State of Origin Melbourne 2018 - What you need to know!

Come June 6th, Australia will be brought to a standstill for what is considered the greatest sporting rivalry in the country. The Holden State of Origin 2018 will pit the Queensland Maroons against NSW Blues in the pinnacle of the rugby league. The three-game series will take place over 4 weeks, with the opener set to kick-off at the MCG.

Image Source: Fox Sports

Here is what you need to know before you head to the ‘G” :

• It has been 38 years since the first official State of Origin series was played
• The ‘series’ consisted only of one-off matches until 1982
• Players are selected to represent the state in which they played their first senior rugby league game
• Queensland leads the overall series tally, winning 21 to New South Wales’ 13
• The Maroons have won all State of Origin Series since 2006, barring the one in 2014
• Cameron Smith, who holds the record for the most State of Origin games with 42, will not be part of the series after announcing his representative retirement
• Also missing will be his former Maroon’s teammate Johnathan Thurston, who has the record for the most consecutive games played - 36. Unsurprisingly, he has also scored the most points, with 220
• In 1987, a fourth State of Origin was played in....Long Beach California. There’s your trivia question during the pre-match drinks
• Game 1 is on 6th June at 8PM. The game kicked-off at 8:12 PM last year, but you wouldn’t want to take a chance, would you?
• Tickets will be sold on Ticketek.com
• If you miss the tickets however, because 90,000 people got tickets before you do, you can still watch the Game on Channel Nine.
• We would strongly suggest you take in the experience at the MCG though. We have passionate hosts, ready to help you experience the most watched game in Australia the right way. Find a host here.
• The other games will be held at the ANZ Stadium on the 24th of June and the Suncorp Stadium on July 11th.

---