NSWRL unveil ‘terrible’ anthem ahead of State of Origin series opener

NSWRL have unveiled a new anthem ahead of the State of Origin series, which will unite “vegans, vegetarians and bacon lovers”.

New South Wales Rugby League have unveiled a new anthem ahead of Game One of the 2020 State of Origin series.

Titled “We All Bleed Blue”, the anthem will make its debut when Adelaide Oval hosts its maiden Origin match on Wednesday evening.

NSWRL Chief Commercial Officer Jodie Cross said: “Our fans are one of the strongest, loudest and proudest supporter groups in Australian sporting history.

“This year, we will no doubt see and hear them at Adelaide Oval and Suncorp Stadium singing the ‘We all Bleed Blue’ anthem, loud and proud.”

New South Wales Blues coach Brad Fittler said: “While the match-watching experience has been restricted due to social distancing norms, the State of Origin fever remains the same and the Blues fans never fail to celebrate, cheering loud and proud. Now they will be armed with a new anthem.”

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The anthem’s lyrics serve as a call to arms, unifying “vegans, vegetarians and bacon lovers”, while also warning players to be wary of “slippery cane toads”.

Initial reaction from the rugby league community was mixed, with plenty of fans poking fun at the lyrics on social media.

Sports reporter Mark Gottlieb tweeted: “Even if you ignore the current political firestorm around the actual anthem this is next level dumb.

“New South Wales deserve to lose for this alone … the song is terrible!”

NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler.

The announcement comes after the NRL quickly backflipped on its decision to scrap the national anthem for the State of Origin series.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called ARLC chairman Peter V’landys on Thursday morning, imploring the NRL to reconsider getting rid of the anthem.

The decision inevitably prompted plenty of debate, but former Australian netballer Liz Ellis argued the Welcome to Country holds greater value in domestic sport than the national anthem.

“The rugby league hierarchy will be at the Olympics next year doing gymnastics with the speed of that backflip,” Ellis said on Channel 9’s Sports Sunday.

“Before the Super Netball Grand Final, there was a welcome to country, which was beautiful, and it was beautifully done. And I think there’s a place for that. I think that’s probably got a lot more place in a domestic setting than the national anthem does, especially when it’s done so well as we see now in a number of different codes.”

"Surely the anthem is about international sport"

The Origin anthem debate rolls on.

STREAM: https://t.co/S3fmXFtifH #9SportsSunday #9WWOS #Origin pic.twitter.com/IdhZmxeMCY

— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) October 31, 2020

WE ALL BLEED BLUE LYRICS

It was 40 years ago today

On a patch of hallowed grass

Artie took a swipe at Mick

And sat him on his arse

From Tommy down to our mate Boyd

It’s been a journey long

We bring our humble song to you

So you can sing along

We all bleed blue

We all bleed blue

Vegans vegetarians and bacon lovers too

Now beware of slippery cane toads

Or they’ll slip in for a try

Smith or Thurston or Billy the Kid

They could make a Blatchy cry

Well it wasn’t all that long ago

The blue skies turned maroon

No matter how well our team played

Our hopes and dreams seemed doomed

We all bleed blue

We all bleed blue

Butchers and accountants

And keepers at the zoo

Then one day a chap named Freddy

He’d learned a thing or two

It’s not for me or the team we play

But the fans that bleed for you

And from brick veneers and fibro shacks

From Bondi Beach to Bourke and back

Freddy heard a distant sound

That grew and grew ‘til it shook the ground

We all bleed blue

We all bleed blue

We all bleed blue

We all bleed blue

We all bleed blue

We all bleed blue

Everywhere across our state