QLD VS NSW: Which State Shows More Pride & Ticker During State Of Origin?

The State of Origin (y’know, Australia‘s greatest annual sporting rivalry) is underway. It’s happening. WE IN THE MIDST OF IT ETC. 

QLD has won the first round, but there’s still two games left on June 22 and July 13 for NSW to redeem themselves for this year, and, well, the last decade in general. 

We get it – QLD have been the clear winners over the last 10 years. Scores don’t lie. But which state’s fans are winning when it comes to the battle of devotion / support / commitment? The Blues or Maroons, or, for those who wish to glorify unsightly animals through sport, the Cockroaches or Cane Toads?

Just like my five-year-old Mmmbop-ing self to Hanson, fans be bloody crazy. We gonna have a lil’ look-see at how QLD / NSW fans stack up against one another, ’cause what’s the point in defeat if there’s no one cheering you on?

Below: some important things for solid NSW / QLD fans to consider next time they think they’re doing it best.

(Important note: NSW’s population is roughly 7.6 million and QLD’s is around 4.7 million. With NSW’s population being around 1.6 times the size of QLD’s, you’d think the Blues would have a greater fan base by default. Not quite the case.)

THE SOCIAL MEDIA LOVE 

Facebook Fans
Maroons: 867.2 K
Blues: 724.1 K

Twitter Fans
Maroons: 57.8 K
Blues: 64.3 K

Insta fans
Maroons: 96.5 K
Blues: 51.9 K

Maroons fans are a clear winner on the social media fandom front, with a combined following of just over 1 mill, while Blues fans sit behind on a combined following of just over 840K. This is by no means a clear indicator of who the better fans are, but, if you’re a New South Welshman, it might kick you into gear to show your support in the simplest, 2016ish way. 

We mean, JUST LOOK AT ALL THE FUN YOU COULD BE HAVING:

Haha come at us NSW !! #StateofOrigin pic.twitter.com/VObqaOilTH

— Ron (@Ron_Boll) May 25, 2016

Soooo soooft. Go the brilliant #NSWBlues #StateOfOrigin 2016 pic.twitter.com/MfmsAEUIsH

— Jerry Talkava (@jtalkava) May 27, 2016

THE CROWD NUMBERS

The Daily Tele published a piece entitled “Proof Maroon fans are better than Blues fans” based on the progress of ticket sales ahead of Game One at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium. The week prior to the NSW kickoff event, only 50K seats has been sold (30K short of a full house), which had QLD Rugby League (QRL) Chairman, Peter Betros, saying the slow-burning sales were a result of less passionate fans in NSW. 

“We have a much stronger support base here for the Maroons,” he said.

“The crowds in Queensland are a lot more passionate than they are in NSW and want to make sure they are there to support the team. People like to buy their tickets early to ensure that they are there … We just have a passionate supporter.”

For the record, 80, 521 fans rocked up for game in the end – roughly 3K short of capacity. Betros doesn’t “expect there to be any empty seat in the place” for Suncorp Stadium’s Game Two in Brissy on June 22. Capacity for that venue is 52, 500 (30K less than ANZ), so you do the math. 

Here’s last year’s seating numbers FYI:
Game One 2015 – ANZ Stadium – 80,122 (Capacity = 83,500).
Game Two 2015 – Melbourne Cricket Ground – 91,513 (Capacity = 100,024).
Game Three 2015 – Suncorp Stadium – 52,500 (Capacity = 52,500).

Considering the varying stadium sizes between Brissy and Syd, plus the fact that NSW has had cheaper tickets prices two years in a row, makes it kinda hard to measure dedication, dunnit?

THE ‘STRAYAN ROYALTY SUPPORT

UMMM, REMEMBER THAT TIME NEW SOUTH WELSHMEN / AUSTRALIAN PM / LEGIT TRAITOR MALCOLM TURNBULL ACCEPTED THIS MAROONS JERSEY? Did happen. Was rough. Turnbull later claimed it “wasn’t the right fit”, probs because he copped a metaphorical beating from NSW supporters.

PM Turnbull receives a QLD Maroons shirt during a startup event in Brisbane #auspol #ausvotes #stateoforigin pic.twitter.com/olRLkEoOYz

— Lukas Coch (@cochl) June 1, 2016

Melbs born-and-bred Bill Shorten goes for the Maroons, ’cause his wife is from QLD and some other mumbo jumbo about the Melbourne Storm. We don’t even know, and tbh we don’t think he does either. Watch:

Who is Bill Shorten tipping to win #StateOfOrigin Game One? The Melbourne Storm #ausvotes #Origin https://t.co/4U7GnIbi85

— ABC News 24 (@ABCNews24) June 1, 2016

If you’re from NSW and all that ^^^ truly hurts your heart, take solace in knowing that 3/4 of The Wiggles are Blues supporters and used a song (what else?) to execute a public take down of purple member Lachie for being a Maroons supporter. Enjoy:

While the above is by no means a definitive list of the kind of support NSW and QLD fans show, it does give the current fandom a little something to think about. It’s also important to note that NSW have won, ahhh, ONE series in the past decade, which shows true commitment from the Blues fans’ who haven’t – against all odds – given up on their team yet. Let’s be honest, it’s a lot harder to support something / someone that’s constantly losing miserably. 

That being said, we ask you this:

Have you liked / followed your team on social media as a 21st-century display of support? Have you bought tix to an upcoming game? Have you posted a dank Origin-themed meme on your wall?

If you answered no to any of these questions, y’might wanna reassess your loyalty.

As y’can see there’s nothing wrong with a lil’ healthy rivalry, especially when it’s done with Schick Hydro and their competitive, new-and-improved hydrating gel reservoir (which you can suss HERE). 

Photos: Cameron Spencer / Getty.