Why State of Origin will be a night of terror for many Australians - as Anthony Albanese speaks out about the dark side of the big game

Not everyone looks forward to the annual State of Origin series, with thousands of women and children around the country finding the event a terrifying evening.

Researchers have found a significant spike in assaults and emergencies around big sporting events, like the Melbourne Cup, Formula 1 and the NRL and AFL grand finals.

And it will be the same for tonight's match between the Blues and the Maroons in Sydney, with new research showing a roughly 40 per cent rise in domestic assault in the 12-hour window between 6pm and 6am on Origin nights.

MP Zali Steggall outlined the shocking numbers, drawn from six years of data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, at a Question Time sitting last week.

'To the Prime Minister,' she begun.

'Next week on State of Origin game night, statistics show that women and children in New South Wales are almost 40 per cent more likely to experience domestic violence.

'Alcohol and gambling are known drivers of domestic violence, and government violence prevention frameworks in Australia have been reluctant to tackle the multibillion dollar alcohol and gambling industries.

'When will your government take greater steps to regulate these harmful industries to keep Australian women safe in this national crisis and encourage greater prevention strategies from sporting codes like the NRL?'

Mr Albanese acknowledged the link between the sporting event and domestic violence, saying he accepted 'completely the startling statistics that the member raised with me earlier today about a spike (in domestic violence) that will occur when a major sporting event like the State of Origin game is held'.

The research looked at statistics from Wednesday nights two weeks before the first Origin game of each series to two weeks after the final game, unearthing the concerning trend.

White Ribbon executive director Brad Chilcott has told fans to watch out for aggression from their mates and themselves towards women.

'Thousands of fans are looking forward to game night tonight, but sadly we know we can also expect an increase in men's violence and abuse of women,' he said.

 'Support services and experts are worried that the pressures of COVID and associated lockdowns may add to the danger of men's abuse and disrespect against women that has been shown to increase around the time of major football games.

'It is every man's responsibility to take an active role in preventing this.

'I ask every man, and especially every footy fan, to be extra vigilant in calling out disrespect and sexism when they see it over the next two months.'

Back in 2018, Michael Thorn of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education said there was a relationship between Origin games and an increase in domestic violence.

'The drivers of domestic violence are complex and many, however, the disturbing findings ... suggest the State of Origin's particular celebration of heavy drinking, masculinity, tribalism, and the toxic level of aggressive alcohol promotion have collided in such a way as to encourage drinking to excess and domestic violence,' he said.