State against state, mate against mate. Its that time of year again; State of Origin is upon us, as Queensland and New South Wales prepare to do battle in Origin I on the 5th of June. Watching from afar, I always wait for the middle of the year when Australias greatest sporting rivalry commences, and despite my beloved Blues not recording a series win since the return of King Joey in 2005, I still tune in with expectation and excitement as these two great rivals go head to head in the annual three-match, inter-state series. For any Rugby League fan, or sports fan in general for that matter, State of Origin should be top of the viewing list, or at least a high priority, and it provides a truly magnificent spectacle year upon year. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Premier Sports now holds the rights for all southern hemisphere Rugby League shown in the UK, the vast majority of people will not be able to tune in this year, and that really is a shame, and people are really missing out. Anyway, enough blabbering from me, lets get on with the 5 reasons
5. The Rivalry
The fact that its touted as Australias Greatest Sporting Rivalry says it all; these two sides hate each other, and the way that the game is played during the series really reflects it. The intensity is something else, something that is rarely replicated in any other game of either code of Rugby (although a few games between Australia and New Zealand have come close). The series is practically played under a different, almost no-holds-barred set of rules, and it really adds another dimension and a bit of edge to the game. Although this is not to everyones taste, it really does make for a more interesting spectacle. The edge that the rivalry provides obviously sends the players over the edge sometimes, which leads nicely onto my next point