State of what you need to know

[Gob]

State of Origin: 10 things you need to know about game one

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Origin_series


1. The Blues are the champions: For the casual observer, it may be hard to believe but NSW ended Queensland's eight-year dominance last year. They head into this series with the shield but many predict they face an uphill battle to retain it.

2. Home ground advantage is key: The Queenslanders may call Suncorp Stadium "the cauldron" but ANZ Sydney has turned into a pivotal venue for the Blues. NSW have won four of their past five games at Sydney Olympic Park.

3. Queensland have an edge: The Maroons have won 18 Origin series compared to the Blues' 13 since State of Origin became a three-game series in 1982. This includes their eight-year dominance which ended last year.

4. The Maroons pick and stick: NSW have used 255 players since Origin began in 1980, compared to Queensland's 178. The Blues will add two more to that tally on Wednesday night when David Klemmer and Josh Jackson make their debut. Queensland have two debutants in Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire.

5. Pressure on the six and seven: All eyes for NSW will be on their new-look halves pairing of Mitchell Pearce and Trent Hodkinson. The pair have never played together, with Pearce recalled to the squad after missing last year. Hodkinson won the series for NSW in 2015 but has been poor for his club side Canterbury.

6. Club combinations are key: The Roosters and Canterbury have four players in the NSW squad. St George Illawarra have two, as do the Tigers. Cronulla, Parramatta, New Zealand, North Queensland and Newcastle have one player in the team. Manly, Brisbane and Melbourne are not represented in the NSW team. Only Manly will be without a player in either side on Wednesday night.

7. The coaches: Mal Meninga and Laurie Daley are close friends, having played for Canberra in the 1980s and 1990s. Meninga, who is the most experienced Origin coach in history, will take charge of his 28th game on Wednesday. Daley will coach just his seventh.

8. Experienced Maroons: Queensland have a distinct advantage in terms of playing experience. The squad have played 162 more Origins than their NSW counterparts. Cameron Smith (33) games needs to play every game this series to equal Darren Lockyer as the most-capped Origin player. Queensland have eight players who will have played 20 or more games after Wednesday's game. Michael Jennings and Mitchell Pearce are the Blues most experienced with 12.

9. NSW have gone bigger: The Blues have picked four reserves who weigh more than 100 kilograms. In contrast, Queensland have gone for a more agile – smaller – pack. This will change the way both teams play, with NSW expected to attack through the middle and the Maroons out wide.

10. Fight and you're off: If you're settling in to watch a bit of good old-fashioned biff you will probably be disappointed. Fighting - although never legal - is now harshly punished even in Origin. Anyone who throws a punch will be sin-binned for 10 minutes.

[Lord Jim]

Thanks for the videos; from the text it was impossible to tell which off-brand sport this was about...

I was able to glean one thing from the article:

Laurie Daley

Apparently this team is co-ed....

[MajGenl.Meade]

Yes, they do have Laurie Daley.