Does Origin have a used by date?

How's about Rugby League adopts something they haven't done so for a very long time.. TRADITION? The AFL embraces their tradition with their jerseys and 100 year rivalries. The ANZAC day game is their blue ribbon event outside the GF, you don't see the sides changing every year to "involve the rest of the country". Who cares if the other states want to get involved. Queensland and NSW comprise of 55% of Australia's population, and that number continues to rise. I somewhat agree with moving the game to end of season or three weeks of stand alone mid year footy (how's about shortening the NRL season? 21 rounds will do) but involving NZ and other states is stupidity. However, do not change Origin. Never change it. It's becoming the greatest Australian event and doesn't need tweaking. International Rugby League needs a bit of fixing with scheduling but also affiliation. Too many Samoans, Tongans and Fijians are playing for Aus and NZ. To make calls that International RL is dead cannot be made until after this World Cup. Rugby Union is going to see some trouble with their international competition suffer when South Africa goes further backwards into a third world country that cannot support a Rugby side. Don't change Origin.. it's great because it's maintained it's tradition of being Australia's greatest rivalry.

I'm not a fan of your game, trid to get into it but its just not for me, but am a little envious that you have Origin and Australian Football no longer does. Obviously only having two real bases helps greatly, and expansion may cause issues longer term. It won't be for a while yet. If one of WA or Vic start to press for a claim, or the risk of being disregarded gets too great, League may need to look at things. Having three top tier teams, and the need to be able to market nationally, especially with such a big gulf to fourth (probably Queensland these days) and either a composite side or a second tier required. That is a long way off. For the moment SoO is the only time many of us from outside RL cricles are made aware your game exists. It is the biggest marketing into non-traditional areas the game has, despite excluding those same areas. I can see a secondary WAv Vic SoO happening at some point, but not in any meaningful way for quite a while.

There is no need to apologise Robert number 9. However, I do believe it is a little naive to suggest this discussion has not already taken place. There have been clowns calling for NZ to be added to the origin concept for years, and every time a notable NRL player born outside of maroon and blue is in good form the question is always raised. Yet the discussion point of the representative avenue for these players is extremely valid and a worthy topic to discuss in communities such as these. Thank you for posing it. However, when discussing this it terms of state of origin, it does nothing but continue the greatest fallacy surrounding origin and league in a general. This is that State of Origin SHOULD be the peak of rugby league, as opposed to just a matter of circumstance. The simple fact is that origin’s success is essentially a fluke. A concept initiated by rugby players and administrators. We all know rugby league players and its administration are not known for their good ideas. However, this simple idea worked very well, something that the simplest of ideas often do. Our issue is the idea that State of Origin is the peak of Rugby League and is promoted as such. We have to look a little deeper, and realise why this is? Was this the chief objective when it was conceived? No, it wasn’t. Their objective was not to establish the peak of rugby league, but to pit the best players FROM Queensland and New South Wales against each other – the simple idea. The fact that it has become the elite match of rugby league is a consequence of this, and that is all. We promote it as the elite, because it is and it’s our biggest draw card, but this was never its intention. This is what is forgotten when we talk about the concept of State of Origin. If we change this original intention, for the conceived one, it will fail because it will be hollow. The fact that Queensland and New South Wales produce the best rugby league players in the world is a proud achievement, but it is really an indictment on the sport. The true peak should be at an international level. Something of the likes of the World Cup, but alas our sport does not hold that calibre. I wish it did and hope one day that it will. However, if we saw league explode, and become a strong international sport and we see another nation become the dominant league playing nation, does that mean we should abandoned state of origin? What if Western Australia produces the best players in the country, does that mean we abandoned QLD vs NSW? I believe we should never abandon this concept, nor alter it. Let’s just stick to that simple idea that works so well.

I agree. The lower-tirered nations need to be kept in the public's eye and I think their matches acting as a curtain raiser might just do that. it also gives more value for money as a double-header.

Yes, that's right, you can.

Great call

That won't work, players already say the season is too long.

btj, I think your post proves this isn't a moot discussion. I apologies if you've had to put up with reading the same tripe each year. I may stand corrected but I don't believe i saw anything along these lines last year. Anyway, you've completely missed the point if you think this article is about replacing origin. It's about identifying that a day will come where the concept will come under question. It will coincide with a day when there's a considerable amount of Australian born and bred talent that's not able to participate in domestic rep footy. When this does occur, you're not being very analytical or realistic if you believe it will just come and go without much of a stir. I don't pretend to have all the answers in my article, and the status quo may be maintained well into the future. I'm just interested to know how others believe we should accommodate talent from other states. And surprisingly, despite your bitterness at the start of your post, you've gone on to throw in your 2 bobs. Good for you, and the end of your post means my article has achieved its objective. I thank you for your comment and appreciate your suggestion.

can't get rid of origin, but maybe the timing is not right. It does affect club football. If too many stars get injured the clubs won't be happy. The NRL comp takes a back seat while origin is on.

To be considered the major sport by some guy that munches on raw capsicum maybe, but who gives a toss if some guy who clearly knows more about flambe than a fend doesn't rate the sport

I think I would put the problem posed here in the “quality problem” bucket. Basically this is only going to happen consistently if the game becomes a truly national game. If that happens great – what a problem to have. But I just don’t see it happening in my lifetime without some kind fundamental change in Australian society or demographics which somehow erodes the appeal of AFL and soccer

GOLD!

Is anyone else on the same planet as this bloke?

It never ceases to amaze me that this discussion comes up every year. To change origin by adding other states destroys the very essence of what makes it popular. It will cease to be popular if significant changes are made and therefore will cease to exist, which makes this discussion absolutely moot. NOTE: "State of Origin" is now an idiom, therefore acts as a single piece of vocabulary. It means NSW vs QLD. It does not mean NSW vs WA or QLD vs TAS. If the author understand this point, they understand why this discussion is moot. Although I’m 100% rugby league expansionist, origin is just too precious to touch. What should exist is an end of year knockout cup (not an origin replacement, but additional). That would include all states and territories, plus all the league pacific islands. The top teams, QLD, NSW, NZ, PNG will enter in the final stages. Off the top of my head... SOME PROs: + Grows national league. + Gives developing players outside NSW/QLD opportunities to represent. + Grows the international league. + Gives the pacific islands important game time, help develop for world cup. + Gives the pacific island players the opportunities to represent. + Provides another opportunity for QLD v NSW match outside origin – big ratings, money and a chance for revenge! + Stops the kiwi whinging, and lets them have a crack at QLD / NSW. + More league for the fans. SOME CONS: - there will be some floggings – only the strongest 4 teams will make it to play the top four, these will still be floggings, but we have to start somewhere. - player burn out – if players don’t want to play they don’t have to. Top 4 will only play a max of 2 matches. Other team players would be keen to play rep. - early rounds – not enough interest – play them locally, gather local fans and support. We have to develop the sport. This is the way we have our origin cake and eat it too.

Is the hooker Cam Smith?

Renegade I’ve got no doubt that at some stage in the future the makeup of SOO will be questioned due to an ever increasing amount of Australian talent coming from traditional AFL states. When that day comes it will be one of the happy/sad occasions. Happy that RL can legitimately call itself a national football code and sad because one way or another, it’s going to take some of the gloss of this beautiful State of Origin product that all (or at least most) league fans have come to love and adore. It’s interesting because on the rugby thread, Brett McKay has just written an article on the merits of bringing the ‘State of the Union’ clash back onto the Australian rugby calendar. I’m a big lover of the other rugby code too and up until a year or two ago I would have loved to have seen this concept rebooted. But I think rugby’s just tipped past the point where there’s too much talent from outside of NSW and QLD to reintroduce the origin concept. In rugby we’ve only got 5 professional teams and there’s already a number of Victoria or WA products playing Super Rugby including WA bred (Zim born) Kyle Godwin who’s often touted as Australia’s next number 12. I have every reason to believe that rugby league is on a pathway towards encountering the same issue, and I don’t think it’s something to be scared of. Just enjoy the growth of the game nationally and come up with a smart solution on the domestic representative scene.

Wow I've never heard the difference between loyalty and professionalism captured so magically.

I would also like to make a sad, depressing comment, however Brad Cooper and his thersaurus stole all the good adjectives.

+2

Very decent and valid points there Tommy. But I think if the AFL is anything to go by, there’s no reason to think that the non-heartland states can be contributing a reasonable amount of talent to the elite ranks at some point in the future. At least enough for us to question the makeup of SOO. I’m sure the NRL has its sights set on becoming a legitimate national football code and if this can be achieved there’s no way around the fact that it will lead to an increased presence of VIC, WA, SA etc. born and bred players.