Building on this interest, annual matches were introduced. When NSW teams travelled to Queensland in the years that followed they created huge interest in the rugby game, resulting in many players and clubs changing from Australian rules. Ultimately it meant that rugby union, and later rugby league, would control the 'football' interest of NSW and Queensland.

NSW dominated the early years of rugby union competition and it was not until the Queenslanders started to introduce more country footballers to its teams in the 1890s that this changed. During this period the two colonies were on an even footing. By the end of the decade NSW had settled on light blue as their jersey colour, while Queensland adopted maroon.

With the establishment of rugby league in Sydney in 1908 the importance of ensuring annual inter-state games was not lost. A number of Brisbane rugby players and supporters crossed over to League and helped to form the game in that state.

However, they didn't posses the player numbers and off-field finances to immediately present a challenge to NSW, but this was largely irrelevant as it provided a vehicle for the growth of the game in both states.

The first NSW v Qld rugby league game was played on Saturday, August 11, 1908 at the Sydney Agricultural Ground. NSW won the game 43-0 to begin a trend that was largely unbroken until the arrival of State of Origin in 1980.

Both teams followed the colours adopted by their state rugby union teams.

While 1922 saw North Sydney win its final NSWRL premiership and the Northern Union change its name to the English Rugby League, it also saw Queensland finally, after 22 attempts, defeat NSW.

In a decisive and unexpected win the Maroons ran over NSW 25-9 at the Sydney Sports Ground. The Queenslanders had accumulated a cluster of outstanding players including Tom Gorman, Eric Frauenfelder, E. "Nigger" Brown, Cyril Aynsley, Cec Broadfoot and Norm Potter. They were further strengthened when the outstanding half-back Duncan Thompson returned to Queensland after leaving North Sydney.

These players saw Queensland into a period of unprecedented dominance in the 1920s, winning 17 games from 24 between 1922 and 1928.The success of Queensland in the 1920s coincided with the collapse of the Queensland rugby union, which failed to recommence after the end of WW1. However when it did getting going again in the early 1930s, the Queensland rugby league team began to lose its domination over NSW.

It is clear that the collective 'rugby' resources of the state - in terms of player and club numbers - affected the ability of either Queensland team to compete against NSW. From the 1930s onwards the Maroons only enjoyed sporadic moments of triumph over NSW.

The situation worsened as a steady stream of the northern state's finest players trekked to Sydney to join NSWRL clubs.Queensland regained dominance in 1959, and held NSW out during drawn series in 1960 and '61, but these were their last successes in the traditional inter-state era.

The following two decades produced no series wins and just four match victories (the final one coming in 1975). The lack of success was made all the more frustrating for Queensland supporters when "their" players returned annually wearing NSW jerseys and they had to watch the next generation of Maroons be beaten by them.

The first calls to allow Queensland to be able to select players who had long "gone south" to play in the Sydney competition began to be raised regularly during the 1960s, usually just after the Maroons had yet again been rolled by the NSW team.

Through the 1970s QRL President Ron McAuliffe tried to stem the tide by various methods. He introduced a state development squad - and subsequently saw the state selectors fail to pick any of them. He would lock the Queensland dressing room doors to NSWRL and Sydney club officials at state games.

Supported by large Brisbane companies he took an open cheque book to Sydney - he almost got Ron Coote and Langlands, but returned with an aging John Sattler and Ross Strudwick.

Heading into the 1980s, the QRL were confident a new era was dawning with a crop of promising youngsters - Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Gene Miles and others - to lead the way. However, after losing the first two matches of the 1980 series, even for McAuliffe the exasperation was too much. He went to ARL Chairman, Kevin Humphreys, with a plan to see the Queenslanders back on an even footing.

McAuliffe managed to convince Humphreys to allow the third game in the 1980 series to be played under a "state of origin" basis. The Queenslanders were undoubtedly pleased, but even McAuliffe could not foresee just how much of a phenomena State of Origin would be.