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I think it is obvious to most people, as well as Wayne Bennett, that club games and State of Origin are wearing the players out much more than ever before.
As Wayne has correctly stated, three games in six days, plus training, wears players out and leaves them vulnerable to injury.
The game is faster and the collisions greater with the consequence of higher knee and rib injuries or broken limbs. Club games alone are harsh enough let alone Origin on top of that.
Many people, including coaches, are now seeking a viable alternative to prevent player fatigue and injury.
My solution would be to pick 20 players each for Queensland and NSW and then take them into a special closed camp for three weeks. An Origin game would be played each week before the players were released back to their clubs, who would continue the NRL schedule without them.
If a player is injured during Origin then you can draw from the clubs again.
Maybe the Origin player group should also be rested on the following weekend after the last game to ensure recovery from a gruelling schedule.
Most of the elite players come from the top clubs with better player depth, so in the main those clubs should be able to cope with missing their top stars. Though that is open to conjecture, I guess.
A lot of people may not agree with this proposal but seeing a top gun taken out for the season is far worse. The work load has to be lightened somehow because even a top flight athlete cannot continue indefinitely.
Ask the guy who ran to Marathon, gave the message and dropped dead of a heart attack.
Interested to hear opinions or options, Roarers.
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