Interstate Rugby League in Australia (1908–1981)

The Interstate Rugby League Series refers to Australian Rugby league matches played between the New South Wales rugby league team, colloquially known as the 'Blues', and the Queensland rugby league team, known as the 'Maroons', between 1908 and 1981. The Interstate Series concept was based upon the state of residency of the player, however, due to NSW disinterest from 1962 to 1981, the State of Origin concept was initiated in 1980, and after two successful years with single matches, the subsequent origin concept became a three game series and the Interstate Series was scrapped in 1982.

History Since the beginning of Australian rugby league in 1908, an interstate competition between New South Wales and Queensland has been conducted from almost annually (except during World War I, the Spanish Flu epidemic and World War II). Until 1982 each team drew its players from the clubs based in that state. No consideration was given to the origins of the players themselves.

The first of these interstate games was played at Sydney's Agricultural Ground on 11 July 1908, before Queensland had even commenced its club competition. New South Wales easily accounted for Queensland in a 43–0 victory. The local media were unimpressed.

'There can be no doubt the NSW men are improving a good deal... They cannot be blamed for the farce, for it was nothing else. If the Australian team depends on Queenslanders to strengthen it, one is afraid it will be found wanting. They are quite the weakest lot of footballers I have even seen come down from Queensland. The play needs no detailed description as it was simply a practice match for NSW, and certainly did not advantageously advertise the new game.' –The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 July 1908

The interstate series was dominated by New South Wales, apart from a golden period for Queensland in the 1920s. From 1922 to 1925 Queensland defeated New South Wales 11 times in 12 matches. At the end of the 1925 season, a Kangaroo team was to be picked for touring Great Britain. Instead of announcing an Australian team dominated by Queenslanders, the Australian Rugby League Board of Control informed the media that the Rugby Football League had decided that the Kiwis would provide stronger opposition and that there would be no Australian tour. The period spanning 1922 to 1929 saw no Australian team play in Great Britain, the only such hiatus outside the two World Wars.

The New South Wales dominance of interstate football increased after 1956 when gaming machines were legalised for all registered clubs in New South Wales. This provided New South Wales football clubs with a revenue source unmatched by Queensland clubs. From this time on an increasing number of Queensland players moved to the much stronger Sydney competition, becoming ineligible for Queensland state selection. Paul Hogan famously told a Queensland Rugby League gathering in 1977 that "every time Queensland produces a good footballer, he finishes up being processed through a New South Wales poker machine."

Before 1956, NSW had won 75% and Qld only 25% of series played. From 1956 to 1981, NSW dominance soared even higher and Qld wins dwindled to only 3.8% with only 1 series win, in 1959.

Interstate Series Results (1908–1981) During the Interstate Series era, there were 66 series played, with New South Wales winning 50, Queensland winning 10, and 6 being draws. However, on each of the 6 occasions there was a drawn series, the previous year's winner retained the title, with 4 being retained by NSW and 2 by QLD, meaning NSW won 54 titles and QLD 12 titles during the Interstate Series era.

Notable runs of consecutive titles were NSW, 20 in a row (1962–81), NSW 9 in a row in intermittent early years (1908, 1910–13, 1915, 1919–21), NSW 7 in a row around WWII (1941, 1945–50) and again in the 1950s (1952–58), NSW 6 in a row (1933–39), QLD 5 in a row (1922-26), and QLD 3 in a row (1959–61). The 1973 series was also notable for New South Wales' complete shutout of Queensland in the series, with margins of 16–0, 10-0 and 26-0 across the three games for a series margin of 52–0.

Due to many factors, anywhere between one and five games were played in a series over the course of the competition. +NSW v QLD Interstate Rugby League Results 1908–1981YearSeries WinnerMarginMatchesGame 1Game 2Game 3Game 4Game 51908 New South Wales2–0NSW 43–0NSW 12–31910 New South Wales3–0NSW 40–21NSW 32–18NSW 19–31911 New South Wales3–0NSW 65–9NSW 49–0NSW 32–81912 New South Wales2–0NSW 65–9NSW 32–41913 New South Wales2–0NSW 27–12NSW 21–171915 New South Wales2–0NSW 53–9NSW 39–61919 New South Wales2–0NSW 33–18NSW 12–7NSW 24–101920 New South Wales1–0NSW 40–181921 New South Wales2–0NSW 37–11NSW 34–201922 Queensland1–0QLD 25–91923 Queensland2–0QLD 18–13QLD 25–101924 Queensland3–0QLD 22–20QLD 20–7QLD 36–61925 Queensland4–1QLD 23–15QLD 27–13NSW 27–16QLD 26–8QLD 23–181926 Queensland3–2NSW 30–17NSW 5–3QLD 26–11QLD 38–0QLD 37–191927 New South Wales3–1NSW 14–10NSW 13–11QLD 11–7NSW 15–111928 Queensland3–1QLD 25–9NSW 16–7QLD 28–17QLD 21–101929 New South Wales5–0NSW 21–8NSW 17–8NSW 12–10NSW 16–14NSW 11–81930 New South Wales2–1NSW 16–11QLD 25–11NSW 15–121931 Queensland3–2NSW 39–17QLD 23–20NSW 28–6QLD 15–8QLD 4–31932 Queensland2–0QLD 23–15Draw 9–9QLD 19–91933 New South Wales3–1NSW 24–0NSW 15–13NSW 17–14QLD 10–81934 New South Wales (draw, retain title)2–2NSW 13–0NSW 42–9QLD 14–10Draw 25–25QLD 22–201935 New South Wales4–1NSW 33–16NSW 18–14NSW 51–8QLD 22–20NSW 23–91936 New South Wales3–0NSW 30–13NSW 24–13NSW 16–141937 New South Wales3–0NSW 21–9NSW 31–3NSW 16–111938 New South Wales2–1NSW 20–19NSW 44–7QLD 36–221939 New South Wales (draw, retain title)2–2NSW 50–15NSW 54–13QLD 29–13QLD 23–131940 Queensland3–1NSW 52–11QLD 19–16QLD 45–8QLD 23–151941 New South Wales3–1NSW 18–14NSW 44–10NSW 23–16QLD 27–211945 New South Wales2–0NSW 37–12NSW 30–191946 New South Wales3–0NSW 46–10NSW 24–6NSW 30–141947 New South Wales2–1NSW 29–15QLD 18–9NSW 22–10Draw 13–131948 New South Wales3–1NSW 23–9NSW 17–15QLD 9–8NSW 17–131949 New South Wales4–0NSW 19–3NSW 33–3NSW 44–20NSW 33–131950 New South Wales2–0NSW 45–12Draw 9–9NSW 25–51951 Queensland2–1QLD 29–18NSW 31–8QLD 39–231952 New South Wales3–0NSW 18–17NSW 27–10NSW 38–171953 New South Wales (draw, retain title)2–2NSW 26–15NSW 27–16QLD 32–23QLD 22–131954 New South Wales4–0NSW 26–23NSW 18–13NSW 46–7NSW 26–211955 New South Wales (draw, retain title)2–2NSW 17–15QLD 30–28NSW 25–18QLD 34–121956 New South Wales3–1NSW 28–26QLD 28–20NSW 26–18NSW 23–191957 New South Wales4–0NSW 49–11NSW 29–12NSW 69–5NSW 45–121958 New South Wales3–0NSW 25–14NSW 29–20NSW 23–151959 Queensland3–1QLD 17–15NSW 24–14QLD 23–11QLD 18–141960 Queensland (draw, retain title)2–2NSW 22–21QLD 17–12QLD 13–0NSW 33–141961 Queensland (draw, retain title)2–2NSW 21–20NSW 18–2QLD 15–2QLD 20–171962 New South Wales3–0NSW 28–8NSW 19–14NSW 25–12Draw 19–191963 New South Wales4–0NSW 20–10NSW 53–7NSW 31–5NSW 13–51964 New South Wales4–0NSW 28–12NSW 41–3NSW 31–5NSW 22–111965 New South Wales4–0NSW 31–7NSW 22–4NSW 30–9NSW 22–151966 New South Wales4–0NSW 16–6NSW 28–10NSW 28–20NSW 27–31967 New South Wales2–1NSW 14–8NSW 28–9Draw 16–16QLD 13–111968 New South Wales2–1NSW 30–7QLD 15–8NSW 29–111969 New South Wales4–0NSW 26–0NSW 32–13NSW 33–17NSW 22–121970 New South Wales3–1QLD 16–15NSW 22–8NSW 34–8NSW 32–151971 New South Wales3–0NSW 12–3NSW 30–2NSW 17–151972 New South Wales2–0NSW 29–5NSW 27–61973 New South Wales3–0NSW 16–0NSW 10–0NSW 26–01974 New South Wales1–0NSW 22–13Draw 13–13Draw 4–41975 New South Wales2–1QLD 14–8NSW 27–18NSW 9–81976 New South Wales3–0NSW 33–9NSW 10–5NSW 15–131977 New South Wales2–0NSW 19–3NSW 14–131978 New South Wales3–0NSW 25–19NSW 12–11NSW 28–121979 New South Wales3–0NSW 30–5NSW 31–7NSW 35–201980 New South Wales2–0NSW 35–3NSW 17–7Origin game1981 New South Wales2–0NSW 10–2NSW 22–9Origin game Source:

NSW interstate representatives (1908–1981)