By Darius Boyd
If you want to understand how close State of Origin football has become, have a look through the last 20 series.
In that time, there has been only one clean sweep. That happened in 2010 when Queensland beat New South Wales 3-0. And there’s a story behind that one.
When the Maroons run out tonight in Townsville they will know they’re in for a tight series.
That’s just Origin. It’s almost always close.
Even when we won eight consecutive series, and 11 of 12 from 2006 to 2017, the games were often close.
So, how did Queensland manage to win so many series in that time?
I was lucky enough to play in nine winning series out of 10 so I saw up close the keys to winning in a competition that has very little between the teams.
And there are plenty of comparisons between the Origin arena and corporate workplaces around the country. The fundamentals are the same.
Here are my five reasons for Queensland’s dominance over the last decade or so:
• You must have a winning culture
The boss set the standard and everyone else followed, helped along by a focused senior group that were in step with the boss. During my Origin period, the boss was Mal Meninga. And he set the standards clearly. We won eight series straight but Mal was never satisfied. He was always looking for what came next. He was clear. He approached the task in a simple way. He valued every team member. And he didn’t want us to let down our state, our family and friends, and each other. We understood the impact of our work on others.
• It’s not about the best athletes
There is a tendency to think that sport is decided by the strongest and fastest. That helps but it doesn’t guarantee victory. The Maroons weren’t necessarily the best athletes – think Cameron Smith and you know what I mean. But the squad knew how to win. They were smart. They were determined. It’s the same in the corporate space – the flashiest and the loudest don’t necessarily win.
• Everyone must know their role
When things got tight in those Origin matches, we knew that we could rely on each other. That’s because everyone knew their job within our team and they did that job very well. It’s a huge confidence boost when you know that the person next to you will do their job. That means you can focus on your job.
• Always look to improve
We were defending champions for seven straight years but it seemed that Mal Meninga started every year unhappy. There was always something we could improve on – and Mal expected that improvement to come that year. In 2009, we were heavy favourites for a clean sweep in the final game in Brisbane. We lost, and Mal stewed on it for months. In 2010, we were focused on that clean sweep. We got it. It’s the only one from the last 20 years.
• Enjoy yourself
Yes, State of Origin is important to a lot of people. It can lift the mood of a state for a while or make everyone feel those winter days a little more. But, in the end, it’s a game of football. And we played footy because we loved it as kids. I know that the people who seem to do the best in the corporate space ultimately love what they do. Never forget it. Make it fun. Celebrate your successes and then focus on the next one.