Origin, Already?

Sydney media seems to suggest it is State of Origin time already. They’re naming halfbacks, captains and why they (NSW) will win ... in April. REALLY? State of Origin series are not won in April and certainly are not won on the back of newspapers.

G’day folks, I hope you all enjoyed your Easter break. I spent mine in Sydney, rugby league heartland (at least in media land), and had a great time. I was going to talk this week about television scheduling but apparently, it’s State of Origin time already!

Origin in Newspapers

If you have picked up or clicked through to Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph in the last two weeks you would be forgiven for thinking the 2010 Origin series was about to kick-off. They’re talking about who should be in the NSW team, they need a captain, why Darren Lockyer is ‘too old, too slow’ and the reason why they have a squad that is destined to end Queensland’s four year streak.

I love State of Origin but REALLY!! Hold the phone, we’re barely in April and Origin I is late May!! It’s great that maybe Sydney has a bit of passion for the 2010 series but State of Origin is not won in newspapers.

I would suggest everyone down there take a break and enjoy the NRL for a little while. Origin time will come around soon enough but there’s absolutely no point in declaring Mitchell Pearce the NSW halfback and searching high and low for a captain.

But then again I’m a Queenslander and don’t really care what they’re doing down in Sydney.

Darren Lockyer

I would be lying to say there has been absolutely no Origin talk in Brisbane this season, because there has. It has all revolved around Darren Lockyer and following his announcement to play-on in 2010; all Queensland Origin talk here will disappear until we’re just about ready to pick the team for Game One.

As I’m sure most of you know, Lockyer announced on Tuesday he would once again be available for representative football this season. I must admit, leading up to the announcement I had no idea which way Locky would go.

As a Broncos fan and season member I would like to see Lockyer at the Broncos for the duration of the season. Everyone can see that now the club needs him more than ever. I also think Queensland is in very good hands with Scott Prince and Cooper Cronk waiting on the sidelines.

On the other hand I can’t wait to see him go around again. I wasn’t around to see the likes of Wally Lewis and Peter Sterling play and didn’t know enough about the game to really appreciate the likes of Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart at their best.

Darren Lockyer is the best player I have ever seen (and I remember seeing him in his debut season). He has absolutely earned the right to do with rep football whatever he likes and as usual, will be first picked for the Maroons this season.

Sydney Football Stadium

On Friday night I made my first trip to the SFS since probably 1998. I really enjoyed it ... General Admission seating was good with patrons able to sit pretty much wherever they wanted. We could get nice and close to the action and the Roosters fans created a good atmosphere.

Of course I am comparing it to the venue I visit most, Suncorp Stadium. A couple of things I thought the SFS lacked included the replay and sound facilities. I thought both were poor (and this might be a Roosters thing, not sure). Whenever a try was set to be replayed a sponsorship ad was splashed on the screen, meaning fans could see nothing of the points just scored.

Also, we could not hear the ground announcer all evening. Fans I’m sure want to hear who just scored the try and who has been replaced. These are two little things I noticed but overall I would be happy to go back.

And thanks to the Roosters fans who weren’t too hard on those of us sporting Broncos apparel!!

TIPPING
Tips – Brisbane, Melbourne, Souths, Cowboys, Bulldogs, Manly, Penrith, Parramatta
Last Week – 3/8
Total – 17/32

Thanks for reading and as always you can find me on email, andrew.keyte@gmail.com, twitter (@keyto316), over at Sports Australia and Facebook.

See you next week,
Keyto