Despite its faults, State of Origin remains the greatest rivalry in, not just Australian, but world sport.
Does it interrupt the regular season? Yes.
Are clubs forced to give up their best players and disrupt their premiership campaigns? Absolutely.
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Who is most impacted if and when their players get injured on Origin duty? That's right, the clubs.
Yet, it's here to stay and remains the backbone of the game's brand.
While it's not an original concept to rugby league, it is becoming rarer in world sport.
Imagine how quickly English Premier League clubs would laugh you out of the room if you suggested their star players would come and go for six weeks in the middle of the season.
In the NBA and NFL, the game's administrators are in a constant battle with the players to turn their respective All Star and Pro Bowl games into competitive spectacles rather than the farces they have become.
Even the AFL has done away with State of Origin after it lost its shine following the expansion to a national competition.
The fact is, Origin is a commercial behemoth for rugby league, regularly rating among the most-watched programs of the year, meaning clubs simply have to grin and bear it.
And there's a simple reason for it's success - competitiveness.
More than 10,500 minutes of State of Origin football have been played since its 1980 introduction, and, while Queensland have won 24 series to 17, the cumulative points difference between the sides is a measly 24 points.
QLD: 2,180
NSW: 2,156
It's in that contest, in which one set of players and fans never feel like their turn is too far away, which has elevated, and maintained, the standing of Origin.
Incredibly, a big win for the Blues in Game 2 at Optus Stadium could see them jump their northern rivals in total points, despite needing to win six straight series just to draw level with Queensland on that front.
While it's a tired argument to make at this point, those for and against numbers further emphasise the Maroons' history of getting the result when needed.
Queensland haven't always won by a lot, and they may have been on the end of a few blowouts over the years, but, by and large, when the series has been there to be won, it's been the Maroons coming up trumps.
Of course, the all-conquering side which claimed 10 of 11 series from 2006 is to thank for much of that numerical supremacy, but even the total game wins record, which the Maroons lead 70 wins to 61, is more even than the series ledger might suggest.
While it may be painful for those south of the border to admit, Origin needs that dynamic.
The plucky underdogs from Queensland, bound by state pride, loyalty and XXXX, doing just enough to overcome the mighty New South Wales, who, despite all the resources and star power, can't get out of their own way.
Whether that narrative is, or ever was, accurate, doesn't matter.
It's the perfect backdrop to a sporting rivalry which, for all intents and purposes, remains as tight and as tense as any.
New South Wales head into Wednesday night's Game 2 in Perth as the favourites, with a chance to secure a second consecutive series win.
With the core of the side all seemingly entering their prime years, many are predicting a period of dominance for the Blues.
If history has taught us anything, it's to never count Queensland out and that, whatever the result, there won't be much in it.