By PHIL CAPLAN
IT’S ORIGIN time again and a new book is being released on May 26 that reflects its enduring obsession.
Set initially on June 8 2022, on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada, author Darren Groth, his elderly parents and two younger brothers gather in the living room of a Ladner townhouse to watch an early morning replay of that year’s opening State of Origin clash.
For Groth, the occasion is full of unknowns. He has no clue as to the result of the game which concluded just before sunrise, Australian time.
He cannot say when his family will travel again from the four corners of the globe to see each other in person and due to the incurable blood cancer suffered by his father Des, he fears this may be the last time he watches the Maroons with his dad.
Marooned uses this crossroads moment as the spur to look back on Groth’s lifelong love of the Queensland rugby league team and explore the role it has played in shaping and affirming his identity.
Written in 37 chapters as a chronological series of funny, thoughtful and accessible essays charting Origin matches from inauguration in 1980 for the next 42 years, it spans five decades of fandom, beginning in a hard-scrabble, dusty backyard in the western Queensland town of Hughenden and ending on the opposite side of the Pacific among frosty mornings in the rugby league tundra of British Columbia.
The memoir chronicles the family’s journey as a Maroon devotee, the highs and lows on and off the field, the key place the team has occupied in Groth’s relationship with his father and his autistic son and its necessity in connecting him to his State of Origin while living far from home.
Ben Ikin, who played 17 times for the Maroons and is currently the CEO of Queensland RL writes in the foreword, summing up the premise, “It never ceases to amaze me how rugby league, the greatest game of all, has impacted the lives of so many people in such a significant way.
“We all connect through the game, but it continues to fill me with joy when I hear stories of others who are infected by the game in the same way I am.
“Having played for the Maroons many years ago, it was always reinforced to me by my coaches and more experienced team-mates, exactly who we were playing for.”
Ikin adds, “People like Darren and Des don’t just support the Maroons, feeling happy when they win and sad when they lose, they also lean on the Maroons legend and famous Queenslander spirit for motivation and inspiration when times get tough.
“But this isn’t just a book for old rugby league players and fans, it’s a story about a proud son, a loving husband and father and an aspiring author who refused to stop chasing his dream.
“Not only did Marooned allow me to reconnect with some of my favourite State of Origin memories, it reminded me there are no straight lines in life.”
Groth is the author of nine novels including Kindling, Are You Seeing Me?, Exchange of Heart and his most recent North American work, Boy in the Blue Hammock.
An Adelaide Festival Award for Literature winner, two-time finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards and a past nominee for numerous other prestigious prizes – among them the CBCA Book of the Year, the Prime Ministers Literary Awards, The Text Prize, and the Governor Generals Literary Awards in Canada – he has written for newspapers, magazines and literary journals including The Courier-Mail, The Sun-Herald, Mamamia, The Lifted Brow and Syntax.
He claims he will always believe Queensland was robbed in Game 1 of the 1987 State of Origin series by Mark McGaw’s match-winning try.
Marooned is a story of belonging, resilience and the ties that bind across physical distance, hardship and time – but ultimately it is about fathers and sons along with childhood dreams.
It incorporates Brisbane in the 1980s, Betamax, the Fitzgerald Inquiry, Joh Bjelke Petersen, Expo 88, Dreamworld, Langer, Lang Park and the Emperor of it, XXXX lager and creating memories one game at a time.
It doesn’t have a UK release date yet, but can be purchased directly from the publishers at – https://hawkeyebooks.com.au/collections/coming-soon/products/marooned
Marooned: A Memoir of Fandom, Fatherhood, and the Far Side of the World by Darren Groth, ISBN 9781923105522, published by Hawkeye Publishing Pty Limited, paperback, 282 pages
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