Origin Explainer For 'Sportsball' People: Queensland Are Iran And Origin Is The Strait Of Hormuz

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With the colder weather settling in for the months ahead, do you find yourself rolling your eyes at the persistent and lingering conversations around footy?

The relentless nattering about the various minutia of the opiate of the masses?

Who's got the better strategy for kicking a ball around a park?

Who's better at executing a set piece, whatever the hell that is?

Well, you've come to the right place, because this is a handy little explainer on what the hell one of the major sportsball moments actually is.

We are talking about State of Origin - which actually kinda makes sense when you start looking at it through a geopolitical lens - two words which are talking your language now aren't they?

The first thing to understand is that State of Origin is asymmetric warfare.

It's a conflict between belligerents whose relative power, strategies and resources differ significantly.

NSW has forever had the military might, power and imperialist desire to control the world. They are cashed up to the eyeballs and have all the resources to draw upon when entering a conflict.

However, like their counterparts in the United States of America, that doesn't necessarily lead to success.

Because like the US, NSW expect to win, they demand to win and they above all believe they deserve to win sheerly by being the richest and most powerful rugby league force in the world.

A force fuelled by KPIS and metrics, and driven by the relentless pursuit of profit.

Which is where they run into trouble.

Because their opponents believe in a cause. And they play for a cause.

They play for the people of Queensland, the Queensland Spirit, the idea that no matter how many guns NSW have or how many bombs they send into the sky - they will never be crushed.

They believe in mythology, in historical narratives and the unwavering commitment to autonomy.

The Strait of Hormuz is the encapsulation of this sporting conflict.

Both sides dearly covet it. Both sides will do almost anything to take control of it. But only one side truly believes in the cause, and only one side is ready to drag their opponents into a prolonged tussle till the bitter end.

Enjoy your Origin football folks.