How good is State of Origin?!
With this year’s series (finally) fast approaching, we’ve delved through the archives to pull out all the moments that made us Knights fans proud over the last few years.
Joey’s ’05 stunner
Following a Matty Bowen intercept in golden point of Game I, NSW went into Game II at ANZ Stadium desperately needing something special.
Thankfully for them, something special was emerging from rehab ready to put in one of the most dominant performances in Origin history.
Johns laid on four NSW tries and dominated every facet of the contest, with NSW taking a 32-22 win to set them up for a remarkable 2-1 series win.
In many ways, it was the Eighth Immortal’s crowning moment.
Bedsy plays 21 straight games
He didn’t get the win or farewell he perhaps deserved, but this was a remarkable achievement from our GM of Football.
Buderus didn’t miss a game from his debut in 2002 to his final game in ’08.
In that time, he took three series wins, scoring two tries and earning the captaincy in 2004.
It’s a record that wouldn’t be beaten until Johnathan Thurston crossed it in 2012, going on to play an incredible 36 straight games.
The 16-10 loss in Game III of 2008 wasn’t the farewell Buderus deserved, but there’s no denying his career will always be one NSW’s best ever.
O’Davis’ no names take out 95 series
In 1995, rugby league was at war.
One of the big losers of the early stages of the Super League War was the QRL, who refused to select Super League-aligned players, decimating their team.
With names such as Langer, Walters, Sailor and Renouf all unavailable, the likes of Ben Ikin, Matt Sing and Knights fullback Robbie O’Davis stepped up.
O’Davis was immense in the series, with the Maroons white-washing the Blues 3-0 in a result nobody, not even QLD coach Paul Vautin, saw coming.
Pearce (finally) takes a series win
After eight series attempts and more than 11 years after his Origin debut in 2008, Mitchell Pearce finally had a series win.
It was a moment that nearly didn’t happen for a lot of reasons.
Pearce’s name had become synonymous with the opposite of what he achieved last year after seven series with no wins.
He also wasn’t originally selected, only getting the call up when Nathan Cleary was ruled out. Then there was the fact that scores were locked at 20-20 with less than a minute remaining.
Enter Pearce.
A three-man cut out ball from the No.7 released Tom Trbojevic down the right edge, with James Tedesco finishing off the movement to score in the final thirty seconds and seal Pearce’s maiden Origin series win.
If you’re an NSW fan, it was one of the sweetest moments in Origin history.
Harragon’s determined try
They didn’t win the game, but this try typified the personality and passion of the Chief.
With the series already wrapped up before Game III, Harragon had every reason to take this one easy.
Instead, he received a pass from Brad Fittler 10m out from the line and surged past three Maroons defenders before reaching out to slam the ball down.
His celebration, punching the ground in joy, is a classic Origin moment and shows exactly what made him such a special player.
