South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas reveals his very unusual way of choosing who to support in State of Origin – but one of his statements is sure to anger Croweaters
- Peter Malinauskas has committed a sporting faux pas
- SA premier labelled Origin the ‘greatest rivalry in sport’
- Comment will irk AFL fans from Crows and Power
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has revealed who he will be barracking for in the State of Origin series opener on May 31 – but his accompanying statement is set to ruffle a few feathers in his home state.
Malinauskas posted a video to Twitter in which he declared, ‘Wednesday 31 May, right here at Adelaide Oval, the greatest rivalry in sport, State of Origin!’
The sporting slip of the tongue is sure to anger fans of the Adelaide Crows and Port Power, given their annual Showdown clashes are far and away the most intense sporting events as far as Croweaters are concerned.
In Malinauskas’ tweet, posted on Thursday, he goes on to reveal the premiers of NSW and Queensland have pushed him to support their state’s team.
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has revealed who he will be barracking for in the State of Origin series opener on May 31
He labelled the rugby league clash between NSW and Queensland the ‘greatest rivalry in sport’ when every other South Australian thinks it’s the Showdown derby featuring the Power and Crows (pictured)
And it was NSW Premier Chris Minns who got bragging rights over Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk, after Malinauskas booted a mini footy which exploded in a shower blue powder, similar to a gender reveal.
The development comes as the NRL admitted on Thursday only 41,000 tickets have been sold ahead of the Origin series opener.
Adelaide Oval has a capacity of 53,500 – and despite the shortfall, officials remain confident a healthy crowd will be in attendance on game day.
‘We are tracking towards a strong crowd number for State of Origin 1 in Adelaide with more than 45,000 fans expected,’ an NRL spokesman said.
‘Ticket sales have picked up significantly since the teams were named on Monday and the expectation is that will continue.’
And according to News Corp, a billboard slogan in Adelaide’s main street, Rundle Mall, which reads ‘Real footy is coming soon to Adelaide’, hasn’t been well received by locals.
A leading sporting official felt ‘insulting AFL fans about their game’ was not a wise move.
Game two at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on June 21 will be a 52,000 sellout while the Sydney game at Accor Stadium come July 12 should attract a crowd of more than 80,000 fans.
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