It doesn’t get more daunting than that for most rugby league players. But it didn’t seem to faze Blues centre Michael O’Connor, who scored all 18 of his side’s points in an 18-2 victory to open the 1985 State of Origin series.
“In hindsight it probably looked like I did it easy but to be honest with you, I don’t think I was ever as nervous before a game as I was for that first Origin match,” O’Connor told Big League.
“It was a massive build-up and the conditions were appalling. We were going up to Brisbane and we hadn’t won a State of Origin series yet, so the build-up was very intense and Steve Mortimer led that from the top down.
“We jumped on the plane and Steve had us feeling like we were an SAS unit.
“He kept talking about how much they hated us and how much we’ve got to hate them but then we hopped off the plane from dreary Sydney and it was sunny and beautiful and everyone was smiling at us and wearing holiday clothes.”
But things changed quickly for the Blues and a then 24-year-old O’Connor, who was in his third season at St George after crossing over from rugby union.
“The mood changed pretty quickly as the game approached,” the goal-kicking centre recalled.
“They stopped our bus in the middle of Caxton Street and they were shaking it from side to side. Then when we eventually got to the ground, it was absolutely pouring, but it didn’t stop the Queensland fans turning up in big numbers. The rain didn’t bother them and I’ll never forget the noise when I ran on to Lang Park for the first time.”
O’Connor scored two tries and kicked five goals in the 18-2 win but said most of the credit deserved to go to the players around him that night.
“I liked scoring tries, that was my favourite thing to do, and I quickly realised that if I stayed pretty close to Brett Kenny, things were going to happen. And they did that night consequently,” he laughed.
“Our forwards were fantastic but we also had a very strong defensive backline and just didn’t give Queensland a sniff. Chris Mortimer was probably one of the toughest centres to play Origin and Brett Kenny had a brilliant rugby league mind.
“There’s a difference between being able to tackle and knowing when to tackle and what sort of tackle to make. Brett’s timing and his reading of defence was second-to-none.
Two weeks later at the SCG, O’Connor kicked a field goal and Kenny scored the match-sealing try as the Blues won Game Two 21-14 to claim their first ever series win.
Now 64, the former Dragon and Sea Eagle likes his state’s chances in the 2025 series.
“I’m optimistic after last year. The Blues lost the first game at home, then won two games on the road to win the series and that tells be that they’ve got character and plenty of grit,” said O’Connor, who played 18 Origins between 1985-91.
“They’ve also got a lot of big-game players who have played Origins and grand finals and I think that’s important too.
“Origin’s a big event and some blokes just don’t handle it. They play very well at club level, but Origin is a different beast and I think there are lots of players right across the NSW team that know what it takes to play and win in big moments.”
