Toowoomba Celebrates Origin of the State of Origin

Cobb+Co Museum


Article heading image for  Toowoomba Celebrates Origin of the State of Origin

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Rugby League legends will be at Cobb+Co Museum on Wednesday 5 July to share their insights about The Origin of Origin — the birth of the greatest competition on the Australian sporting calendar.

As part of a special evening Curator Conversation Queensland rugby league legends and Toowoomba legends John McDonald AM (Cracker), Rohan Hancock, Allan Smith and Greg Platz will discuss the lead up to the first State of Origin, their experience of the game and what Queensland players were really made of.

CEO and Director of the Queensland Museum Network Professor Suzanne Miller said this historical talk, hosted by Cr Geoff McDonald, will look back at the momentous night of football played at Lang Park on 8 July in 1980 in front of a crowd of 31,000 emotionally charged spectators.

“The Origin of the Origin will give visitors a chance to get an in-depth insight of what it was like to be involved in this history making game,” she said.

John McDonald AM (Cracker), Rohan Hancock, Allan Smith and Greg Platz are the original Toowoomba Connection to the great game. Greg Platz was the Queensland Captain prior to the State of Origin, Cracker was the coach and Rohan Hancock and Allan Smith played for Queensland in the first Origin game.

Since the 1908 establishment of rugby league in Australia, the sport's two major states, New South Wales and Queensland, have played representative matches against each other which have continued into the ‘state of origin’ era which began in the 1980s.

The 1980 State of Origin game was the first between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues rugby league teams to be played under ‘state of origin’ selection rules. The game was designed to be a trial, a one-off promotion, but 37 years later it is still a hotly contested game between the two states.

“The State of Origin has featured in the lives many Australians over the last 37 years, and this event will celebrate the history of the game that has entertained hundreds of thousands of people,” Professor Miller said.

“The Queensland Museum Network is delighted to host this event at Cobb+Co Museum and celebrate the Toowoomba connection to an iconic game.”

The event is on Wednesday 5 July 2017 at 5:30pm and is free to attend.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase on the evening from Cobb’s Coffee Shop.

RSVPs are not required. 

Visit cobbandco.qm.qld.gov.au or call (07) 4659 4914 for more information.

23 July 2017




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