In the Australian sporting world, there are no other state rivalries that come close to arousing the passions of Rugby League's State of Origin. The series that pits state against state, and mate against mate, produces some of the year's most thrilling on-field action and guarantees to entertain.
Before the kick-off of tonight's big match, study up on Origin trivia, and you can bore your mates with some of these interesting facts.
• Queensland won the first State of Origin, in 1980, 20-10. The game was played in front of 33,000
fans.
• Queensland have won 39 matches, to New South Wales' 38 (including one exhibition).
• In 1987, a fourth State of Origin match was played in Long Beach, California, in front of 13,000 puzzled Americans.
• The first drawn State of Origin series was in 1999, when the third match ended at 10-all.
• Queensland's King Wally won a
record eight man of the match awards.
• Allan Langer had the most appearance in State of Origin, with 34 games for the
Maroons, and was the oldest player, at 35 years and 331 days.
• New South Welshman Ryan Girdler scored the most points in a State of Origin Game, scoring three tries and kicking ten goals to total 32 points in Game 3 of 2000.
• The biggest Origin crowd was 88,336 at Stadium Australia for Match 2 in 1999.
• The most points scored in an Origin game was 72, in the
Blues' 56-16 flogging of the Maroons in Match 3 in 2000.
• The least points scored in a match were when Queensland beat New South Wales, 2-0 in Match 1, 1995.
What's your favourite Origin memory? Leave your comments below.
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