State of Origin Confidential: Origin receives second-highest rating in 10 years; Blues need Latrell, will he answer the call?
Wednesday night’s State of Origin clash was the highest-rating opening game for nearly a decade, but the Matildas still hold an edge. Read all the fallout from Origin I.
It was the highest rating opening game for nearly a decade but Wednesday night’s State of Origin clash still couldn’t topple the Matildas.
It is understood the Maroons’ rampaging 38-10 win in Origin I at Accor Stadium attracted an average audience of 3.6 million, including 760,000 on streaming services.
That made it the biggest rugby league game on streaming but second to the Matildas from last year.
The Matildas v England World Cup semi-final peaked at 11.15 million Channel 7, with an average audience of 7.13 million on free-to-air tv and streaming services with more than seven million Aussies watched the Matildas fall 3-1 to England.
But in rugby league terms, the figures are a huge win for the NRL as Origin celebrated its biggest viewership since Game Three of the 2017 series.
Almost 2 million fans tuned into Channel 9’s coverage of the Maroons mauling in metropolitan areas (1.98m), while regional (861,000) and streaming (760,000) audiences took the total viewership to 3.598 million.
It was one million more than the 2.6 million who watched last year’s Game Three dead rubber in Sydney and Origin’s highest-rating series opener since 2016.
The 2023 series had a total audience of 9.2 million, including 3.4m in Game One, which was eclipsed by the Maroons running riot in last night’s 2024 opener.
The figures will further fuel ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys’ desire to take the State of Origin showpiece to New Zealand in 2027.
V’landys was rapt with the latest TV ratings and is ready to turn Origin into an international beast by heading to Auckland as a neutral venue.
“We’re in talks with New Zealand officials about an Origin game over there, absolutely,” he said.
“The Warriors have done a wonderful job for the game, Cameron George (CEO) and his team have been brilliant, and we would love to see an Origin game in New Zealand.”
Blues send SOS to Latrell Mitchell
-Brent Read and Michael Carayannis
South Sydney superstar Latrell Mitchell was overlooked for the opening game of the State of Origin series at Accor Stadium but he needs to be brought back into the fold for game two.
The Blues need him. NSW coach Michael Maguire needs him. Mitchell had a slow start to the year but he is desperate to play for the Blues again, something he made clear in a social media post only days before Origin I.
Mitchell insisted that he bleeds blue. Now is the time to show it as the Blues head to Melbourne and a jam-packed MCG hoping to avoid a third series defeat in succession.
Parramatta half Mitchell Moses will no doubt get a look-in as well given he would likely have been there before the series began and produced an inspirational performance on his return to the field last week.
Mitchell, however, will be the story over the next fortnight. He has the potential to win the series on his own and after a slow start to the year, he has begun to look in ominous form for the Rabbitohs.
His shadow now looms large over the series as the Blues fight to keep it alive after a devastating defeat on home soil.
NSW were on a hiding to nothing once Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was given his marching orders on Wednesday night.
Suaalii has spent most of the year on the wing and the decision to select him in the centres is now open for debate given the way he ironed out Reece Walsh.
While some of Queensland’s finest questioned the decision to dismiss Suaalii – legends Paul Vautin and Cameron Smith among them – the Sydney Roosters youngster lost control and paid the price.
It may cost him his sky blue jersey as well as Maguire mulls over whether to recall Mitchell for a trip to Victoria and game that may decide whether his first year in the job is a success or failure.
The Blues will need something special to topple this Queensland side under the coaching of Billy Slater and few players are as capable of the spectacular as Mitchell.
The Rabbitohs superstar has two weeks to show what he can do. Souths play the Gold Coast and Brisbane, giving Mitchell the chance to press his claims against the two Queensland teams.
How fitting.
NINE STAR’S BABY SURPRISE
Triple M NRL and Nine Network star Emma Lawrence has revealed that she and partner Thomas Blucher-Hughes are expecting their first child.
Lawrence, one of the most popular and respected figures in rugby league, will be front and centre in Nine’s coverage of the opening State of Origin game at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.
Less than 24 hours earlier, she posted a picture on Instagram alongside Blucher-Hughes – a senior producer on Nine’s rugby league coverage – celebrating their big news.
“Off-season about to get busy!” Lawrence wrote on social media.
“We can’t wait to meet you little one.”
Among those to send their congratulations were Lawrence’s brother, former Wests Tigers and Australian centre Chris Lawrence.
The likeable Lawrence has become a popular figure in the media in recent seasons, hosting Thursday night coverage on Triple M and stalking the sidelines with the Nine Network.
SPOTTED
EMOTIONAL PRESENTATION FOR BLUES
The Blues held an emotional jersey presentation on Tuesday night and there were some surprise appearances. None more surprising than former NSW forward Trent Merrin.
Merrin, a veteran of 13 games for the Blues, helped present a maiden jersey to his former St George Illawarra teammate Zac Lomax, the pair having forged a bond that stems from their time together at the Dragon.
Lomax’s father was also on hand to help celebrate his son’s Origin debut, as were family members for the Blues’ other four rookies – Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Cam McInnes, Spencer Leniu and Haumole Olakau’atu.
The other members of the Blues squad were presented their jerseys by the five members of the coaching staff who played Origin – Paul Sironen, Boyd Cordner, Matt King, John Cartwright and Brett White.
The Blues’ rookies had plenty of support at the game as well. Origin players are generally given six tickets apiece and the rookies were handed an additional four on top of that.
Lomax, Suaalii and Olakau’atu paid for an extra 20 tickets each out of their own pocket as they ensured their nearest and dearest would get the chance to see them pull on the sky blue jersey.
No one was more carefree with his cash than Angus Crichton. The experienced back rower celebrated his recall by paying for more than 30 tickets out of his own pocket.
BLUES RESTRICT MEDIA
NSW brushed the usual game day media opportunity which had been part of most camps in recent years. Instead they restricted the media to shooting vision of the team going for a walk on Wednesday.
Usually an assistant coach fronts the media – generally for TV and radio journalists – but not this time around.
Greg Alexander had done it previously when he was part of the NSW set-up. Josh Hannay fronted up for the Maroons.
HIGHLIGHT
Liam Martin could hold his high after producing an inspirational performance for an undermanned NSW side. Nothing summed up his performance like his shot on J’maine Hopegood in the second half as he flew out of the line and ironed out the Queensland back rower.
LOWLIGHT
The send off of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Reece Walsh didn’t know what hit him. Referee Ashley Klein didn’t hesitate and the game was robbed of two superstars.
SPOTTED
Injured NSW star Tom Trbojevic earning his keep on the sidelines before kick-off, taking a camera and snapping a few images for the Blues. Trbojevic would have been front and centre but for a hamstring injury. Instead, bother Jake was left to fly the flag for the family as he led the Blues into battle.
SPOTTED
The coach whisperer Bradley Charles Stubbs, a close ally of NSW coach Michael Maguire, made an appearance at Queensland training on Tuesday where he got himself a selfie with Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans. Stubbs was Maguire’s mind coach when South Sydney won the premiership in 2014 and previously worked with former Queensland coach Kevin Walters in the Origin arena. It is understood he has no official role with the Blues but was in contact with Maguire in the lead to Origin I. That didn’t stop him casting his eye over the Maroons on Origin eve.
SPOTTED
Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh along with ex-NSW stars Anthony Minichiello, Craig Wing, Trent Hodkinson and Josh Morris, who were the stars of a members function at Accor Stadium.
SPOTTED
Injured NSW hopeful Dylan Edwards sitting alongside Michael Maguire in the coaching box.
WARRIOR SHOW HIS BLUE COLOURS
Warriors coach Andrew Webster took a light hearted stab at the Kiwis as he showed his clear allegiance to NSW. “It annoys me,” Webster of New Zealander’s generally supporting Queensland. “It’s the only thing I don’t like about New Zealand.”
WOODS GIVEAWAY
Former NSW prop Aaron Woods gave away a prized possession to his Instagram followers. Woods offered a signed 2014 NSW jersey from their series winning team. All someone had to do was pick the score and the man of the match.
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