things happen on the field.
"It's glass houses. Interesting.
"He's my player, they're my players. If you want to have a crack at our players, we're about us and what we're doing, and you've got to make sure that when you're with your players that you look after them. That's what I'm doing."
It was an answer that left the media, the fans and the Queenslanders scratching their heads for days, which may have been Madge's plan all along. But, for the theatre of it all, I would have preferred him to say something like: "Yes, I painted a target on Reece Walsh, and I'll be doing it again for Game II. If he wants to run the ball, he does so at his own risk."
Of course these days a coach can't be heard saying that his team is out to harm another player, even if it is close to the truth.