Have We Been Thinking About State of Origin All Wrong?

Joel Johnston

Editor

Last updated: Thu 19 Feb 2026 11:11

Joel Johnston 19 Feb 2026

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State of Origin seen beyond NSW vs Queensland rivalry.
Rise in international rugby emphasizes Origin as independent spectacle.
Expanding Origin's reach can strengthen and grow rugby league.

Payne Haas of the Blues is tackled by Tom Dearden of the Maroons. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Have We Been Thinking About State of Origin All Wrong?

For as long as I can remember, we’ve treated State of Origin like it exists in isolation. NSW versus Queensland. That’s it. That’s the product. That’s the rivalry. That’s the whole conversation.

Have We Been Thinking About State of Origin All Wrong?
Origin Was Built on Rivalry. It Can Now Drive Growth.
Origin Is Not an Australian Trial Anymore
Taking Origin to New Zealand Isn’t Dilution. It’s Ambition.
The Bigger Picture

But after talking it through on the podcast this week, I keep coming back to the same thought. What if we’ve been thinking about Origin all wrong?

Because the game around it has changed. And maybe Origin has to change with it.

Origin Was Built on Rivalry. It Can Now Drive Growth.

When Origin was created, it was built for one thing - tribal warfare. Queensland versus New South Wales. Mate against mate. State pride. That edge and that hostility is what made it the greatest spectacle in rugby league.

And none of that has to disappear. But the landscape around it is completely different now. The Pacific nations are legitimate forces. Tonga and Samoa are not romantic underdogs anymore. They are serious international teams stacked with NRL stars. New Zealand remains a powerhouse. England are investing heavily.

Origin used to double as an Australian trial match in disguise. That’s not really what it is anymore.

With new eligibility rules being presented in 2026, the international game has separated itself from Origin. Allegiances are more fluid. Players can represent other nations and still play Origin. The global game is stronger than it has been in decades.

So instead of asking whether Origin should stay locked in its traditional box, maybe we should be asking a different question. Can Origin be used to grow the game even further?

Origin Is Not an Australian Trial Anymore

For years, Origin had this underlying tension. If you played Origin, you were effectively in the Kangaroos conversation. It felt like a pathway. Almost an audition. Now that’s no longer automatic.

We’ve seen players represent Tonga or Samoa at international level while still playing State of Origin. That shift alone changes the way we should view the concept.

Origin does not belong to the Australian jersey anymore. It belongs to the NRL competition. It belongs to the rivalry. That actually frees it up.

It allows Origin to exist as its own premium product, separate from the Kangaroos, separate from international politics. It doesn’t have to be a stepping stone. It can just be what it is. The biggest event in Australian rugby league.

And if that’s the case, why are we so afraid of exploring what it could become?

Taking Origin to New Zealand Isn’t Dilution. It’s Ambition.

One of the ideas that sparks immediate outrage is the thought of taking Origin to New Zealand. The instinctive reaction is that it weakens the product. That it dilutes tradition. I don’t see it that way.

If the NRL can take the season opener to Las Vegas and sell it as a global statement, why is Auckland suddenly off limits for Origin?

If 40,000 passionate Kiwi fans pack out a stadium to watch the two best teams in the sport go at it, that doesn’t shrink Origin. It amplifies it. It shows confidence. It says the product is strong enough to travel.

Protecting tradition is important. But protecting it so tightly that it can’t evolve is a mistake. The best sporting events in the world grow. They expand. They test new markets. They build new audiences. Origin can do that without losing what makes it special.

The Bigger Picture

The NRL is clearly modernising. Aggressively. International eligibility has evolved. The Pacific influence is rising. The game is pushing into new markets and broadcast strategy is shifting, the commercial ambition is obvious.

Origin sits right in the middle of all of that. We can either treat it like a museum piece, locked behind glass and preserved exactly as it was in 1995. Or we can treat it like what it actually is. The most powerful brand in rugby league.

And powerful brands don’t survive by standing still, they grow. Origin doesn’t shrink when it evolves. It gets stronger. The rivalry stays. The intensity stays. The hatred definitely stays, but the reach expands.

Maybe we haven’t been thinking about State of Origin all wrong, maybe we’ve just been thinking about it too narrowly. And if the NRL is serious about growing the game, Origin might be its biggest opportunity.