QRL never responsible for Maroons dynasty: Gus

Queensland Rugby League was never responsible for the state's years of success at Origin level, but are responsible for the current state of decay the Maroons find themselves in.

That's the blunt assessment from NRL guru Phil Gould who has blasted the abandonment of the league's national under 20's competition as the driving factor behind Queensland's fall from grace, underpinned by the depletion of their talent pools.

"There is no hope in this Queensland situation at the moment. When you look at what Queensland is, look at where the Cowboys are, look where the Broncos are, look where the Titans are, look at the people that should be producing Queensland talent – and it's just not happening," Gould told Nine's 100% Footy.

"Why? Go back to what I say every week. I've said it for years. This decision to get rid of lower-tier football and development football and send it back to state leagues.

"QRL are getting exactly what they deserve at the moment.

"The QRL were not responsible for the Origin success of the Queensland side. But they're certainly responsible for what's happening to them right now. And it's got to change if they want to get out of it."

The huge gulf between the NSW Blues and their northern rivals is threatening to reach unprecedented depths, with a 70-point differential between the two sides after two games the largest in Origin history.

In all, it has Gould hitting the crisis button, concerned for the NRL's showpiece event should Queensland continue to trend downward at representative level.

"I'm still worried about Origin football now because it's not good to have that difference between us and Queensland, particularly because origin is all about Queensland," Gould said.

"It's not good for our game particularly when I see no hope for Queensland in the immediate future and that's something we need to discuss."

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