QUEENSLAND players have long believed they have a mortgage on passion, an attitude which rankles NSW even though the Maroons' strong past players' assocation, called FOGs (Former Origin Greats), is proof.

They wear rings with maroon stones, inscribed with numbers, such as their place in Queensland history, games played and years represented.

No former NSW player is entitled to join FOGs, implying that only Queensland players were great.

Now, however, NSW have become involved in a game of catch-up, with an inaugural captains' lunch to be held on Wednesday. Organised by former NSW fullback Phil 'Whatsapackata' Sigsworth, the lunch will honour Origin's first captains - NSW's Tom Raudonikis and Queensland's Arthur Beetson. The Herald took the opportunity of asking Raudonikis and Beetson about the changes in the game since that first match at Lang Park in July, 1980.

Raudonikis is an occasional commentator on radio, while Beetson has been the Roosters' scout for 13 years. While both are critical of many aspects of the code since that magic night 27 years ago, they enjoyed Origin I last month, with Beetson particularly effusive.

"I don't think I've seen a better football game," he said. "There was some amazing skill and they were still bashing each other at the end. It highlighted why Origin is so good."

TACKLING

Raudonikis laments the decline in one-on-one tackles and the trend to gang tackle.

"In our days we didn't have those names like surrender and dominant," he said. "Why not knock them over and go on from there? The first bloke in the tackle in our day would go for the ribs. Today they go for the ball.

"There were two in a tackle in the past; now there are three or four. The purpose of a tackle now is to slow the play up, with them peeling off the ball carrier one by one."

Beetson: "They talk about the wrestle and it's a big thing with the coaches. Wests Tigers is the best coached side in the competition because they are mostly little blokes who are all good shoulder hitters.

"Give me a team of shoulder hitters and they will beat a team of wrestlers. I loved playing against blokes who wanted to wrestle with me but I hated it when stocky blokes, like [Gary] 'Stumpy' Stevens and Terry Lamb, tackled me.

"Queensland's Dallas Johnston is one of the best, although he sometimes gets his head in the wrong place.

"They talk about locking up the ball. They don't have to slow the play down if they drop the ball carrier with a good shoulder hit."

TACTICS

Raudonikis: "The game is so basic now. They play left and right. You rarely see the halves together and the centres don't combine.

"The coaches are not allowing players to play what is in front of them, like Andrew Johns and Allan Langer did. They don't allow them to be creative. Are coaches there for the players, or their own careers? The tap penalty has been moved in a further 10 metres to 20 metres but you don't see anyone use the blind. They do the same thing they did at the 10m mark. There are no set plays."

Beetson: "There have been a couple of coaches over the past 10 years, I'd have hated to play under. I'd have been standing there waiting to offload but no one would have been tailing me. They say Shane Webcke was the prince of props but in 10 years he never passed the ball.

"In the last couple of years, the coaches have woken up that front-rowers can pass the ball. In the end, Shane Webcke was passing it but he would shoot it out the back like a turtle, dumping it on the ground to get a second phase going."

KICKING

Raudonikis: "The kicking game is good. It has to be because they ruck it out and then kick for field position. Forwards can now kick as well as some backs, especially Queensland's Cameron Smith and his left-foot kicks from dummy half. But I'd love to see them kick the old leather ball in the wet."

Beetson: "The game has evolved where they kick the ball a mile. One of the big reasons why NSW lost the [game one of ] Origin was kicking down Karmichael Hunt's throat.

"They failed to find the seagulls, as Jack Gibson would say. Queensland is lucky we have Johnathan Thurston because most of his kicks found space and he follows them up. He is living proof there is still a place for the footballer, as opposed to the athlete."

SCRUMS

Raudonikis argued competitive scrums would break the boring cycle of each team trading possession after six tackles.

If a team finding touch was rewarded with either the put in or the loose-head, it could allow continuous possession for two or more sets of tackles.

"I'd love to see scrums brought back," he said. "Scrums are embarrassing. The team with no chance of winning it doesn't even pack in. The only purpose of the scrum today is to keep the forwards out of the backs for one tackle."

Beetson: "Rugby league has taken the uncertainty out. We've got the only game in the world that doesn't have a competition for the ball.

"I can remember when we did scrummaging practice at training. You'd do an extra half hour for a game against Balmain when they had [Steve] 'Blocker' Roach, Benny Elias and Paul Sironen.

"The front rows used to be like a pack of bulls going at each other. Now they go and put their head in and have a rest. Referees even tell the players not to go in hard at the scrums. Don't push. Referees are deliberately breaking the rules."

FITNESS

Raudonikis: "There is a different fitness today. The forwards only play for 40 minutes. We had to do road runs to get the basic fitness. Interchange would take big [John] 'Dallas' Donnelly out.

"Everyone will say I am a dinosaur but if they dropped the number of [interchange] replacements down from 12, it might bring back attrition. The two props going at each other used to be a great battle as they wore each other down.

"It was part of rugby league. But if they stay out there longer than 60 minutes today, they're likely to sue the club for keeping them out there."

Beetson: "The game is about winning it in the 80th minute, not the first. They've got away from that. In many ways it is too predictable. If you pushed in scrums, you might tire them and get your battle in the last five minutes.

"They say we don't want penalties but they had plenty in the Origin game in Brisbane. If you have to blow the whistle to get a game like that, have penalties."

TELEVISION

Raudonikis: "I hate it when the TV cameras go in the dressing room. That is sacred territory. The game has gone too much the way of TV with night grand finals and the video referee."

Beetson: "I remember Jack Gibson and Rex Mossop almost having a stink in 1975 when Mossop wanted to bring the TV cameras in. The dressing room was the coach's domain. I still think the same."

THE MODERN PLAYER

Raudonikis: "He spends too much time with the hairdresser. I can't cop these ear rings. Some of them have got these rat-tail haircuts. [If I was playing] I'd love to pull that one [Nigel] Vagana has.

"They spend too much time looking into the mirror. They are coached to go down when hit with a head-high tackle. They are becoming sissies but I do admit they hit hard. I don't like it when they've been beaten how they laugh with the opposition when they shake hands at the end of the game."

Beetson: "The modern player has too much time on his hands. He should be holding a job for 10-15 hours a week. We'd train 20 hours a week and I'd be up at 5am to be a brickie's labourer and then knock off at midday on a Wednesday for a mid-week Amco Cup game.

"All that shit about them training so hard. A lot of the time it's just padded for the coach to justify his existence.

"They should also be put- ting more back into the game. I've been in this recruitment job for 13 years and I've only seen one NRL player ever at a schoolboy tournament.

"The club scene is not a club anymore. It's just a place for first-graders. We used to go to each other's club with the second- and third-graders. We'd bash each other then go and have a drink together. They might get more money than us but they never had as good a time."

Tickets to the June 13 lunch at the Shangri-La hotel are $195. Bookings: 9699 2000.