June 3, 1996: Blues seal the series
Craig Greenhill becomes the first player sent off in Origin history as NSW beat Queensland 18-6 in Sydney.
In times of trouble, rugby league players will tell you they are not affected by off-field shenanigans.
But results over the years tell a different story - and the Super League War had too many weird outcomes for it to be a coincidence.
The Australian Super League team failed to make the final of either of the Nines tournaments in which they played.
Queensland, with all ARL players, stunned NSW 3-0 in the 1995 Origin series but when all their supposed stars returned in 1996, lost 3-0.
The first time the Aussies fielded a united team after the war, in 1998, they were beaten by New Zealand.
On this day 25 years ago, the Blues won 18-6 at the Sydney Football Stadium in a match famous for something else: Queensland’s Craig Greenhill became the first player in Origin history to be sent off.
“Knuckles” was pointed to the sheds by David Manson for a 63rd minute high shot on Paul Harragon.
“I don’t think he deserved to get sent off,” said Maroons coach Paul Vautin. “I’ve seen a lot worse in Origin football.”
That, as we are perhaps about to learn next week, is a pretty flimsy defence.
But Vautin was a big, big star in 1996. He’d been like a comedian president, seemingly capable of doing anything, and a lot of the focus was on whether he’d keep his job.
That’s even in the Sydney papers. Intriguingly, in these supposedly more enlightened times, coverage of the interstate series seems more jingoistic and parochial than it was 25 years ago.
SOUTHS READY TO BATTLE ON IN LIMBO
Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, May 25 1996
By STEVE MASCORD
SOUTH Sydney president George Piggins last night announced the Rabbitohs would "battle on" next year - even without the support of Souths Juniors or a merger with Sydney City.
Yesterday's meeting between Souths, the Juniors club, the Roosters and the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust failed to produce even any discussion on the prospect of an inner-city "Super club" based at the Sydney Football Stadium.
As the Roosters continued to ridicule any suggestion of a merger with Souths, Piggins admitted amalgamation now seemed only a long-term option for the 88-year-old club.
But he allayed widespread fears that the Rabbitohs would fold at the end of this year while waiting for assistance.
"We'll get a side on the field next year - even if they're all volunteers," Piggins said.
"With or without the juniors, we have a five-year contract with the league and we'll hang in there. Whether we are semi-final contenders is another matter.
"Don't you think mergers will happen towards the year 2000? I think they will, and with our nursery we would have to be there."
Yesterday's meeting was hailed as a success by the trust in cementing its relationship with its hirers.
But it was a dismal failure as a first step in ensuring survival for the Rabbitohs.
At the meeting were trust chairman Sir Nicholas Shehadie and chief executive Noel Neate, Roosters chairman Nick Politis and chief executive Bernie Gurr, Piggins, Rabbitohs' marketing manager Ron Walpole and Henry Morris from Souths Juniors.
Piggins said Shehadie expressed a desire to get "more bums on seats" at the SFS but no strategy had been discussed.
Neate said: "It was a meeting to help each of us understand the others' business. We want to serve our hirers as best we can."
The Rabbitohs' best hope appears to be the Juniors agreeing to take over the football club while leaving Souths Leagues Club to fend for itself.
Juniors directors have already rejected a proposal to take over both.
"Whatever they want, it's no problem," Piggins said. "If they only want the football club, they can have it. Beggars can't be choosers."
Piggins hopes to re-open talks with Morris next week, but in the meantime he is confident of the foundation club surviving in its current form for at least another year.
That news comes at the end of a week that featured a sponsorship scandal which caused halfback Craig Field to lose the captaincy.
"If a few things fall through we might struggle but we'll be around as a club in our own right next year," Piggins said.
Meanwhile, the Roosters are shooting to equal their start to the 1931 season with their ninth consecutive win when they play South Queensland at Suncorp Stadium today.
In tonight's match, North Queensland host Parramatta at Stockland Stadium, while tomorrow North Sydney take on Canberra at Bruce Stadium and Auckland play Newcastle at Ericsson Stadium.
The Cowboys and Eels have a team change each. Lock Peter Jones (knee) is out of the home side. Wayne Sing is the replacement. Matt Spence is on the Parramatta bench for Peter Johnston (ankle).
GAMES
Origin II: New South Wales 18 Queensland 6 at Sydney Football Stadium