In defence of the current Origin programming

The scheduling of club footy and State of Origin may have its flaws, but is it really that bad?

I know I’m going to cop an absolute pasting from some sections, but hey, these slim shoulders can take a bruising or two.

The current scheduling arrangement for State of Origin is not perfect but it’s adequate, and its effects on the mid-season of the NRL competition is not as bad as some suggest.

From a purist’s perspective, there’s no question the competition becomes diluted and it is definitely weakened due to the unavailability of the game’s best players, but before you reach for the pitchforks and fire sticks, let’s see what positives Origin has on the game.

Firstly, like a prom queen’s tiara, there’s no question that State of Origin is now the NRL’s centrepiece and it’s easily its most marketable product, gaining the attention of rugby league lovers and normally non-rugby league goers alike.

Origin is a time in Australia’s sporting diary when people of different codes and sporting preferences usually un-clip their blinkers and turn their attention to a sport they would otherwise casually dismiss as Bogan balderdash.

To put it simply, rugby league is for rugby league fans. But Origin, that’s for everyone.

As a yearly event, Origin has a prominent slot part in the sporting ‘scape of OZ, reaching far into the wide brown corners of this country. As a product, it is the envy of every other code and sports administrator in the country.

It rakes in truckloads of sponsorship and TV dollars. The event effectively takes a sport with a relatively limited, mostly Eastern Australian market, to a whole new level nationally, tapping into areas where rugby league traditionally struggles to get a peep in.

Without it, the NRL would look vastly different. I’m sure the game’s administrators would shudder to think what they’d do if it wasn’t around.

So, thus far I’ve rabbled on briefly about the financial side of Origin and how the spectacle assists to fill the game’s coffers and how it takes it into new markets.

But what about the competition?

What does the Origin period do to the NRL season that’s so bad?

Well, in this writer’s opinion, nothing bad at all. Its effects on the competition are by no means negative and should be looked upon with a little more friendliness.

I know, just hold onto your stones for a few moments more people, but I actually believe that Origin helps the NRL competition.

Allow me to outline how.

At present, the NRL competition has 16 teams operating under a salary cap to ensure a fairly even playing board – a leveller that provides the game with the parameters to ensure total domination cannot be obtained via a club’s bank.

The proof that this pudding works is evident in the fact that there hasn’t been a back-to-back winner of the premiership since the Broncos of 92-93 and aside from Souths and the relatively young Titans, all clubs have had one grand final appearance in the last 20 years.

However, although for the most part the system seems to work, it’s by no means perfect. It doesn’t take into consideration club location, reward loyalty or nurture junior development – issues which seem to rear their heads every season, and none more so than this current 2014 one.

This is where the current scheduling arrangement of State of Origin is benefiting the NRL season to again even out the competition.

Think of clubs with three or more Origin stars in their line ups – in most cases it means they are pretty handy. Think how much that is worth in dollars through the gate, sponsorship dollars and the team’s on-field competitiveness.

It’s difficult to calculate and quantify, but as a club administrator and as a fan, you’d want some Origin quality in your side. It makes financial and on-field sense, with both measures going hand in hand.

Let’s take for instance a team like Penrith or Canberra. Neither club offers the most desirable setting to set up crib. And the current salary cap doesn’t offer concessions for unfortunate geographical locations, which does allow teams to somewhat compete on an un-equal footing when trying to attract players.

Although some may argue that this is a minor or even non-existent pitfall of the current salary cap system, others have claimed that it defiantly holds some water and is definitely worth something when players are weighing up options from opposing clubs.

However, for a few weeks a year, teams who have suffered these and other possible disadvantages by not having the best in the game are somewhat compensated with the opportunity to play teams who are not at their strongest.

Why is this a good thing? For a second time, please hold on to your stones. We’ll once again go back to the economics of it.

Take the Canberra Raiders win against a massively depleted North Queensland outfit earlier this year. This win, although somewhat hollow, was two points nonetheless and it gave a struggling outfit in the Raiders some much needed points and confidence.

But more importantly it gave their fans a slice of hope by keeping their season alive for at least few more rounds. This all may well be short lived, but that extra one or two weeks that struggling sides can be kept on life support is good for game interest.

This in turn is good for ticket sales and therefore TV ratings, merchandise sales and so on.

To put it in layman’s terms, the longer a team has a viable chance for a finals berth the better for the club and therefore the game as a whole.

Let’s take at one more example, the Warriors. There’s a club who are at a massive disadvantage when it comes to travel. Again, with the on-set of the Origin period, a club such as the Warriors can get a small reprieve from their difficult travel arrangements by playing sides that have a few fill-ins. This again seem hollow, but I ask, how much of a disadvantage is this lot at by having to cross the Tasman every second week?

It’s difficult to put any sort of figure on it.

Confidence is king in rugby league and in all sport for that matter. After the pre-season enthusiasm juice is used up and the season’s grind starts to take a grip, a small advantaged for struggling and or geographically challenged teams is just what can get the juices flowing again as they push towards the backend of the regular season.

Think of it as a mid-season shot in the arm for these clubs, which consequently can only benefit the teams and the game as a whole.

Finally, instead of trying to change the way Origin scheduling is programmed in as part of the season, clubs and fans ought to accept it as part of the game – as an in built mechanism to further even out the ledger between the haves and have nots.

Or, we could just think of it as another hurdle or obstacle which is part and parcel of the NRL season and a team’s route towards the finals.

I await your stones.