My argument was going to be threefold. That:
1) The cleaning up of the game - i.e. the lack of biff - had taken a lot of the sting out of the series;
2) The excessive hype and commercialisation surrounding the event had dulled its impact;
3) Queensland's domination in recent years had also contributed.
And then along came last night's second game of the 2011 series, with New South Wales beating Queensland in Sydney.
It's just the shot in the arm the series needed. The stage is now set for a heck of a game three in a couple of weeks. And with Queensland showing signs of complacency - not to mention old age - some serious momentum could be returning to the Blues camp.
I'm a Queensland fan. Don't know why. Just gravitated towards the maroons when I started following league in 1990-91.
So I was just in time for a run of six seasons (1992-97) in which New South Wales won five series out of six. With the likes of Brad Fittler and Laurie Daley and Rod Wishart and Paul Harragon, the Blues were just too good.
That's why I have enjoyed being on the other side of the fence over the last six years, with one of the great Queensland teams dominating Origin.
Billy Slater, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis and co have simply had too much class for a New South Wales team that seems to be constantly rebuilding. Or, you know, has been dealing with scandal.
But somewhere along the line, State of O has definitely lost some of its magic. For me, at least. It still seems to attract big crowds and huge public interest.
Maybe it's just because I got older and developed other interests and priorities. Maybe I started to lose touch with some of the personalities. I'm not sure.
Anyway, I'll certainly be watching game three. Hoping for a Queensland win. Hoping it will be dramatic. And hoping for just a little bit of this:
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