'People said it was crazy': How Origin fuelled NRL's Victorian expansion

Thirty-six years later and Quayle's vision has played out better than most could have anticipated. 

A record crowd of 92,000 fans is expected to cram into the MCG for Wednesday's State of Origin clash as interest in rugby league continues to surge in Victoria. 

The Melbourne Storm are thriving, one of the best run and most popular clubs in the game and junior participation numbers continue to rise. 

Ponissi has had a front-row seat throughout the past three decades, first in his role with the NSWRL and later as the Melbourne Storm General Manager of Football, a position he has held since 2007. 

The experienced official will be back at the MCG on Wednesday night as the Blues performance manager, where he will get another reminder of how far the sport has come. 

"A lot of people in 1994 were saying it was crazy to take a game to the MCG because the game of rugby league was barely known down there," Ponissi said.

"To get 87,000 people and the success of that game inspired the creation of the Melbourne Storm a few years later so John Quayle has to take an enormous amount of credit for where rugby league is in Victoria. 

"If you look at the big crowds at the MCG, they're not a one-off. If you just did it in '94 you could point to the novelty of the event but we've had half a dozen games at the MCG now and they're regularly over 80,000.

"It's unbelievable to think how far we've come. The NRL and Melbourne Storm have dramatically increased the profile of rugby league in Melbourne, but Origin is just on another level even down there."

For all the success of recent years, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for rugby league in Melbourne.

After a then-record 87,161 fans packed into the MCG for the first State of Origin game at the venue in 1994, crowds slowly started to wane. Just 25,105 were on hand for the Blues one-point win in 1997 as the Super League war ravaged the game. 

The arrival of the Storm in 1998 and a breakthrough premiership 12 months later provided a short-term sugar hit, but the club continued to struggle off the field during the early 2000s. 

So dire was the situation, there were genuine fears the club would be forced to relocate.

"There was a period where we were really worried for their sustainability," former NRL CEO David Gallop said. "John Ribot and Chris Johns agitated hard to get more free-to-air coverage and names on jerseys to try and raise the profile of their heroes."

Aware of the importance of having a foothold in Australia's second-largest city, Gallop came up with a desperate plan to save the Storm, and by extension resuscitate rugby league in Melbourne. 

The NRL CEO and News Corp bosses Lachlan Murdoch and John Hartigan flew south for a meeting with the state government that would make or break the code's Victorian ambitions. 

"We recognised we needed to keep helping them as much as we could," Gallop said. "In the mid-2000s I remember flying to Melbourne and meeting with the Premier of Victoria, saying 'we need more support for this rugby league team. We need you to build a new stadium'. 

"As part of the deal, we said we'll bring Origin games back to Melbourne and there would be greater investment from the government in junior development. The whole deal was stitched together quickly over the next couple of days and ultimately led to the construction of AAMI Park.

"The ground gave the club a chance to compete commercially with the revenue and fan experience other NRL teams had in the rest of the competition. That was an important part of creating their sustainability."

The first Origin game played as part of the six-year, three-match deal was the 2006 decider, a game best remembered for Darren Lockyer's match-winning try that kicked off an eight-year Maroons dynasty. 

For officials like Gallop, however, it is viewed as the turning point for rugby league in Melbourne. 

State of Origin allowed the game to connect with countless casual fans beyond dedicated Storm supporters. 

The construction and opening of AAMI Park in 2010 allowed the club to attract new sponsors and opened up new revenue streams, while the team entered a stunning era of success on the field. 

The club recovered from the salary cap scandal in 2010 to make eight grand finals between 2011 and 2025 and win three premierships.

The sustained period of success helped attract a new legion of fans and the players are now household names in Victoria. 

"From 2007 to see the growth of the game and the Storm has been incredible," Ponissi said. "We get big crowds at a big stadium and leaving aside the success of the team, the membership base and fan base have grown enormously. 

"Underneath that, the real trigger is the game has exploded in the community. We've got 6000 Victorians playing rugby league, we've got girls and boys playing and a full pathway from under 17s all the way to NSW Cup and the NRL."

State of Origin matches have now become a regular fixture on the Melbourne sporting calendar. A record 91,513 fans packed into the MCG in 2015, while the 90,000 barrier was cracked for the second time in 2024. 

The games provide a regular opportunity for casual fans to witness the elite skill and athletic abilities routinely on display on the rugby league field. 

While Origin provides a window into the sport for a wide audience, Storm officials are also busy building a solid base at the grassroots. 

Junior participation has been a key focus in recent seasons, with Ponissi leading efforts to establish a clear pathway for Victorians from junior rugby league to the Melbourne Storm. 

The club now has male teams from under 17s through to the NRL, while the groundwork has been laid for the introduction of an NRLW side in the coming years.

"We want to get more Victorian players playing for the Melbourne Storm," Ponissi said. "[Fullback] Sua Faalogo is the best advertisement for that. He's a player who's come through the ranks, a junior from a local club the Northern Thunder. 

"He spent his time behind Ryan Papenhuyzen and is now lighting up AAMI Park every week. The crowd loves him and he's the best advertisement we've got for young Victorians."

In 1990 a fearless administrator took the game to Melbourne with the hope of inspiring a new generation of fans. 

Thirty-six years on, 92,000 spectators will pack into the MCG for the latest instalment of the intense interstate rivalry.

For countless children in the stands, it could be the moment that sets them on the path to NRL superstardom. To Ponissi, that is the ultimate reward for more than three decades of work.

A record crowd is set to pack into the MCG for Game Two of the State of Origin series. This is your final chance to be part of history. Click here to secure your seats before they sell out.