They may have lost but at least NSW State of Origin fans got to see the Blues play in Sydney this year.
Because they won't see a Sydney side in the NRL or AFL grand finals after North Queensland and Richmond continued their fairytale runs to scupper the respective title hopes of the Sydney Roosters and the GWS Giants.
It's only the second time NSW won't be represented in either of the two biggest games of the year as Adelaide play the Tigers for 2017 AFL supremacy on Saturday before Melbourne and the Cowboys square off on Sunday for NRL premiership glory.
The outlook is particularly bleak for Blues fans with not a single NSW Origin star lining up in the NRL title decider following the Sydney Roosters' 29-16 elimination in front of shellshocked home fans at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
The Maroons, on the other hand, will have 10 players featuring in the grand final - led by the Storm's superstar trio Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Queensland captain Cameron Smith, along with Melbourne teammates Will Chambers, Cameron Munster and Tim Glasby.
The Cowboys will have four of the triumphant Maroons lining up - Justin O'Neill, man of the moment Michael Morgan, skipper Gavin Cooper and Cohen Hess.
It's the first grand final since the NRL's inception in 1998 not to have any past or present NSW Origin players in action.
The wipeout completes a season of lost opportunities for NSW teams, with Cronulla's premiership defence coming to an abrupt halt in week one of the finals before Parramatta, then the Roosters, fell victim to the Cowboys.
Manly also crashed out in week one of the play-offs before their conquerors Penrith were sent packing by Brisbane.
The Giants' exit after a 36-point loss to Richmond came a week after the Sydney Swans' hopes back-to-back AFL grand final appearances were crushed by Geelong.
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