DARCY HENDERSSON | Sports | CONTACT
Wollongong resident Hugh Cowan is absolutely brimming with excitement at the prospect of travelling to Brisbane for Game 2 of the 2023 State of Origin Series. Cowan has proudly supported the Maroons since he first developed an interest in the game in his teenage years, but hasn’t yet been fortunate enough to make a trip up to the Sunshine state in his 25 years on Australian soil.
Hugh, a kitchenhand at the Dapto Dogs and grandson of Brisbane-born public servant John Cowan, is thrilled to be heading to Suncorp Stadium for game I with a group of six other young men from his hometown.
“Yeah, pretty stoked to finally be heading up there”, said Cowan.
“To my home state”
“I’ve watched every Origin match on TV since 2006 and dad always gets tickets to the Sydney games through work, but I’ve never watched one live drinking XXXX on tap”, he remarked.
“They reckon that XXXX doesn’t travel that well. So I’m excited to be drinking it only a stones throw away from the brewery””
Like many NSW-born Queensland fans, Hugh is an absolute coward – and leans on the vaguest link he can find to Queensland. Which is the team he wants to support because they win.
But he’s not alone.
“When we beat the Blues I’d say we’ll be giving their fans a fair bit of banter on the way out of the stadium” said James Atkins (also 23), Cowan’s best mate since Primary School.
“Some of the boys from around here give us a fair bit of shit for going for Queensland, but my old worked in Bundaberg for a couple years in the late 1990s… and Hughie’s dad supports the Maroons because his dad did. So I reckon it’s play on. You’ve gotta support the same team as your dad.”
“The Cockroaches gave us heaps when they won back in 2014, so when we win the series this year I’m gonna be giving them everything I’ve got.”
“QUEENSLANDER!”
