Long before the interstate games came to draw over $100 million in revenue per year and 10 million viewers per series, dominate the rugby league calendar and news cycle for months and define entire careers, they were dead.In 1980, those games were deader than disco.Queensland had last won a series in 1960, and NSW had lost just three campaigns in the previous 40 years. Only for one golden generation in the 1920s had the Maroons enjoyed any sustained success.Otherwise, NSW reigned supreme. The state enjoyed deeper playing stocks and the best Queensland had to offer were lured south to play in the richer Sydney competition, from where they were selected to play for NSW.Money – specifically poker machine money – led to players like Beetson, born to wear maroon, trotting out in sky blue. Pokies were legal in NSW but illegal in Queensland, and players simply followed the money.By the 1970s, the common refrain north of the border was that Queenslanders were sick of being beaten by Queenslanders. Ron McAuliffe, an administrative force to be reckoned with, took the line and ran with it as Queensland Rugby League president. He called NSW Rugby League counterpart Kevin Humphreys and put it to him.NSW had already won the first two games of the 1980 series in a canter – the second played, as Wally Lewis described it, “in front of two men and a dog. And the dog went home at halftime”.Something had to change, and that something was State of Origin – you play for the state in which you were born and/or raised.By this point, interstate games had fallen so far out of favour that they were played midweek, in front of miniscule crowds, to ensure the weekend NSWRL fixtures weren’t impacted.Sydney clubs baulked at releasing their players to represent Queensland until Humphreys, as chair of both the NSWRL and ARL, threatened to make participation mandatory. The clubs yielded, and State of Origin was born.At least on paper.The common consensus again, though, was that Sydney clubmates would not go all-out against each other, regardless of which state they were playing for.Beetson, of course, didn’t just turn that notion on its head. He belted it.McAuliffe told Queensland selectors ahead of the third interstate game, the first picked on Origin grounds: “Pick whoever you want. But Beetson’s captain”.Pulled out of reserve grade but growing a foot taller as he pulled on the Maroons jersey for just the third time in his career (Beetson played 18 games for various NSW firsts sides), the future Immortal tapped into decades of pent-up injustice and played the game of his life.Referee Billy Thompson meanwhile, proved a star in his own right. The NSWRL insisted upon a neutral official at a packed-out Lang Park, with Thompson flown in from the UK.Once Thompson blew that first Origin whistle, having left players and a bemused marching band waiting on the Lang Park turf for a couple of minutes, the Englishman took a relaxed view toward any borderline, or outright illegal, play.Legendary caller Rex Mossop was particularly unimpressed during Channel Seven’s broadcast of the match.But with theatrics whenever a call was made and a willingness to break up fights himself, Thompson played his own essential part in the birth of State of Origin.Once asked why he didn’t opt to send any of the culprits off, Thompson replied: “I’m English, so there’s nothing better than seeing 26 Australians knocking seven bells out of each other. Why would I spoil the fun by sending someone off?”And so with Queensland blood boiling, a capacity crowd of 33,210 souped into an even wilder state and the referee happy to see what came of it all, NSW walked into the lion’s den.Or strolled at a leisurely pace. Sydney-based media was scathing of the State of Origin concept. None more so than The Daily Mirrors Ron Casey ,who wrote, “To the Queensland hillbillies in Premier Johs Bananaland, the State of Origin match might be a big deal, but to those in the land of the living, here in Sydney, its just another match without much meaning.NSW players weren’t quite as dismissive.They enjoyed their time in Origin camp and trained just the once before the game. And from kick-off, it showed.Beetson didn’t just go after Cronin. ‘Artie’ hit NSW lock Gary Hambly in the throat in just the second tackle of the game.He lined up Steve Edge in an early scrum and threw a haymaker that missed and was missed by the cameras.Meninga kicked the first of seven penalty goals on his 20th birthday to open the scoring.Raudonikis tussled with first Greg Oliphant, then Rod Morris, prompting Mossop to note that the NSW skipper had “done everything but use an axe so far”.Beetson then did indeed belt Cronin. Not with a punch, but a swinging arm that prompted yet another all-in brawl, back when all-in brawls did involve punching.The Queensland colossus needed an entire wardrobe change at one point in the clash.Mossop, noticing Beetson’s ragged shorts, opined “Arthur needs a needle and thread work on those. There’s ample derriere in there and if it falls out it could be horrifying”.Amongst the brawling and the bawdy, Brentnall finished off a fantastic NSW try that featured eight passes and Cronin handling twice.Boustead’s own turn of foot produced Queensland’s first try, while Meninga and Cronin traded toe-poked goals for the home side to lead 9-5 at halftime.And from there, the Maroons were never headed.Clear-cut man-of-the-match Chris Close sealed a historic win with a fine, untouched try right through the middle of the Blues defence. Meninga kept poking penalty goals through the uprights. Beetson kept cleaning up anyone in blue, with plenty of help from teammates which kept the Queensland fans in raptures. Queensland prevailed comfortably in the end, with a 20-10 victory that would change rugby league forever.And this is how the build-up, historic encounter, and aftermath are remembered by the Blues of 1980.paragraphtitle: Greg Brentnall“We didnt take it seriously.We saw it as a bit of a trip away. A couple of nights in Brisbane with all expenses paid. We thought: ‘You beauty’.I can remember the team managers basically saying: ‘Make the most of it boys. Thisll probably never happen again.’So the night before the game we were having seafood platters and as many drinks as we liked. It was a big night.Obviously Queensland took it a hell of a lot more seriously than we did.I think Tommy [Raudonikis] went for a walk on the morning of the game and must have copped a bit of stick from the locals. He came back and said: ‘We could be walking into an ambush’. But it probably didnt hit home until we arrived at the ground.”“I never really got Origin, until after Id retired and my best mate Steve Mortimer captained NSW to their first series win [in 1985].Then I got it, because I saw what it meant to him.For me, it was just part of the process to get to the Australian side.Right through my career, playing for Australia always took precedence. That was the ultimate for me.Its great to think I was there on the first night and played a part, but for me, playing for Australia was the highlight. That was more prestigious.”paragraphtitle: Steve Edge“You want to win. It was the only time I played for NSW, so it was a big deal for me.We were also playing against our mates, some of us, and if they get over the top of you, you have to live with that for the rest of your life. Just as we are, 45 years later.And of course, Tommy Raudonikis was playing. And theres no way in the world he wasnt ready to get stuck in. Tommy was always ready.”“They talk about how Mick Cronin was the first bloke who got belted, but I was the first one, in the first scrum.I was expecting it, I was waiting for it, and then kaboom. Fortunately I saw it coming.Next thing it was pretty much a full-on brawl and I thought: What do I do here? So I saw Johnny Lang and bear-hugged him and hung on for dear life. Langy didnt want to fight either so we moved away from the stink and had a little wrestle near the fence.”“It was a real honour, looking back on it.I was lucky enough to win five grand finals, and all of them were special.But that game means just as much to me.To be involved in the first-ever game, and to see what State of Origin has become, we were lucky… But Im still filthy about it.Id rather it was a famous game that everyone remembers because NSW won.Thats how I still feel about it. Thats never going to change.”paragraphtitle: Craig Young“Once they picked Arthur Beetson, who was playing reserve grade for Parramatta at the time, we had a fair idea it was going to be on, no matter what.The bus went down Caxton Street and there were people everywhere.There were no intoxication laws in those days - particularly on Caxton Street - and they were throwing full stubbies and cans at our bus.Then we pulled up at Lang Park and we were supposed to go through this door that gave us direct access to the dressing room.But that was locked, so we were ushered through the bar, to get to the dressing room.I reckon some of the blokes in the bar had been there for three days.Tommy Raudonikis nearly got into three blues trying to get to the dressing room.I think we realised then this game was going to be different.Whos worried about concepts? Youre worried about winning a game for your state.Id rather create history by winning the game. Maybe theyd have come up with another concept. Who knows?”paragraphtitle: Mick Cronin“It might have been interesting if Queensland had won one of those first two games, because then we might have had a decider in the third game, instead of State of Origin.I was good mates with Arthur. We played a lot of football together. Thats a story that was blown out of proportion. I mean, they still talk about it.I didnt think it was a big deal. Me and Arthur sat next to each other on the plane home, so there was no problem as far as we were concerned. No hard feelings.I still think the grand final is the biggest game of the year, but State of Origin is second to that. It was nice to be part of the first game, but I think were all still a bit filthy that we lost it.”paragraphtitle: Chris Anderson“We had maybe one training session. The Queensland blokes pulled out of their club games and went into camp early and were probably much better prepared than we were, but I remember we were all pretty confident that wed win.Back in those days, NSW used to dominate the interstate matches. Wed normally win by a fair margin.When we heard their team and Artie Beetson was in it, we had a fair idea what to expect.Artie was playing reserve grade for Parramatta at the time. He was 35 years old and he was struggling, and it had been a few years since hed played any rep football.But we all knew what a great player he was and that hed be leading them from the front.And thats exactly what he did. He set the tone, ripping into Mick Cronin - his own Parramatta teammate - and the rest of them followed his example.”