Something I've noticed is the youngins nowadays don't understand the History of Qld versus NSW and why State of Origin is so important. Just a repost of some information for all the youngins.
The Qld versus NSW hatred around State of Origin times is due to NSW "cheating" from 1908-1980. NSW used to stack their team with Qld players who would go to Sydney to play in the richer NSWRL competition. That's why State of Origin was introduced in 1980, so legends and true Queenslanders like Arthur Beetson, Chris Close, Kerry Boustead etc etc could play for their preferred home team Qld. That's also why the first 10-15 years of State of Origin were so intense.
Ever seen the movie Braveheart? Queenslanders felt like William Wallace (Mel Gibson's character) rising up against the evil overlords. It was pure hatred at times. That famous QUEENSLANDER chant (started by Gary Belcher in the 80s, not Billy Moore in the 90s) was so significant, "to the last man, to the last bullet" I heard Wayne Bennet once describe it. It was more than just a game of football. When Qld win it is Good triumphing over Evil. The honourable triumphing over the "less than honourable".
Nowadays the State versus State rivalry isn't as intense as it used to be, its more like professional footballers just playing a game of footy, albeit at an extraordinary high level.
Lets just hope the right team wins - Qld!