Origin abandons true home
October 31st 2008 08:24
State Of Origin - league’s pinnacle event here in Australia, played between NSW and QLD, will be staged in Melbourne, thus sucking the life out of one of the biggest drawcards in rugby league.
Honestly, its stupid.
Although crowds for test matches and Origin games in Victoria have been pleasing, there is no foreseeable way that League will take over the AFL as the most played sport in Melbourne.
Yet the ARU continues to promote a code that is not attractive to the Melbourne audience. They themselves have to stay up until midnight on occasions to see the Storm play the brand of football that has now dominated the competition for three seasons running.
The Storm alone have done a magnificent job in drawing substantial crowds to their games considering the star players they possess.
When Craig Bellamy’s men move to a new stadium in the future, crowd numbers will only enhance and the NRL inturn will prosper.
So why bring rugby league’s pinnacle event down south when it is a series that hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders and New South Welshman are keen to attend?
It is depriving true fans of the game the opportunity to see the toughest contest sport has to offer right there in the flesh - all because the ARL wants to broaden its horizons.
Indeed if rugby league in Australia wants to grow, they should play internationals in Victoria, like the Kangaroos vs. England game this Sunday night.
That too has been a success for the ARL and should do it more often.
But to bring State of Origin down to Melbourne when so few people know its history, let alone the rivalry between the two teams, is beyond a joke.
Origin is a special moment in every Queenslanders and New South Welshman’s calendar year and should not be wasted to a mere 35,000 supporters eager to see what the fuss is all about.
Not even expansion can substitute the emotion of 50,000 roaring Maroon supporters cheering on, while bearing the underdog tag.
NSW indeed turns blue when the Maroons make the trek south, with 80,000 always on hand to give them a hard time.
But when both these teams have to play one of the most emotionally charged game’s in neutral territory, the passion is simply not the same and that means the quality suffers.
Regardless of all these cons, Origin will be played at the Telstra Dome in 2009, meaning the Maroons will not have the critical two game advantage next season.
If anyone can see positives in this move it is the Blues.
They have lost the last three Origin series to the Maroons and are up against it next year.
But consider them favourites next season because they will not have to contend with a return trip to Lang Park - the true home of Origin football.
| 36 |
| Vote |
