Stepping up: The 'Origin players' who thrived on the biggest stage

One of the many intangibles that make State of Origin so compelling is whether very good club players can elevate themselves to the status of superstar with the weight of a state on their shoulders.

For men like Wally Lewis, Cameron Smith, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston, Laurie Daley, Brad Fittler, Brett Kenny and Ricky Stuart, the transition was seamless, their imperious skills made for the game's biggest arena.

Origin players? You bet they were, and a whole lot more.

And then there's the other 'Origin players'. Those who have an incredible knack of being able to leave ordinary club form behind them to perform at their best when the Blues or Maroons need them. Those whose temperament is perfectly suited to the pressure cooker and can be relied upon to come up trumps when the chips are down.

Since 1980, when 35-year-old Arthur Beetson took on Father Time and the entire NSW pack to lead Queensland to a famous victory, these 'Origin players' have been endearing themselves to teammates, coaches and fans alike with bravery and brilliance that belies their club form in the lead-up.

Beetson is one of the all-time greats, an Immortal, but when Origin came to pass on July 8, 1980 he was well and truly in the twilight of a glittering career. But here was a man made for the big occasion and the perfect leader for a team of impressionable young Queenslanders determined to avenge years of interstate hidings at the hands of NSW.

"Origin is what it is because of that night in 1980 when Arthur led the boys out and then punched holes through his teammates from his club side and let everyone know how serious it was to play for Queensland," said Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston in '40 Years of Origin: The Magic, The Moments, The Memories'. 

"If Artie hadn't have done what he did that night and given his Parramatta mates a hiding, then I don't think Origin would be what it is, given that everyone said it wouldn't work."

It mattered little that those Parramatta teammates Mick Cronin and Steve Edge would be making hay in first grade in a big win over Newtown five days later while Beetson was relegated to reserve grade, Artie had done the job he was asked to do and the Origin legend was born.

Some three decades later, Thurston would find himself front and centre of an eight-year winning streak built as much on the passion of 'Origin players' like Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison, Ben Hannant and Dallas Johnson as it was on the precision of Thurston, Lockyer, Smith, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk.

From 2006 to 2013, the Maroons were unstoppable, and as much as Thurston's remarkable run of 24 straight games and four man of the match awards were pivotal, so too were Harrison's monster tackle counts, Johnson's fearlessness and Myles' refusal to take a backward step.

Like Gary Larson in the '90s and Wally Fullerton-Smith in the '80s, the unfashionable did the unthinkable game after game, year after year, and while the awards and adulation goes to the stars, the 'Origin player' holds a special place in the hearts of those in the inner sanctum.

As Lockyer said of Dallas Johnson in 2012: "The work he does is probably not noticed as much by the public as it is by us. Dallas, being small, loved to get in and axe blokes – a bit like Trevor Gillmeister.

"It lifts you when you see those little blokes getting in there and doing that. He is as tough as they come. And he is one of those guys who is very humble about it all."

In the Blue corner, giving as good as he got in the face of that Maroons onslaught, was Greg Bird, a fierce competitor who cared little for reputations.

After debuting off the bench in Game Two, 2007, Bird was immediately promoted to start at five-eighth in the third game, which the Blues won.

Come the series opener in 2008 and the rugged Shark was paired with rookie Peter Wallace in the halves and walked away with man of the match honours as NSW saluted 18-10.

While series wins would prove elusive, Bird kept ripping in and was rewarded for his persistence when the tide finally turned for NSW in 2014, playing lock in games two and three that year.

Loved by teammates and loathed by rivals, Bird was a throwback to the rugged NSW packs of the '90s when the likes of Ian Roberts, Paul Harragon, Paul Sironen, Glenn Lazarus and Dean Pay carried the Blues to five series wins in six years.

At the helm for four of those triumphs was Phil Gould, a man who knows better than most what makes an 'Origin player' and what makes them such an integral part of every successful team.

Like the Maroons side that built a dynasty from 2006-13 so too Gould's Blue army was brimming with natural talents who made the game look easy, but couldn't have done what they did without loyal deputies like Rod Wishart, Chris Johns and the unflinching Pay.

As the Blues seek revenge in 2021, they could do worse than channel the belligerence of Bird or perhaps steal a page from Lockyer's Dynasty playbook and discover what made Johnson, Myles and Harrison tick.

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARLC, NRL clubs or state associations.