Perhaps one of the most anticipated annual sporting events in Australia, the Rugby League State of Origin series between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues is well known for not only the determination and pride which is demonstrated by the players in each team but also the loyalty shown by dedicated fans.
Featured Image(above): Riley Jeppesen, with dad Tony, sister Kira and mum Angela – all proud of their new Maroons jersey
For two Bribie Island Maroons supporters, that loyalty was well and truly rewarded recently when they were given the opportunity to appear in the promotional video for the new Maroons Jersey. The opportunity arose for Riley Jeppesen and his dad Tony after Riley’s mum Angela Blinco received a notification from Queensland Rugby League.
‘As manager of the Warrigals under elevens football team which Riley is a member of and Tony coaches, I receive all the emails from both the NRL and the QRL so when the QRL sent through a request for applications from suitable talent, I applied and Riley was shortlisted,’ said Angela.
‘I then had to send a video of Riley and his dad kicking the ball around in the backyard and that ended with them both shouting “Queenslander,”’ she explained. Following notification of their selection, Tony, a well-known local electrician, and Riley attended the filming at locations to the south of Brisbane. ‘We filmed the farm section at an Ormeo cane farm and the part on the football field was done at Coomera. All up, it took about six hours to film our part in the video,’ Tony told me.
Riley and Tony Jeppesen in a scene from the video
‘About a week later, I got a phone call asking me to do the voice over,’ he added. For their involvement in the promotion, Riley and his family have all received one of the new jerseys which have been described as encapsulating the true meaning of Origin. Maroons coach Kevin Walters has said that the new jersey is about celebrating the past and looking ahead to the future.
‘Our fans are at the heart of everything that we do and I’m thrilled that some of our most dedicated supporters got to feature in the unveiling,’ said the coach. The video which features Riley and Tony can be viewed by logging on to the QRL website which is https://www.qrl.com.au/news and for anyone who would like to get their hands on one of the new jerseys, they are available at maroonshop.com and will be in all major sporting stores this month.