Queensland Goody two-shoes are taking the hate out of Origin | Bulldog’s Bite
Remember when we hated Queenslanders? We used to love booing their Origin villains. Now the Maroons are a bunch of Goody-two-shoes that remind me of the Brady Bunch, writes DEAN RITCHIE.
Remember the days when we hated Queenslanders? How we’d boo and jeer Wally Lewis, Gordie Tallis, Josh McGuire, Nate Myles, even Barry Gomersall.
How we laughed when Paul Gallen called them two-heads and then complained when the rotten buggers pinched Greg Inglis.
Who could forget the incessant gloating during their stomach-churning eight-year reign?
But this Queensland side reminds me of The Brady Bunch. There’s no one to loathe.
It used to be boos and blues – now it’s Goody-two-shoes.
Daly Cherry-Evans helps elderly ladies across the street. Harry Grant puts his jacket over puddles so women don’t get wet shoes. Lindsay Collins is devoutly religious.
This mob would teach June Dally-Watkins about etiquette.
How do you fire-up at these current day Cane Toads? It would be easier taking a pot shot at Mother Teresa.
As a schoolkid, Moeaki Fotuaika used to work 14-hour days picking fruit with his dad to help the family make ends meet.
Pat Carrigan was school captain at St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, while butter wouldn’t melt in Tom Dearden’s mouth. He looks like Richie Cunningham from Happy Days.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki won a scholarship at Ipswich State High while Val Holmes does charity work and visited Holy Spirit Catholic School in Queensland as part of a program promoting healthy eating and lifestyles.
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is also known for his charity work while Kalyn Ponga has had acts of kindness and generosity regularly displayed on social media.
Reuben Cotter is a loving husband and devoted father to two children while Jesse Arthars has been involved with the Starlight Foundation.
Rookie centre Robert Toia has shown enormous courage to overcome two knee reconstructions with Cam Munster a loveable larrikin.
Queensland coach Billy Slater has a smile that melts hearts. It’s please and thank you everywhere Billy goes.
They are wonderful ambassadors for rugby league but they’re taking the hate out of State of Origin.
The pre-game bullets that once flew across the border have fallen silent.
The villains in Queensland have gone, the rascals have vanished. This is shaping as a 2025 love-in.
I miss the old days when there was hostility and animosity – and I particularly miss Gallen.
Remember this line from Gallen: “It gets boring hearing Queensland talk about themselves and how they hate us. I feel the same, times a thousand.”
Gallen again in 2019: “You still have two heads.”
And what about big Blue Willie Mason, letting rip at the banana benders.
“They’re going to have 65,000 nut bag, redneck Queensland supporters supporting them and going mad and hating us,” he said.
Ricky Stuart: “Queenslanders only need to see someone eating a banana and they try and claim him.”
And what an infamous column penned by then winning Queensland coach Mal Meninga.
“The team once again stands triumphant, their success hiding the filth and rats that continue to linger in the sewers and dark corners,” Meninga said.
I won’t give up trying to find a way to put some shit on Queensland because Origin thrives on argy-bargy.
Maybe these Queensland goody-goodies are insincere or self-righteous.
But, at the moment, I’m struggling to find fault with these do-gooders.
The 2025 version of Queensland is the team you just can’t hate.
DOG TREATS
Queensland and Roosters rookie Robert Toia is only ten games into his NRL career so delving deep into his strengths and weaknesses could have been difficult for an information-starved NSW.
But fear not, NSW has the answer.
One of the men behind Toia’s success is Roosters assistant Matt King, who just happens to be on the Blues coaching staff.
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Kangaroos great Garry Jack reckons he has a ready-made replacement for the Australian coaching job should Mal Meninga be chosen as Perth Bears coach.
“I could think of no-one more suitable for the Kangaroos coaching role than Brad Fittler,” Jack said.
“Respect to (NRL great) Cameron Smith however he has no head coaching experience.”
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Anti-Bears fan and Sydney radio broadcaster Peter ‘Zorba’ Peters copped some rude phone calls when the Perth Bears were announced.
A long-term Norths critic, Peters’ mobile number was leaked to a number of Bears fans who gleefully called ‘Zorba’ to strongly express their delight.
Peters had no idea who they were given the fans carefully hid their caller ID.
Manly through-and-through, Peters is still trying to find the culprit who divulged his number.
“I don’t know which WA team will be the worst – the Perth Bears, their two unsuccessful AFL sides or their hopeless A-League team,” Peters said. “To those that rang me, you sounded like you were from the 1920s, when the Bears last won a competition.”
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Which NRL star is building a mansion just down the road from his existing beachside home? It will end speculation he may head interstate.
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PNG fans are rugby league-crazy, no doubt.
A couple of players competing in this year’s national youth under 19s competition are Benji Jonah and Fittler Jim. Not hard to work out who the youngsters were named after.
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English officials reckon Hull Kingston Rovers and Warrington can attract a whopping 15,000 fans to Las Vegas next season.
Both are known for their travelling fans with the clubs set to easily topple the 10,000 Brits who flew to America this year to watch Wigan play Warrington.
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Former NSW centre Michael Jennings scored a try in St Mary’s 30-20 win over Ryde-Eastwood Hawks in the Ron Massey Cup last weekend.
Jennings also scored a fortnight against the Bulldogs.
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