State of Origin series

State of Origin

Sport	Rugby league
Inaugural season	1982
Number of teams	2
Australian state	Australia
Holder	New South Wales (2024 men) Queensland (2024 women)
Most titles	New South Wales mens (17 titles) Queensland mens (24 titles) New South Wales womens (5 titles) Queensland womens (19 titles)
Website	NRL website
Broadcast partner	Nine Network
Related competitions	Interstate series (1908–81) City vs Country Origin Rugby League War of the Roses

The State of Origin series is a best-of-three rugby league series held every year in Australia. It is between two teams: New South Wales (nicknamed the "Blues") and Queensland (nicknamed the "Maroons").

The State of Origin is widely regarded as Australia's greatest sporting rivalry of all time,^[1][2][3][4] and is one of the biggest sporting events in Australia. Even compared to international competitions, the series is considered one of the most important rugby league competitions in the world.^[5][6][7][8]

The State of Origin itself is a men's series, but there is also a Women's State of Origin. In both the men's and the women's series, Queensland is the most successful side, having won both series more times than New South Wales has.

Even though the State of Origin is between New South Wales and Queensland, in each series at least one game is played outside those states. In New South Wales, matches have been played in only one city (Sydney), while in Queensland they have been played in three (Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Townsville). Outside those states, three other states have hosted matches: Victoria (Melbourne), Western Australia (Perth) and South Australia (Adelaide); plus one match has been played in the United States (in Long Beach, California). On television, the series is televised in 91 countries,^[9] but is most popular in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

1. ↑ "The countdown is on to sport's greatest rivalry!". melbournestorm.com. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
2. ↑ Tasker, Norman (2005). State of Origin: twenty-five years of sport's greatest rivalry. Caringbah, New South Wales: Playright Publishing. ISBN 0949853933.
3. ↑ "Rep season officially launched". sportsaustralia.com. 5 April 2006. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
4. ↑ "Eye of the storm". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 June 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
5. ↑ Harms, John (2005). The Pearl: Steve Renouf's Story. Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 105. ISBN 9780702235368.
6. ↑ Webster, Andrew (April 2004). "A few drinks with Ray Warren". Inside Sport. Australia: insidesport.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 September 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
7. ↑ Vanessa Battersby; Paul Smitz; Barry Blake (2007). Australian language & culture. Lonely Planet. p. 83. ISBN 9781740590990.
8. ↑ Mackay, Jamie (17 July 2009). "State of Origin in league of its own". The Southland Times. Fairfax New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
9. ↑ ARLC Media (3 June 2013). "Origin set to reach its biggest market yet". New South Wales Rugby League. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.