When is the State of Origin kick off? Here's what you need to know ...

Tonight is the third men's State of Origin match which, for many rugby league fans, is one of the biggest games of the year. 

Here are the details about tonight's game.

If you're new to this dramatic series, hit the link below for a quick crash course to get you in the spirit.

Explain State of Origin to me

How do I watch Origin III?

The game is being broadcast free-to-air on Channel Nine. 

The station will have pre-match coverage starting at 7pm AEST. 

ABC Sport will also be live blogging tonight's showdown from about 7pm, while the Grandstand team will be calling the game via the ABC Listen app and via the website.

What time is kick off?

The game will start at 8:05pm AEST. 

Where are they playing?

Stadium Australia in Sydney, which currently has the sponsorship name of Accor Stadium. 

Who's playing for NSW? James Tedesco is captaining the Blues. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe )1.James Tedesco — Fullback (Captain)2.Brian To'o — Winger3.Stephen Crichton — Centre4.Bradman Best — Centre5.Josh Addo-Carr — Winger6.Cody Walker — Five-eighth 7.Mitchell Moses — Halfback8.Jake Trbojevic — Prop9.Damien Cook — Hooker10.Reagan Campbell-Gillard — Prop11.Liam Martin — 2nd row12.Keaon Koloamatangi — Lock13.Cameron Murray — Interchange14.Isaah Yeo — Interchange15.Jacob Saifiti — Interchange16.Reece Robson — Interchange17.Clinton Gutherson — Interchange18.Scott Drinkwater — Replacement19.Spencer Leniu — Reserve 

Who's out? Hudson Young, Jarome Luai, Junior Paulo, Matt Burton, Payne Haas, Stefano Utoikamanu, Tom Trbojevic and Tyson Frizell

Who's playing for Queensland? Daly Cherry-Evans is leading the Queensland side. (Getty Images: Ian Hitchcock)1.AJ Brimson — Fullback2.Xavier Coates — Winger3.Valentine Holmes — Centre4.Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow — Centre5.Murray Taulagi — Winger6.Cameron Munster — Five-Eighth7.Daly Cherry-Evans — Halfback (Captain)8.Reuben Cotter — Prop9.Harry Grant — Hooker10.Tino Fa'asuamaleaui — Prop11.David Fifita — 2nd Row12.Jeremiah Nanai — 2nd Row13.Patrick Carrigan — Lock14.Ben Hunt — Interchange15.Lindsay Collins — Interchange16.Moeaki Fotuaika — Interchange17.Corey Horsburgh — Interchange18.Tom Dearden — Replacement19.J'maine Hopgood — Reserve

Who's out? Reece Walsh and Thomas Flegler

Neither Jarome Luai or Reece Walsh will be playing tonight. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)Who are the coaches?

NSW legend Brad "Freddy" Fittler is leading the Blues, having been in the role for five years. 

Queensland also has a great at the helm, with Billy Slater in his second year of coaching the Maroons. 

Both Fittler and Slater played 31 State of Origin matches in their playing careers. 

Brad 'Freddy' Fittler is the NSW coach and Billy Slater is the Queensland coach. ( Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)Who won the other matches?

Queensland won the previous two matches: 

Game 1 score: Queensland 26, NSW 18Game 2 score: Queensland 32, NSW 6

Even if Queensland lose tonight, the Maroons will still win the shield. 

Could NSW win the shield?

No. 

Winning tonight would be only about saving face for the Blues. 

Who won last year's competition?

Queensland won the 2022 series.

NSW won the series in 2021.

What about the women's game?

That's already wrapped up, with Queensland wining the series.

There's only two games in the series — the first on June 1 and the second on June 22.

Game 1 score: Queensland 18, NSW 10Game 2 score: NSW 18, Queensland 14

Previously, the women's State of Origin series was a one-off game.

Despite both sides winning a game each, Queensland took out the title because the series is decided based on total points scored. 

What is State of Origin?

It is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between New South Wales and the Queensland.

The team that wins two out of three games wins the series and is presented the shield at the end of the third match. 

The best players from any club in the NRL tournament are picked for either the New South Wales or Queensland teams.

The NSW team is also called the Blues and wear sky blue jerseys. 

The Queensland team is called the Maroons and they wear maroon. 

You might also hear NSW referred to as the Cockroaches and Queensland as the Cane Toads — those aren't official team names though. 

There is one Victorian club in the NRL, the Melbourne Storm, and one from New Zealand, the Warriors, but all other teams are based in Queensland or NSW.

Generally speaking, Maroons players are from Queensland and Blues players are from NSW, but there's a set of complex and sometimes contentious criteria the decides which side a player is eligible to play for (more on that below). 

What's the State of Origin eligibility criteria?

It's complicated. 

It's not just which state a player was born in or where they played their first NRL game. 

So this can lead to passionate arguments among league fans about what side a player should be playing for — especially if they're really, really good players. 

This document from 2012 illustrates just how complex the question of "are you a Queenslander or a New South Welshman?" is:

This flowchart shows that there's quite a lot that goes into deciding if a player should wear a maroon or blue jersey. (nrl.com)

You'll see some quirks from this flowchart, like how players aren't eligible for Origin if they've represented New Zealand or England at a senior level, but can participate if they've played for Tonga or Samoa. 

And there's a legacy rule which means the sons of former Origin players can play for the state their father represented. 

If there's no clear answer, the game's governing body will do a review of a player's eligibility. 

Who should I go for?

It's really up to you. 

Some people go with the state they were born in, where they grew up or which state feels more like home to them. 

There are, of course, more flippant followers who will back whichever team seems more likely to win.

And some back the opposite team to that followed by a family member or friend, purely out of spite. 

If you're still undecided, you could try having someone shout "Queenslander!" at you and note whether it makes your maroon heart swell with pride or your blue blood boil ... or you could just flip a coin. 

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