First State of Origin, 1980

The State of Origin is an annual rugby league series between the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons. 

This clip focuses on the first State of Origin game, held on 8 July 1980 at Lang Park in Brisbane. The Maroons won 20-10.

Legendary Queensland players Arthur Beetson, Wally Lewis, John Lang, Kerry Boustead, Chris Close and a young Mal Meninga (then only 20 years old) played on the day.

This first Origin match was controversial, with players representing their ‘state of origin’ rather than the state where they currently played.

Many of Queensland’s best players had been lured by the higher paying New South Wales clubs, so it made for a tense match. 

The voice-over accurately describes it as a ‘brutal encounter’. The game footage, covered brilliantly from several different angles, backs up that statement with plenty of aggro on the field.

The choice to include the original Seven Network commentary (‘it’s on for young and old now!’) emulates the feeling of watching this historic game live.

This 30-second segment is a fine example of the storytelling potential that good footage provides, even in a relatively short space of time.

This excerpt comes from the Seven News Brisbane special Queensland: Flashback 150 Years, broadcast on 30 May 2009. It was produced for the 150th anniversary of the state of Queensland. Queensland formally separated from New South Wales on 6 June 1859.

Notes by Beth Taylor