State of Origin Buzz: TV ratings reveal huge audience for Adelaide match

Rugby league’s record-breaking run continues with a huge national audience tuning in to watch the Maroons win the opening Origin game of 2023.

Cameron Smith's halftime address to the Maroons as coach Billy Slater looks on.

Rugby league’s season of record-breaking TV ratings has continued on State of Origin night.

Channel Nine finished with its highest Origin audience since game one in 2018, attracting a viewership of 3.421 million – up 300,000 on the game three decider last year.

The figure breakdown was 1.981 million (metro), 904,000 (regional) and 536,000 on the streaming service 9Now - a figure that could have been higher if 9Now had not kept crashing.

The fact the scoreline chopped and changed throughout the match kept viewers engaged.

The audience is still well down on the halcyon days of a decade ago when more than four million watched the final game of the series in Laurie Daley’s first year coaching the Blues in 2013.

But the NRL and Nine were delighted with the final figures.

Origin I drew a massive national audience. Picture: Getty Images

THE ONLY WAY FOR FITTLER TO SAVE HIS JOB

Freddy Fittler is 80 minutes away from being axed as the NSW Blues State of Origin coach.

After losing two of the past three series, he has to win this year to save his job.

The Blues again went into the game as raging hot favourites, despite losing Latrell Mitchell.

And there were no excuses. We were out-coached and beaten by a better side. Simple as that.

Our discipline was poor in the early stages and Queensland grabbed two tries off NSW penalties to lead 10-0 after just 11 minutes.

The Blues did so well to come back and grab the lead early in the second half. But the Maroons were just too powerful at the end.

Late tries to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Cameron Munster sealed the win.

History shows it’s going to be hard for Fittler to win the series from here to save his job.

Since the introduction of a three-game series in 1982, the team that has won the opening game has gone on to win the series on 30 occasions (from 41 series). So it’s not looking good.

Brad Fittler’s spot as coach is under pressure. Picture: Getty

Fittler is a wonderful ambassador for the Blues and does so much great work in the community. But it’s not enough.

This job is all about winning Origin games.

On paper we had the best side yet finished on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

So where to now for NSW in Brisbane? NSW should bring back Latrell Mitchell although his replacement Stephen Crichton was outstanding.

Blues halfback Nathan Cleary was below his best but has to be retained.

The Blues will stick by skipper James Tedesco but on reputation only. He has struggled for much of the year at the Roosters and again was below his best.

Understandably there will be some pushing for Penrith’s Dylan Edwards, the Clive Churchill Medal winner from last year’s grand final victory.

For Queensland it was another remarkable victory.

They were down to 12 men in the dying stages but still finished the strongest.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Reece Walsh celebrate. Picture: Getty

CAMERON SMITH’S ROLE RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS

There was much talk during the game around Cameron Smith’s role.

He’s been a polarising figure in Origin since he first wore the Maroons jersey 20 years ago and this was no different.

How can you have a man working in the Channel 9 commentary box and coaching the Maroons at the same time?

Smith sat alongside Andrew Johns and Mat Thompson to call the game.

He was also seen in the Maroons dressing room barking out instructions at halftime.

Billy Slater was sitting there looking on as Smith addressed the troops.

The question needs to be asked … is this a conflict of interest?

You could also argue that Andrew Johns is part of the NSW coaching staff … but he wasn’t in the sheds at halftime.

Freddy did all the talking.

Surely you can’t double dip and do two jobs on the one night.

As an Origin commentator your job is to tactically analyse the game and inform the audience.

Surely Smith wouldn’t be giving away anything from the Maroons inner sanctum. And that’s where it becomes a such grey area.

Cameron Smith's halftime address to the Maroons as coach Billy Slater looks on.

FANS GIVE NAVY JERSEY THUMBS DOWN

Peter Wynn owns Australia’s biggest rugby league merchandise store.

He’s been in Parramatta for 35 years and no one has a better read on fans and footy, jerseys and beanies and the not-so-popular items that quickly finish up in a sale bin.

This year the former NSW Blues and Parramatta Eels legend has not sold the navy-blue jersey that NSW players wore on to Adelaide Oval on Wednesday night.

And he said there had been zero demand for it.

“We’re only selling the traditional sky blue – that’s the one fans still want,” Wynn said. “No one is walking in and asking for the navy-blue one.”

The navy-blue jersey has received a massive thumbs down from fans. The NSWRL administration has come under fire on social media for putting commercial interests with extra jersey sales ahead of tradition.

Wynn said he would eventually stock the navy jersey next month but in smaller numbers.

“Once they’re seen on TV, some fans will want one,” he said. “We weren’t even told they were wearing an alternate strip. We read about it in the paper.”

Wynn wore the traditional jersey himself back in 1984 and 1985 for the Blues.

“I don’t know why they’ve changed,” he said. “I’m just a traditionalist. And I actually feel sorry for all the fans in Blatchys Blues who have their traditional colours.”

NSW’s navy-blue jersey is not a hit with fans. Picture: Getty

HIGHLIGHT

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. He beat Dane Gagai to a spot in Billy Slater’s team and cemented his place at Origin level by burning NSW with a brilliant two-try performance.

LOWLIGHT

The same lowlight as last year. And the year before that. The ridiculously late kick-off time. And Channel 9 wonders why it has lost one million viewers in a decade. When there are so many other choices with the TV remote these days, the time-friendly viewer options win out.

$5M COUP

The NRL might have struggled to fill all seats at Adelaide Oval but it didn’t hurt its bottom line. The South Australian government paid $5m to host the game in the City of Churches. Next year the Victorian government will pay the same amount to host a game in Melbourne.

INTERSTATE INVASION

Around 15,000 fans at the big game came from NSW and Queensland – the rest were locals. Adelaide Tourism officials said hotels had their highest midweek occupancy rate in more than a decade.

Adelaide Rams fans at Origin on Wednesday night.

SPOTTED I

Some diehard Adelaide fans using the Origin occasion to campaign for the return of the Rams when the NRL’s next round of expansion arrives.

SPOTTED II

NRL executives Graham Annesley, Grant Williams and Glenn Jackson having lunch in Adelaide at a restaurant called Part Time Lover.

SPOTTED III

Premier Chris Minns copying the Gladys Berejiklian pose with the Blues gear on social media on Origin eve.

Chris Minns copies Gladys Berejiklian’s Origin pose.

How Gladys did it first.

SHOOSH

With Origin out of the way, Maroons hooker Ben Hunt is soon to break his silence on his NL future. We’re told he’s already had talks with Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo. He is under contract for next year but is no certainty to stay.

360 VIEW

Catch you on NRL 360 for a special State of Origin review with Braith Anasta, Gordy Tallis, James Hooper and NSW Blues chief adviser Greg Alexander before the women’s State of Origin game from CommBank Stadium, which kicks off at 7.45pm.

Originally published as State of Origin Buzz: TV ratings reveal huge audience for Adelaide match