New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales Blues are the selection team for the New South Wales Rugby League in the annual State of Origin series, one of Australia's biggest sporting events . The best players who started their rugby league careers in New South Wales face the Queensland Maroons . Originally, the Blues also completed international test matches against national teams from other countries. The team plays its home games at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney .
history
The rugby league selection of New South Wales played their first game in 1907 and was defeated by the New Zealand national team with 8:12. From then on, the team often competed against the Kiwis or national teams from Europe who were on tour in Australasia . In 1908 the first series took place against a selection team from the Queensland Rugby League , which the Blues won with three to zero wins. Apart from a brief period of success for the Maroons in the 1920s, New South Wales dominated the duel between the two Australian states . In 1956, the legalization of slot machines in Sydney brought a new source of income to the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership clubs , and more and more successful Queensland players moved south for better financial prospects. Since the selection teams were not put together according to origin, but according to club membership, New South Wales dominated even more from then on and the duels of the blues and maroons became less and less attractive.
This changed suddenly with the introduction of State of Origin in 1980. The players no longer competed for the state their club came from, but for the one in which they had played rugby league for the first time . As a result, New South Wales lost its supremacy over Queensland, and it wasn't until 1985 that the Blues won their first State of Origin series. Queensland has won 23 series so far, New South Wales only 13 series. Between 2006 and 2013 the Blues were beaten eight times in a row. On July 8, 2015, New South Wales suffered the highest defeat in State of Origin history with 6:52.
Individual records
Stand 2013
- Most games: 31, Brad Fittler (1990-2004)
- Most games as captain - 15, Danny Buderus (2004-2008)
- Most attempts: 11, Michael O'Connor (1985–1991)
- Most Points: 129, Michael O'Connor (1985-1991)
- Most games in a row: 21, Danny Buderus (2002–2008)
Trainer
| Surname | Years |
|---|---|
| Ted Glossop | 1980-81, 1983 |
| Frank Stanton | 1982, 1984 |
| Terry Fearnley | 1985 |
| Ron Willey | 1986-87 |
| John Peard | 1988 |
| Jack Gibson | 1989-90 |
| Tim Sheens | 1991 |
| Phil Gould | 1992-96, 2002-04 |
| Tommy Raudonikis | 1997-98 |
| Wayne Pearce | 1999-2001 |
| Ricky Stuart | 2005, 2011-12 |
| Graham Murray | 2006-07 |
| Craig Bellamy | 2008-10 |
| Laurie Daley | 2013– |
literature
- Jack Gallaway: Origin: Rugby League's Greatest Contest 1980-2002 . University of Queensland Press, Brisbane 2003, ISBN 0-7022-3383-8 ( online on Google Books ).