Steve Menzies was walking out of the Bulls dressing room with both fingers stuck in his ears while randomly making strange noises on Wednesday.

It wasn’t a new try celebration the Aussie had been working on, nor did he have some painful ear infection that was driving him mad.

It was simply his best way of trying to avoid hearing the State of Origin result. Mischievous team-mates were desperately trying to ruin his planned enjoyment of the big game.

Fellow New South Wales exile Chris Nero opted to deliver menacing stares to anyone who dared even think about drawing breath, never mind utter any words regarding the Maroons or Blues.

The annual New South Wales v Queensland three-match series evokes this kind of behaviour.

That’s because it’s the biggest event of the Australian rugby league calendar, bigger than Test matches and even the NRL Grand Final.

Sitting down to watch it on Wednesday night – having similarly managed to stay in the dark all day – it’s easy to see why.

There were more than 50,000 spectators at Melbourne for the first in the three-match series, creating an amazing atmosphere, and they typically served up a treat.

The build-up alone, with the likes of Origin legends Joey Johns, Wally Lewis, ‘Blocker’ Roach and Andrew ‘ET’ Ettinghausen all offering their insights, was riveting enough, and then came the actual match.

It’s always deemed as the toughest rugby league contest – both mentally and physically – in the world, with so much at stake.

It’s mate against mate as players who turn up every day training with each other at their clubs suddenly become arch-enemies. Origin becomes the ultimate battleground.

On Wednesday there was huge drama from the off with a woeful video referee decision but then the real stars took over – big hits, thunderous tackles and desperate defence alongside classic attacking play and ruthless incisions, all played at a relentless pace and intensity with the result going right down to the wire.

It was as gripping as it’s ever been in its history and had me wondering again why we couldn’t try and create such a spectacle over here.

We have had the chance before. Who remembers the War of the Roses? There hasn’t been a Yorkshire v Lancashire series since 2003 – dubbed County of Origin to try and fall in with the Aussie version – with the last fixture being at Odsal, but maybe it’s time to bring it all back. Only this time give it chance to actually grow and develop.

Back then we had three years on the bounce but it got ditched because it didn’t immediately take off as the RFL had hoped, but it has to be handed the time to earn such prestige.

When State of Origin first kicked off in 1980, everyone Down Under said it would never work either. Fast forward three decades – not three years – and just look what it’s become.

There will be all the arguments about too many games and granted, we do have more fixtures than the NRL. But if the RFL ditched its Magic Weekend that could ease the pressure, as would handing Super League clubs byes through to the fifth round of the Challenge Cup.

In a week when England boss Tony Smith named his squad for the mid-season friendly with France, isn’t it worth considering that the rebirth of the War of the Roses – if done right – would do more for our international game than a one-off fixture across the Channel?

In Australia, the State of Origin prepares players perfectly for the Test arena. It could certainly achieve more than another roadshow in Cardiff or Edinburgh.

Let’s give it a shot. This time a proper one.