I can’t wait for this weekend’s rugby league. That’s because, for the first time in three months, the focus will actually be on the week-in, week-out NRL competition (you know, the one with the grand final at the end?).
You could be forgiven for forgetting.
I get sick of State of Origin in about mid-May.
That’s about when the speculation over who is and isn’t going to get picked is at its most feverish and least sufferable.
Every game from mid-April to the end of May is viewed by the media as an Origin selection trial, rather than a game between two clubs for competition points.
When Jarryd Hayne goes down injured, the talk is all about how that’s not going to be good for the Blues. Never mind Parramatta, the side that actually pays his wages, who are without their main man for two months.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy State of Origin games themselves.
You get most of the best players in the comp on the field at once belting the tripe out of each other, terrific.
What I can’t cop is the circus that goes with it.
The endless speculation, the frenzied media hype, and the marketing-driven stirring of the New South Wales/Queensland rivalry.
Can I just say I don’t get the whole New South Wales/Queensland thing?
As much as newspapers and beer companies try to tell me that I hate Queensland and Queenslanders, I’m fairly confident that I don’t.
Origin is a good game, but I find it hard to get wound up about who wins. For me it’s just a good watch.
I think it has been worse since Roy and HG’s Origin calls went on hiatus.
All the hype and palaver used to be so much more bearable because Roy and HG were there to subvert it all, and point out how silly it all was.
Their satire provided a balance which allowed one to laugh at the circus. Now the circus is all we have.
But it’s not just the Origin frenzy which gets under my skin.
There’s also the way it carves up the competition. Origin season means fragmented teams and fragmented rounds. Four-game weekends with games between teams which are not even in the same postcode as full strength.
Think the Roosters and the Bulldogs a few Friday nights ago. That should have been a blockbuster, but instead it was a watered down procession.
Yet the brains-trust at the NRL, who serve up these insipid offerings during Origin season, then publicly brood over declining crowd figures.
I’m amazed the fans put up with it, but I’m even more amazed the clubs put up with it.
As I said above, they pay the wages, and yet their very best players are repeatedly unavailable or forced to back up over the course of the season, depending on the vagaries of the draw.
It effects seasons. If, say, Cronulla miss the finals because they had to play the Warriors before an Origin week, that will be totally unfair. The clubs needs to stand up for themselves and hold on to their assets.
The effect of all of this is that, throughout June and July, the competition becomes an afterthought.
It is now at the stage that commentators on some matches choose to add to the incessant Origin chatter rather than discuss the game at hand.
The NRL needs to sort it out. Stand-alone Origins are a must.
They also need to stop these ridiculous four-game weekends. If Origin was just the three games of footy it would be sensational.
As it is, I’m over it, and very glad to see the NRL back to full-strength.
jamesb
Guest
For the next four years, play origin every two weeks, instead of three. Then when the new tv commences in 2018, then have a look at stand alone rep weekends.
Marldon
Guest
I agree to an extent however completely butchering the mid season as Origin does sours the entire season for many. I know people who won't buy a membership or go to mid season games simply because they object to paying over the odds to watch park footy. Money is hard earned and in these days of rampant price increases, they think very hard about the value obtained from every dollar. They regard the season as suspended in May and only resumes again at this time of year. They are avid league supporters but mid season, one or two drift off to watch the odd game of AFL or soccor and this is where the rot sets in. Origin scheduling is THE BIGGEST PROBLEM we face today.
Andrew
Guest
The salary cap must be different in qld and melb has qld best players not nsw. Dribble oikee, your comments are troll like and repetitive bit boring really.
Vivalasvegan
Guest
Origin hurts teams like Storm who lose classy playmakers more than teams providing power players. The answer is standalone fixtures. How do you fit them in? Less club games. Expand into Perth, NZ, Brisbane etc but have two divisions with playoffs for promotion and a relegation battle. No dead rubbers in this system. Imagine Parra on the verge of relegation? Or St George? This 'rebuilding' crap kills me. Do fans get half price tickets over this period? And don't tell me the talent isn't there. There is loads of talented young players, we are short of talented coaches and functional clubs. Relegate them to second division to encourage improvement. Throw in a Challenge Cup style comp while you at it...
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
There are thoughts of a truly national competition,that will be revisited next year for a decision.Smith wants a national code as does just about every one in the central admin of the game.SOO monies as part of the Tv deal,will help underpin expansion. People conveniently also overlook this year the added problem of well supported teams Parramatta,Dragons,Tigers and Broncos playing like also rans. Have a look at the number of Eels fans last night in the Dog's match.You could count them on your hands. The code still has 3 tiers of playing level which the AFL does not,and that is a selling point for sponsors and fans. Some fans like the lot,some who are not died in the wool fans just SOO,and the diehards just club. Nearly 12 million watching on TV for 3 matches ,over 210,000 attending live,suggests the ARLC is not going to budge because a group of fans are upset. Clubs being affected has been a problem since day 1,yet life goes on .
marco
Guest
Seasoned league supporters don't seem to mind the standard of the NRL. Its the casual viewers that are getting harder to catch. Its just not good enough to expect people who have a bit of interest in rugby league to get excited about substandard games played in front of less than 10,000 people. Origin provides high standard league and atmosphere by the bucketload. Maybe it should be a standalone event, but I don't think it will happen.
Epiquin
Guest
I can't agree with that at all. Other Friday night game was a thrilling 18-16 win in the other "showcase game". This weekend has just as big an opportunity for a thrashing in whatever game te Giants are playing in. Personally I'm looking forward to seeing which teams are going to round out the 8.
Marco
Guest
Hard to maintain interest in Nrl after origin. The AFL club competition is far stronger. Yes the crowds and ratings are down but it's not all due to origin. Some serious work needs to be done. I've just been watching a bit of Friday night football. Bulldogs winning 40 nil against parra. The showcase game of the week. Seriously!?
Jacob Roberts
Roar Rookie
Agree with pretty much all you said. There are 3 distinct phases of the NRL season now; Pre-Origin, Origin and Post-Origin and unfortunately you need to throw out everything that happened during the Origin phase. It's simply too messy for too long... I'd put NRL games on hold for a week or 2 and let Origin be the sole focus. More tolerable for all concerned.
clipper
Guest
Johnno - the AFL SoO was never as big as the NRL SoO, so it was easier for them to knock it on the head when they decided to go national and it has turned out to be a wise decision. The trouble is that it is now such a huge event, that contributes a financial windfall that it may be too late to ever stop it if there were thoughts of a truly national competition - as the saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it.
Johnno
Guest
Same B.A Sports, I was happy it was over, I found it this big draining bore, that sucked the life out of the NRL regular season. And now I am so over it. A game between 2 states of Australia as your showcase event. In 2013 that's embarrassing. AFL was wise to ditch there state of origin format in the 1990's. And look at AFL today compared to rugby league, it's bigger.
Epiquin
Guest
Reduced interest in the midseason isn't caused entirely by Origin. It's mostly due to the fact that it is midseason. Think about a game on its own. The start is exciting, you get to watch both teams find their place in the game and try and workout who will draw first blood. The end is exciting too. They're running out of time and every play becomes do or die. The middle: well that's when you go the toilet or get a snack, right? It's the lull in the middle where the losing team still has plenty of time to get back in the game and each set doesn't quite have the same urgency. The season is the same. The games are just less intense. Of course you have teams missing their stars, but would midseason games suddenly be more exciting if origin were shifted out? Perhaps, but I doubt it.
Silver_Sovereign
Guest
I could watch the Blues being beaten and crying all year
B.A Sports
Guest
I agree whole heartedly regarding the effect of Origin on the season. I'm so glad it is over. I enjoy the atmosphere and theatre of the actual game, but thats it. Problem is the damage is done. Crowds down, TV ratings down (not all Origin's fault - partly just CH 9's fault) season is too long, too many teams, teams have no depth, games are played at oversized stadiums which give no atmosphere, one live game on FTA every week. Come to think of it, its probably a bit rough to blame it all on Origin....
liatrevlis
Guest
The biggest problem up north is that they don't no talent when it's smack in front of em ,,, hey oik why didn't the donkeys grab Cherry ? He he he instead they went for prince ,,,, no laughing there blaaaaaaaah ha ha ha
Johnno
Guest
Cough cough oikee, NSW kiwis, ha ha. Love how you convientaly forgot to add QLD kiwis, to the mix. Ben Te'o Josh Pappalli Brad Thorn Tony Carroll Craig Smith All kiwis mate. To funny oikelly dokely
bjt
Although I don't always agree with Matty Johns, he did write a pretty good article about the salary cap today. It is a reality that the salary cap is reducing our comp to the lowest bottom denominator, not the "elite" comp it's marketed as. However, the problem is not origin. All origin has done is expose that weakness of our competition and primarily that the Sydney market is over saturated. With one location supporting 9 teams, with over 100 games played there a year, how can we expect to retain the fans interest? Especially Sydney fans where most will turn their backs on "their" failing team. All these issues that league faces, all lead back to a single root cause - the Sydney glut. We will never be able to tackle any of these issues seriously until someone bites the bullets and removes 4 – 5 teams from Sydney. We have to go back and fix the foundation that was never established properly, instead of plugging holes with band aid fixes.
Dragons Forever
Guest
Different day, same rant! Come on oikee, ur as predictable as taxes and death. Get some new material please
oikee
Guest
Queensland and New Zealand are nothing more than feeder areas for weakened Sydney clubs. This code is killing the heartlands. Origin is all Queensland has left, once that is killed off, or weakened by NSW kiwis, it is over, finished Caput. Until someone in charge has the guts to stop this Sydney rot, in which the code is saturated to a point it is going backwards, i counted about 5 thousand to a family fun day at Penrith last weekend. Let us not forget, this is our heartlands, even Parra has been stripped of Players to prop up weak clubs in areas where blockbusters barely make 20 thousand crowds. Take any of those teams, stick it in Brisbane you would get 50 thousand to a derby. Not in Sydeny. This code is losing viewers fastest than a sausage sizzle at Bunnings runs out of snags. It will lose more as well, i have already booked early holidays because Queensland teams are finished. The only games keeping people interested is Origin. This will go down as the worst year in rugby league history, something needs to change and fast. Super league is more exciting.
The eye
Guest
So for Qld its basically a one month in a year season.You can't see how your priorities are a little skewered ?Nice to win SOO,but not at the price it's costing our northern 'friends'.Dont blame NSW you made your own bed.