Welcome Back, State of Origin, We've Missed You...

Last night's brutal State of Origin encounter left me grinning from ear to ear. And it wasn't just because the Blues won - yes that was part of it, but more so, it was because it was the first game in a very long time that felt like State of Origin.

My brother and I were discussing recently about how we missed the heyday of Origin. About how back then there was truly something special in the air around Origin time, how we looked forward for weeks to the series and about our excitement on game night. We agreed that while it was still an important part of the Rugby League calendar, it just wasn't the same anymore. It didn't have the same emotion. It was a contest but it wasn't a war.

Last night was a war.

The NSW coaching staff's tactic of having past greats address the team in camp paid off brilliantly. The Blues unit last night were unified and single in vision. Their mission: destroy Queensland. They were fuelled in part by pride and also by hatred for the maroon jumper. If last night's game was meant to be a dead rubber, somebody forgot to tell the Blues.

Special mention must go to Blues lock Anthony Watmough, whose inspiring performance ranked up there with the best of anything from the 80s or early 90s. Winger Jarryd Hayne, the standout player for NSW throughout the series, again proved why he will be an automatic selection for years to come.

Recalled half Brett Kimmorley put his Origins demons to rest, leading the field around the park brilliantly and never giving up in defence, including his brilliant 68th minute tackle on Queensland flyer Greg Inglis. Ben Creagh too was in fine form, while hooker Mick Ennis made a fine debut. Even Kurt Gidley, who I have famously been scathingly critical of, performed well with a fantastic tackle on Darius Boyd that summed up the physical nature of contest.

Queensland also provided some highlights. Justin Hodges' no-try in the 32nd minute almost deserved awarding for the effort alone. No doubt the footage will be used in Origin promos for years to come. Greg Inglis was everywhere - he is arguably the best player in the game right now and is freakishly still getting better.

The night however belonged to the Blues. If they can carry last night's form into next year's series then it truly will be game on. It's just a shame that we have so long to wait to find out.

Lastly, the game's management and the media are obviously frowning at the incidents which occurred in the final few minutes of the game. However, I put forth the view that it needed to happen. State of Origin is a war. In a regular NRL game, you need to be the better side in order to win. In Origin, it's about more than that. You have to dig deep. You have to throw yourself 110 percent into the encounter. You have to hate your opposition. You need to feel that emotion. And if that emotion spills into a blue, so be it. I'm glad that Steve Price is okay, but every player who took to that field last night did so in full knowledge that they were going into war. Every player was prepared for and accepting of the consequences. And as a veteran of over 25 appearances, Price knows that better than anyone.

There's an old cliched saying, "Rugby League was the true winner today". And as corny as it sounds, after a fantastic encounter that had it all - emotion, physical battles and enthralling Rugby League - NSW wasn't the only victor.

State of Origin football, too, was the winner last night.