The State of Origin rugby league series has long been defined by its iconic “mate against mate, state against state” ethos. Nowhere is this dynamic more apparent than in the 2026 opening clash, where two of the National Rugby League’s most storied club rivals are putting decades of inter-club animosity aside to share the blue jersey for New South Wales for the first time.
Cameron Murray of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Victor Radley of the Sydney Roosters have grown up competing against each other, their clubs’ century-long rivalry ingrained in them from the earliest stages of their junior careers. Yet for the upcoming three-game series, that decades-long hatred is taking a backseat to shared state pride as the pair prepares to take the field as teammates.
For Murray, a mainstay of the Blues lineup since his 2019 State of Origin debut, the 2026 series marks a much-anticipated return to representative rugby. A devastating Achilles injury forced him to miss the entire 2025 campaign, an experience that gave him a new perspective on how much the jersey means. “You don’t really know how much you miss something until it’s gone,” Murray shared in pre-series comments. “Sitting out and watching from the sidelines was always hard. It makes you miss everything – the good and the bad bits, the highs and the lows. It’s all part of what makes rugby league such a great game, and what we do so special. I missed it a lot, I’m grateful that I’m back in, and I’m just working hard to do my best and prove to everyone – but more so prove to myself – that I’m ready to be back in the Origin arena.” The NSW side has openly missed Murray’s signature leg speed and rapid play-the-ball ability during his absence, and his return adds a critical dimension to the team’s forward lineup.
For Radley, the series marks a long-awaited debut. A recent change to State of Origin eligibility rules cleared the way for the English-born international to represent the state he has always called home, fulfilling a lifelong dream. The 28-year-old enforcer has built a reputation over his career as a fearless, boundary-pushing player whose aggressive style and relentless tenacity have made him a nightmare for opposition offenses.
The pair’s history stretches back to their childhood: they have been competing against and occasionally alongside each other since they were 8 years old, and shared a Junior Kangaroos lineup back in 2017, when Murray started at lock and Radley came off the bench. Even so, Murray says he has only played one or two representative games alongside Radley across their entire careers, with almost all of their matches seeing them on opposite sides of the field.
“I’ve had a lot of respect for Victor and what he’s been able to achieve and the type of footy that he plays,” Murray said. “I don’t think I’d be alone in saying that he’s built for an arena like this, and he’ll bring his best and he definitely deserves his shot. I’m really looking forward to running out alongside him.”
Both players have been named as reserves for next Wednesday’s series opener at Accor Stadium in Sydney. NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley selected the pair specifically for their above-average mobility and strong ball-playing skills, attributes that he views as critical to matching the frenetic pace of modern top-flight rugby league in 2026.
When asked about how evolving NRL rule changes might impact the pace and structure of next week’s Origin clash, Murray noted that the high-intensity representative fixture often looks different from regular season club play. “It’ll probably be a bit of a guessing game because the club competition has shown one thing, and Origin might show another,” he explained. “I’m not sure if Origin is going to be similar to the regular NRL season or the same old Origin that we all know it can be. You can overthink it a little bit if you try to plan for every outcome, but we’re all just going to be trying to bring our best, and I think we’ve got the talent in the team that if we can all play to our strengths and if we can play to our best ability, we’ll be able to get the job done.”
While the two forwards have very different on-field personas – with Radley’s aggressive, edge-of-the-rules play contrasting with Murray’s more controlled style – Murray says he has full confidence that Radley will find the right balance for Origin, where a single costly penalty can swing the result of a tight match. Murray himself knows the risk of overstepping the line: he was sin-binned for involvement in a melee during the 2024 series, an incident he jokes saw him channelling Radley’s signature intensity. “I think Victor’s been around the game long enough now and I think his maturity levels are at an all-time high, and he’ll just go out there and be Victor,” Murray said.
Blues star halfback Nathan Cleary got a firsthand look at Radley’s toughness during a training session this Thursday, and said he is equally excited to share the field with the Roosters forward. “It wasn’t much fun wrestling with him, I’ll tell you that,” Cleary laughed. “But Victor’s another one that I’ve never been able to play alongside him, but I’ve always admired him from afar. Just his competitive nature, his tenacity, and his will to win has always impressed me. Now getting to take the field with him, I’m really looking forward to it. He’s not afraid of putting his body on the line and doing what’s best for the team, and that’s shown so far.”