‘It’s crap’: Michael Ennis slams ‘Queensland care more about Origin’ debate
A myth as old as the State of Origin concept itself has been slammed after NSW staved off a slice of unwanted history in Game 3.
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Former Blues dummy half Michael Ennis has taken aim at the idea that State of Origin means more to Queensland than it does NSW.
NSW’s 24-10 win in game three of the 2023 State of Origin series saw the Blues avoid the first clean sweep in 13 years, flipping the script on the heavily favoured Maroons in Sydney.
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Queensland had already wrapped up the series heading into the match at Sydney’s Accor Stadium after claiming a 26-18 win in Adelaide in Game 1 before thrashing NSW 32-6 in game two.
While the series was already gone, the Blues had both state pride and the players’ individual futures in the Origin arena on the line and responded in kind.
And while the players went to work on the field, a crowd of over 75,000 fans turned out, despite the fact it was a dead rubber.
After the match on the Fox League post-game coverage, the fans were getting rowdy around reporter Jake Duke.
Moving away from the cross, Yvonne Sampson said: “Who says Queensland get Origin more than NSW — those fans are elated.”
She added that although it didn’t stop Queensland from claiming the series, it showed what the win meant to NSW players and fans.
“It’s crap, it really is,” Ennis said. “That people say Queensland care more about Origin than us, it really is.
“When NSW were dominant for periods then everyone gets on the back of how good NSW are going, is this going to be a dynasty?
“And then when Queensland get going again, it’s how Queensland love Origin more than us. It’s rubbish. And I thought NSW showed it tonight.
“Back at home, in front of their own fans, it was a galvanising performance, it really was.”
Sampson said it was impressive that over 75,000 fans turned up for what was meant to be a dead rubber, which shows the State of Origin concept is alive and well in NSW.
“I’m not by any means getting cock-a-hoop about … we lost the series,” Ennis continued. “That’s the cold hard facts. And we need to turn that around next year and I think we can turn it around and I think we showed that with the quality of players we’ve got down here. We can turn it around.
“Queensland have been brilliant and they deserve the series win. They really do. Their first two games were exceptional and as nice as it was to see them win tonight, ultimately we didn’t win the series.”
The argument around whether Queensland care more about State of Origin has been going on as long as the concept has been around.
But in recent seasons, it has seemingly had a resurgence.
Last season, Andrew Johns slammed a panel which contained Queensland legends Paul Vautin and Cameron Smith, later explaining it was because of how much his Blues jersey meant to him.
“The Blues jersey means everything to me and I find it insulting and a kick in the guts when they talk about their jersey meaning more to them. It gets me so emotional,” Johns explained.
“I’d love to get ‘em, all the halfbacks who have played for Queensland. (Daly) Cherry-Evans. ‘Does your jersey mean more than my jersey?’. And I know what the answer is – ‘no’.
“I said on the night — it’s bulls**t, it’s all bulls**t.
“Where was this ‘It means more to them’ (narrative) in Perth in the second half when we put on 30 points? I can show clips of guys walking when they were tired for Queensland, which is a sign that … does their jersey mean more to (them) when they’re walking and they’re running past and scoring? It’s a myth.
“For people to say it, it is insulting to anyone who has bled and got injured and done everything they can for the NSW jersey when they’re playing.”
It came after a debate on Fox League’s NRL 360 at the time about a perceived lack of passion from the NSW players to their Maroons counterparts.
Having gone through an era where Queensland have won 14 of the last 18 series, it’s easy for fans to believe the Maroons always come up clutch.
But although Queensland have now won the last two series’ and three of the last four, it was just three seasons ago that the Maroons were in the same situation.
The Blues had a 50-6 and 26-0 win in the opening two matches, before a thrilling 20-18 loss in the final game. Even more incredibly, all three matches were played in Queensland due to Covid restrictions.
However the Blues have been unable to rediscover the same form since, which has seen Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans hoist the shield the last two seasons.
Originally published as ‘It’s crap’: Michael Ennis slams ‘Queensland care more about Origin’ debate
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