It was the game of the year, and to the delight of those among us who bleed blue, it was a night to remember, with the NSW Blues securing a 14-4 win over Queensland, locking in a win for the 2024 series.
Since its inception, State of Origin has become a fierce battleground for the intense rivalry between rugby league players and supporters across Queensland and New South Wales. But, with two of the nation’s biggest alcohol brands throwing their support behind either team, the rivalry has extended to a battle of the beers that fuels the on-field competition but also engages fans, creating a cultural clash that extends beyond the game.
Yesterday, B&T spoke with Chris Allan, connections director at Lion, the parent company that owns XXXX and Tooheys, to unpack the brands’ connection to the respective Origin clubs and last night, the NSW Blues confirmed just how deep that connection runs… where’s that Queensland spirit again Maroons?
In the locker rooms, with Tooheys New flowing about as freely as the tears Queenslanders across the country, the blues broke out into their new team song, Let Me Hear Ya, openly calling out the Maroons for talking “a lot of shit” but ultimately not showing up. But as the song concluded, the ecstatic team broke into another, much more recognisable song – the iconic Tooheys New How Do You Feel jingle.
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Tooheys, of course, jumped straight on the trend, sharing the video on its own Instagram page with the caption, “History made. How do you feel @nswblues?”.
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The locker room moment, including the team and inner sanctum of NSW Rugby League, was captured after Game 2 and turned into a 15-second TVC, which will be airing across NSW as Blues fans around the state celebrate the victory alongside the Blues team.
“Celebrating the efforts of teams and championing teamwork is integral to those that choose the Tooheys brand, and Tooheys’ rich history of partnership with NSW Rugby League meant that becoming sponsors of the mighty NSW blues state of origin team felt like a natural extension of that spirit,” Allan told B&T. “Through the partnership, Tooheys has been able to bring its celebration of teamwork to life, and the many teams that helped put him on footy’s greatest stage”.
Allan told B&T that the club’s partnership with Tooheys has proven incredibly commercially successful. It underscored the brand’s dedication to teamwork and contributed to the sale of over 2 million litres of Tooheys New during the 2023 State of Origin series—its strongest sales volume and brand power for the year.
“Culturally, New South Wales has forever been positioned as a divided state, especially at the time of its origin. So, what better way for Tooheys to show that we go further by working together than through sponsorship of a team literally composed of rivals who are each asked to put their differences aside to chase a common goal and the shared honour of Tooheys’ home state NSW?” said Allan.
“There’s no sporting event more exciting for our Blue state than State of Origin, we’re committed our sponsorship of Westpac New South Wales Blues and cheering on the state’s most revered representative team. Look out for The Westpac New South Wales Blues cameo in the latest Tooheys ‘How do you feel?’ jingle that launched in June, and champions the collective power of teamwork. Tooheys has got more exciting brand work in the mix, from partnerships to new product announcements; it’s an ultra-exciting year for us”.
With all the Tooheys free-flowing, it’s safe to say there would be no shortage of sore heads inside Origin camp this morning and, thanks to the iconic jingle, no shortage of pride across the state.
