How State of Origin won the MCG in 1994

A nudie run, the 12th Man and some cricket yarns, the first State of Origin played at the MCG game in 1994 had some unexpected elements.

The bold decision to move the match away from Brisbane’s Lang Park and the Sydney Football Stadium paid off when aNearly 90,000 spectators came to watch the clash between the states.

What the MCG lacked in rugby league flavor it more than made up for in size, recalls Blues second rower Paul Sironen, who played in the historic match.

“What strikes you is the sheer size of the place – it’s huge,” Sironen told NRL.com.

“Because it’s on a bigger oval track, like the SCG on a larger scale, you can get lost a little bit.

“On a traditional rugby league pitch there isn’t much space between the touchline and the fence.”

It was surprising to see an almost full crowd for a one-off league match, but Sironen thinks Melbourne’s sports-mad residents were keen to experience something new.

“It was more out of curiosity to see these guys from the north trying to drive each other apart,” he said.

“It was funny because sometimes it was dead quiet. When you play at Lang Park or ANZ (stadium) there’s that constant noise all the time.”

There was a lot of talent present that evening. The Blues were led by Andrew Ettingshausen, Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart and Brad Fittler, while Queensland could count on stars such as Mal Meninga, Allan Langer, Kevin Walters and a young debutant on the bench named Gorden Tallis.

What strikes you is the sheer size of the place: it’s huge.

Paul Sironen

But the field itself had some unplanned pre-match entertainment.

“I’m almost certain there was a streaker at the start of the match, I like to believe that,” Sironen laughed.

“For a cold night in Melbourne, she was a brave young lady. That was just before kick-off. I don’t think TV cameras would have picked up on that at the time.”

If the sports-mad public were expecting lots of free-flowing rugby competition, they would be disappointed.

“It was a pretty tough game; we just had to win it to stay alive,” he said.

“Queensland pulled our pants down and got us into game one in the last few minutes. It was a defense-oriented game. For the Melbourne traditionalists it probably wasn’t a great spectacle, but a pretty gritty affair.”

Glenn Lazarus – who would return to the Victorian capital four years later to become the first captain of the new Melbourne Storm franchise – scored a try in the first half.

Despite a couple of penalties from Tim Brasher, neither team was able to take a lead.

Brasher and Maroons hooker Kerrod Walters were involved in a fight, prompting Australian satirist Billy Birmingham, aka The 12th Man, to take action with a unique gift for the NSW fullback.

“I remember the 12th Man putting a picture of it on the cover of his album when I was having a fight with Kerrod Walters in the goal area,” Brasher said.

“He knocked me down, I jumped up and grabbed him by the shirt and hit him with a fist. And lo and behold, the 12th man put his head on Kerrod’s head – and I have (the album) hanging on the wall at home, signed by the 12th Man. It was pretty funny.”

The Blues scored another try through Steelers center Paul McGregor and, after defending intensely for the remainder of the match, came away with a 14–0 victory.

The victors had something fun in store after the match: a chance to meet some local cricket royalty.

“I remember a few cricketers coming into the sheds after the match and we had a chat with them,” Sironen said.

“I remember saying during the Boxing Day Test how good it would be to bowl with a joint full like that.”

Cricket at the ‘G seemed a natural topic of conversation. But the Blues were mostly relieved to have done the job.

“Anytime you beat Queensland, especially a foreign country, is always good,” Brasher said.

“Those games in those days were always tight, always tough, fun and every time you win an Origin game is always special.”

Nothing hits you like Origin