By JOEL GOULD
Queensland hooker Harry Grant says the current team is ready to “write a story” and end the 31-year drought of the Maroons at the MCG.
Queensland will draw on the spirit of their 1995 side that last won at the MCG as they target becoming hoodoo gurus in consecutive years.
The MCG has not been a happy hunting ground since Paul ”Fatty” Vautin’s 1995 team, known as the “Neville Nobodies”, won game two 20-12 before claiming a famous 3-0 clean sweep.
Five losses at the venue either side of that victory, most recently in 2024 when the Blues prevailed 38-18, have haunted the Maroons.
Queensland won for the first time in Perth, 26-24 in game two last year, to smash that hex.
Harry Grant said they were determined to follow suit and honour the 1995 side that boasted a suite of no-names and defended like demons to concede just 28 points for the series.
“It is a pretty good team to base your game off,” Grant said in Maroons camp on Sunday.
“We always draw on the past and are in touch with the history and what it means to be a Queenslander.
“Fatty’s Neville Nobodies certainly did that in 1995 with their defensive efforts and courage they showed throughout that series.
“A lot of Queenslanders still talk about it and are very proud of that team … but at the end of the day it is an open book now and we have got to write a story.”
With regard to the hoodoo, Grant acknowledged there was “always going to be talk around it” as there is with the statistic that no team has won the NRL title after conceding 50 points in a match during the season.
“A lot of people are tipping the Dolphins (to win the comp) this year but they have had the 50 points put on them and that’s a thing in the NRL,” he said.
“You can give it attention if you want but at the end of the day it doesn’t mean anything. The conditions don’t change. It’s always the same 80 minutes on the same size field.”
The Maroons have played 10 times in Origin in the Victoria capital at three different venues.
They have won on three occasions at Docklands, most famously in the 16-14 win in 2006 to claim the series.
NSW won the only match played at the old Olympic Park in 1990.
Maroons forward Kurt Capewell said now their focus was on making it two wins from seven attempts at the MCG.
“We obviously reference that ’95 team a fair bit and what they were able to do,” Capewell said.
“This is us this year. It’s our chance to do something and hopefully we can stand up and get it done.”
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