We may have won the Rugby League State of Origin in 2018, but the Queenslanders did get the victory over us in the Origin Greyhound Series held at Albion Park last year.
With Slater, Smith and Co now long gone, NSW are again favourites in the league Origin, and having produced the winners of the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg, the GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase, and the Group 1 Association Cup, NSW is looking good to also capture the Origin Greyhound Series in 2019.
Racing Queensland announced on Friday that the series would be on again in 2019, and take place at Albion Park on June 6.
The format will remain unchanged in 2019 with the following events: $60,000 Origin Sprint 520m ($40,000 to the winner), a $60,000 Origin Distance 710m ($40,000 to the winner), and a $30,000 Origin Match Race 520m ($25,000 to the winner).
Eligibility to be selected in the Origin Greyhound Series will be as per the conditions of the Nationals, with a greyhound required to be domiciled in either Queensland or NSW for a period of not less than 76 days out of the 150 days immediately prior to June 6, 2019.
The teams will be selected by a Panel of experts from each state, chaired by a representative from Racing Queensland and Greyhound Racing New South Wales respectively.
Terry Hill (NSW) and Chris Walker (QLD) have been confirmed as ambassadors for the series, just as they were in 2018, while the Mark Hughes Foundation will also continue as a charity partner.
Squads for the series will be announced next Thursday, May 16. The teams will then be finalised and announced on May 31, and the box draws will be conducted on June 3.
The undercard for June 6, 2019 meeting will feature two support events: The Emerging Origin Stars 520m, for Queensland bred greyhounds whelped on or after March 6, 2017, and the Regional Origin Challenge Final 520m, for greyhounds that have not won a city class event. Queensland heats at Ipswich (520m) will be run on Friday May 31, with NSW heats at Casino (484m) on the same day. The top four qualifiers plus one reserve from each state will progress to the final.
A full set of conditions for the 2019 Origin Greyhound series can be found here.
