State of Origin 2022: Everything You Need to Know
State of Origin 2022: Everything You Need to Know
The State of Origin is one of the most significant events on the Australian sporting calendar. Each and every year, it evokes a passion which few other rivalries in rugby and sport moreover can match, with fans from New South Wales and Queensland pitted against one another as their respective states fight for supremacy, and the all-important bragging rights that come with it. The 2022 edition of the event will be the 41st time it has been played, and as it is every year, will be must-watch rugby league.
State of Origin History
Though the State of Origin was only first played in 1982, the concept of an annual state vs state matchup between New South Wales and Queensland has in reality been around for over a century. Since 1908, the two states have competed intermittently against one another, albeit with one key difference to the competition that we know today; rather than players representing the state they grew up in, they represented the state in which they played.
For the first few decades, though NSW was the more successful state, there was a reasonable level of competition between the two sides, but that all changed in 1956 when NSW-based clubs became permitted to use gaming machines as a source of revenue. This gave them significantly more money than clubs in Queensland and meant that the best talent from up north invariably moved to a club in NSW, and would subsequently represent the more southern state in state games. This resulted in a hugely lopsided period of state football in which Queensland couldn’t compete, and there wasn’t a great deal of interest in the contests as a result.
Enter State of Origin. Though the concept of selecting players based on their literal state of origin was met with some scepticism, the inaugural match using the method in 1980 drew a big crowd and saw Queensland upset the apple cart with a victory. A similar result followed the next year, and so, in 1982, the first ever three-match State of Origin series was played.
The benefit, certainly to Queensland, was immediately apparent; they won the series 2-1 in each of its first three years, and were victorious in seven of its first ten. The dominance which New South Wales had enjoyed for so long over their northern neighbours was gone, but there was no doubting that the intensity of the rivalry had grown significantly courtesy of the more competitive nature of the matchups.
Over the ensuing couple of decades, the rivalry continued to grow as each side enjoyed brief stints of success over the other. After 25 years of State of Origin football, New South Wales had won the series on 12 occasions, Queensland had won 11 times, and two series had been tied at one win apiece courtesy of drawn matches; Queensland retained the shield on both of those occasions as they had won the year prior.
That was the way things stood in 2005, but thereafter things took a serious downhill turn for the boys in blue. After three consecutive series losses, Queensland won back the shield in 2006 with a 2-1 win, and they would go on to win the series in each of the next seven years, putting together comfortably the longest winning streak in the series to date. New South Wales have begun to wrestle back respect in recent years, winning three of the last four, but Queensland have established themselves as the more successful side in State of Origin history. With NSW in the midst of a strong era of their own, however, that gap is gradually closing.
State of Origin Head to Head
Heading into 2022, the State of Origin series has been played on 40 occasions. At the end of 2005, Queensland were sitting just behind their southern counterparts for series wins, but eight years of consecutive victories thereafter has helped them to establish a solid lead in terms of series wins.
| Team | State of Origin Series Wins |
| New South Wales | 16 |
| Queensland | 22 |
|
State of Origin Series Draws |
2 |
State of Origin 2022 Dates
The 2022 State of Origin series will virtually mirror last year’s series in terms of dates, with the first match on the second Wednesday of June, the second on the last Sunday of June, and the third scheduled for the second Wednesday of July. The locations, however, will differ, returning to the traditional format which sees one home game played each and another played on neutral territory, after COVID restrictions forced all three games into Queensland last year.
State of Origin Game 1
The opening game of the 2022 State of Origin series will be played on New South Wales’ turf at Stadium Australia in Sydney on the 8th of June. The Blues have a very strong record at this ground in State of Origin, winning 19 times and losing on just nine occasions. Historically, and unsurprisingly given it’s just a three game series, the winner of Game 1 has a very good strike rate of winning the overall series, with the loser of this game going on to win the series on just eight occasions in 40 years of Origin football. Last year, NSW were dominant in the opener, winning 50-6, and at Stadium Australia they’ll be backing themselves to start the series positively again this year.
State of Origin Game 2
Game 2 of this year’s State of Origin series will take place two and a half weeks after the opener, and will be the solitary match of the series to take place at a neutral venue. Optus Stadium will play host to just the second ever State of Origin match to be played in Perth, after it was held there for the first time in 2019. Western Australia proved to be a worthy neutral host on that occasion, with almost 60,000 fans packing into the stadium to see New South Wales bounce back from a Game 1 loss to win 38-6. Barring a draw in the opener, Game 2 is invariably a win or bust situation for one team, meaning it’s always compelling viewing.
State of Origin Game 3
Game 3 of every State of Origin series is either the most or the least interesting game of the series. If the ledger is square at one win apiece, Game 3 is about as fierce a rugby contest as you could hope for. In contrast, if one team has already wrapped up the series there’s unsurprisingly a little less spice than in the previous two contests; though given the desire to avoid – or inflict – a 3-0 defeat, there is still a lot to play for. Game 3 this year will be played at Suncorp Stadium, where the Maroons have historically dominated, though NSW turned that trend on its head last year by embarrassing the home side 26-0.
What We Already Know
Both New South Wales and Queensland have a raft of young talent at their disposal, but equally there are plenty of experienced Origin names who will be leading from the front and will have a major say on the performance of their respective teams. For Queensland, captain Daly Cherry-Evans and the likes of Cameron Munster and Valentine Holmes have all played ten or more Origin games, and they’ll need to be at or near their best if their side is to challenge the Blues. New South Wales have a great mix of experience and youth available to them, and for them names like James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, Jack Wighton and of course Nathan Cleary are among those who hold the key to their hopes. Cleary, incidentally, will have something to prove in an intriguing aside to the series as he attempts to steal the Kangaroos’ number seven off opposing captain Cherry-Evans, who has been a stalwart in the position for the national side for so many years.
Given their performances over the past few years and in particular in 2021, New South Wales will deservedly enter the 2022 series as favourites. Stadium Australia hasn’t hosted a State of Origin game since 2020 and hasn’t hosted the opener since 2016, and given their dominant record there, the home side will no doubt be tipped to get the series off to a winning start. With Queensland’s home game not coming until Game 3, it’s highly plausible that if the Maroons are to wrestle back the shield, they’ll be doing so in front of a raucous Brisbane crowd.
State of Origin 2022 Betting
The State of Origin is one of the most watched events in Australian sport, with close to two million viewers across the country tuning in to watch and the stadiums at which they are played regularly at capacity. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that the series is also popular for punters, and at TopSport we’ve got you covered with a wide range of markets on both individual games, as well as the series itself.
For each game, you’ll be able to find all the most popular markets like head-to-head winner, total points over/under and line betting, while we’ve also got a range of player props if you’re seeking a little bit of value. If you’re after a bet to keep you going all series, you can find markets on the series winner, series correct score, and Wally Lewis Medal for the best player of the series. Whatever kind of bet you’re looking to place, you’ll find a market for it at TopSport.
