Thirty years ago, I learned what an Origin player is.
On Monday night at the Blues Ball, we celebrated the 1996 NSW side that claimed the shield with a 3-0 series victory, and made history by becoming the first group of 17 players to go through a campaign unchanged.
I had made my debut the year before in 1995. But frankly, I just didn’t get it. We had so many young players in our team (Queensland had even more given no Super League-aligned players were selected) and we were beaten 3-0 by Fatty Vautin’s Neville Nobody’s.
But in 1996, Laurie Daley, Glenn Lazarus, Andrew Ettingshausen, Brett Mullins, David Furner and Jason Croker came back in and Phil Gould worked his magic.
This was the year I properly understood what it meant to be part of the Blues brotherhood.
Gus made us tight as glue in that series. I learned so much from guys like Loz and ET about how to train, prepare and play properly, but I also learned about true passion for your state and who you’re representing. I learned what an Origin player is.
Every game that series was won by a small margin, and in every game there was a special effort to stop a try or snuff out a Maroons try-scoring chance.
Even in the last game at Suncorp Stadium, we had a 2-0 series lead and a 15-2 lead after Brad Fittler had kicked a long-range field goal. Queensland came storming home as usual with late tries and I remember just being peppered on our line the entire time. We managed to hang on for a 15-14 win when Mark Coyne had a try taken off him by referee David Manson.
When you think about how rarely a 3-0 whitewash has been achieved, all those desperate efforts defending our line and digging deep for each other is how we made it happen.
Thirty years on, that Blues brotherhood still bonds us all. There’s times when I’ll see those great players now, and you don’t even have to be talking about Origin, but we can just give a smile and a nod and we’re thinking the same thing.
You’re remembering how you represented your state, how much you love your blue jersey and the guys wearing it next to you. To this day, the 1996 series is my favourite of those that I played in.
And on Monday night as we were remembering that historic campaign, Australian actor Luke Carroll got up and delivered a Welcome to Country and his words really resonated with me. Luke told us that come Origin time, there is no colour, there is no race in this state. We’re just all blue.
Queensland is coming down to our home, our stadium, trying to take something from not just the team, but all of us. As a state, we should be looking at each other, the same way that ’96 team does, and smiling, because we’re all blue.
Next Wednesday night, wear your NSW jersey to work. Wear your colours at home, to the pub and to the game. We’ll have 19 players representing us at Accor Stadium next Wednesday night, and Queensland are coming to take something from our state.
Walker’s off: How NSW make No.7’s debut a living nightmare
Last week I called for Sam Walker to wear Queensland’s No.7 jumper and Billy Slater has opted to debut one of rugby league’s most exciting playmakers. Sammy’s the definition of unpredictable.
He’s a natural punter, both on the horses and on the footy field and a fantastic, likeable, cheeky fella just like all playmakers from Ipswich – think Allan Langer and the Walters boys. Familiarity is a big theme of his selection for both sides. Walker has a brilliant short kicking game, and close to the line, he will back himself to create something off the boot.
His seven kick try assists this year are equal most in the league alongside Jamal Fogarty, while his 11 forced drop-outs are third most in the NRL.
He will know how his Roosters captain James Tedesco positions himself as fullback, and particularly what to look for when Tedesco is jumping into the defensive line and how he can exploit that.
Queensland’s spine of Kalyn Ponga, Cameron Munster, Walker and Harry Grant has plenty of points in them. Walker plays like a halfback of the 1990s – he’s so similar to Alfie Langer and his dad Ben coached him with the freedom and backing to try things of that era.
But, and it’s a big but, Sammy will be targeted. He’s the smallest man on the field, and he’ll be defending on the right edge. Roosters teammate Rob Toia will be alongside him and Kurt Capewell is his back-row bodyguard – and Capewell played for Ben Walker at Ipswich as well.
NSW need to create one-on-one opportunities for Hudson Young to be running at Walker as often as possible. Young is a strong, powerful runner with so much mongrel in him.
But he’s also got a ball-playing background that we’re seeing more and more this year, so Young, Stephen Crichton and Tedesco will all be targeting the gap on Walker’s outside shoulder between him and Toia.
Newcastle did this well for Fletcher Hunt to target the Roosters right-edge defence around Daly Cherry-Evans in round seven. For a centre in defence, NSW want Toia to be thinking “I’ve got to protect Sam” and biting in like he did against the Knights, before Hunt was running around on his outside.
Coming out of trouble, I would have the Blues criss-crossing their plays down short sides to keep attacking Walker. Run at him, switch back to the left. Come back and run at him again.
Wear Walker out, generate a quick play-the-ball or an offload and get downfield. And just as Walker knows Tedesco’s fullback play inside-out, Reece Robson and Teddy know how Sammy loves to play. The Blues assistant coaches Matt King and Boyd Cordner know his game back-to-front too as Roosters staffers.
Then in good-ball areas, it’s pretty simple. Hit the right edge with Haumole Olakau’atu going at Cameron Munster (good luck Cameron). Get a quick play-the ball and open the full width of the field right up. Set Nathan Cleary and Mitch Moses to work and attack that gap between Walker and Toia.
I’m a huge fan of Sammy on and off the field and he’s incredibly likeable … just not for 80 minutes next Wednesday.
Dog days and a Queensland star of the future
On Thursday we head to Canberra, and the Raiders have lost three of their last four games to the Dolphins. Surprise, surprise, it’s going to be freezing in the ACT. The forecast is for a low of three degrees, but no rain or wind, which will make for a dewy, slippery surface, and that puts a premium on ball control and kicking.
The Dolphins have the bye next week and Kristian Woolf will be well aware the last time they played before a week off Manly put 52 on them at home. In the conditions I see this contest being a really strong forward battle and decided by the kicking games of Ethan Sanders and Isaiya Katoa.
Given the Raiders are missing Ethan Strange and Hudson Young, I think Katoa and the Dolphins bench get them home.
Joey’s tip: Dolphins by two
First try-scorer: Jamayne Isaako
Man of the match: Isaiya Katoa
Desperate Dogs, Storm set for arm wrestle
Canterbury and Melbourne meanwhile have both struggled with the speed of the game in 2026 and the expanded use of six-agains.
The Storm will be without Cameron Munster and Harry Grant and there’s a good chance it’s another slippery Accor Stadium surface with rain forecast later in the week. All of this plays into the Bulldogs’ hands, if they can get back to what they do best – complete well, kick long and tackle, tackle, tackle.
I think this will be a pretty dour arm wrestle and whoever can complete above the magic 80 per cent will go a long way to prevailing. The Dogs just have to find a win to ease the tension and pressure on the club, and I think this is the week they manage to do it.
Joey’s tip: Bulldogs by four
First try-scorer: Bronson Xerri
Man of the match: Connor Tracey
Prepare for a shootout when Cowboys face Souths
And after what looks like a couple of tight, potentially low-scoring affairs, the Cowboys get a rare Sunday afternoon game in Townsville against the Rabbitohs. I think we’re in for a shootout between Scott Drinkwater and Cody Walker and you could need 40 points to win this one.
North Queensland were incredible last week against the Roosters without Tom Dearden and Jason Taumalolo, while the Rabbitohs stayed true to their all-or-nothing form line when they were smashed by the Dolphins.
I think a second week of travel – Souths have come home from Magic Round and now turn around and go north again – will take its toll, particularly with Latrell Mitchell and Campbell Graham out.
Cowboys right centre Tom Chester has really impressed me after a few injury-plagued years – he looks like a future representative player. I know Billy Slater was eyeing him off for Queensland and he and Jaxon Purdue are incredibly dangerous out wide.
Joey’s tip: Cowboys by 12.
First try-scorer: Tom Chester
Man of the match: Scott Drinkwater
Andrew Johns is an Immortal, a Newcastle great and a commentator for Channel Nine
