On the last episode of NRL 360 on Fox Sports I watched Ben Ikin and Paul Kent argue the merits of State of Origin and where and how it should be played.
Ikin was keen on having one huge stand-alone Origin match per year, while Kent thought Paul Green’s suggestion to move one of the largest spectacles of the sporting calendar to October had merit.
I understand where Green is coming from as the coach of North Queensland, but moving State of Origin to October would take the gloss off rugby league’s jewel in the crown representative series.
I have another suggestion. Play State of Origin in early June with the first match commencing on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. A Sunday evening match – followed by a public holiday like the grand final would make for a great weekend to kick off the Origin series.
Both states could pick a squad of 25 players like the Jillaroos did for their match with the Kiwi Ferns in Canberra. The second match could be played 10 days later and if there are injuries or the coach wants to change the make-up of his team from the first match – replacement players could then slot in very easily, as they’ve already been in camp and they would already know the system and plays.
These days a squad of 20 is the norm anyway, so all bases are covered with an 18th, 19th and 20th player.
The logistics of player payments of the squad of 25 could be worked out with playing members receiving the match payments of $20,000 per match. Those who don’t manage to be selected for game day could be paid a base rate of say $5000. The younger players would love this opportunity to be around the experienced origin players and who knows – an injury or two occurs and they will enter the State of Origin fray.
The third match could be played 10 days later on the Saturday evening and players who have missed the second match due to injury could then slot back in, provided they have recovered in time.
The clubs could have this 20 day period off and other matches could be played to fill the void. City versus Country could be reintroduced in both NSW and Queensland and the players not selected in the NSW and Queensland Origin teams could partake.
In a further boost, you wouldn’t have coaches pulling their players out due to short turnarounds, as they would be assessed by the NRL’s doctors and told if their players are selected – they must partake barring injury.
A match between an Indigenous All-Stars and a combined Polynesian team would be a big ratings winner, as well as Test matches between the emerging tier two nations which are played now.
Then you have the sleeping giant of rugby league – the women’s game – which is slowly building a profile and coming to life. At first, one women’s Origin match could be played as a double-header in conjunction with the men’s first Origin match on the Queen’s Birthday weekend, would appear the way to go.
Within a few years there will be a women’s NRLW in much the same manner as the hugely successful AFLW. Why not take a leaf out of the AFL’s book and play NRLW matches to fill the void of men’s club matches during that period.
The gates could be flung open and there could even be double headers, which are often quite successful when it comes to rugby league. One only has to look at the double headers north of the border and at the turn of the millennium to see how popular they can be.
The NRL women’s games filling the void could work for the first few years as competition builds its profile and fan base.
Eventually, as Ruan Sims suggested in her court podcast – there will be three women’s State of Origin matches played as double-headers in conjunction with the men’s matches and the women’s game will eventually replicate everything the men do.
Until that point in time, the women’s game can pick up the slack. I doubt you’d find a women’s rugby league player anywhere who would not be as keen as mustard to partake in those matches.
This appears the way forward as there is rugby league available for all spectrum of fans during what is at present a chaotic time of the year. The clubs would be happy, as their players who are not playing Origin would be well rested.
It seems a sensible way forward, but would the NRL be brave enough to implement the suggested changes above or will they simply keep chugging along in the same direction?
Something needs to change, as injuries and form slumps from the better teams take their toll before the State of Origin series is done and dusted for the season. Some great teams never recover as they limp into the final series.
Hopefully someone will do what Senator Ron McAuliffe did and take the bull by the horns and make the hard decisions which so desperately need to be made.
Long Black
Roar Rookie
How about a Friday night Qld Country vs Qld City legitimate Qld trial, Saturday a NSW Country vs NSW City legitimate NSW trial, both in the bush, Sunday all the other rep round games. The following week or week after the two Origin teams play each other in a one game Origin match?
Long Black
Roar Rookie
How about a Friday night Qld Country vs Qld City legitimate Qld trial, Saturday a NSW Country vs NSW City legitimate NSW trial, both in the bush, Sunday all the other rep round games. The following week or week after the two Origin teams play each other in a one game Origin match?
Caroline Layt
Guest
Thanks Guru. Some food for thought for the NRL.
Joshua Butler
Guest
Hey, why not bring the Affiliated States into a greater involvement? (bring the rest of Australia more into things as well as participants in an Affiliated States competition)
Agent11
Guest
yep, grand final weekend
Mark
Guest
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you view things is that Origin on a Wednesday is extremely successful in every aspect. It has been tried on a Sunday and will be again next year but was less successful. So if players and the game are prepared for less money then move it. Otherwise origin should remain as a midweek game and not on the weekend.
Lidcombe Oval
Guest
Channel 9 will never agree to move if from It's Wednesday night time slot - SOO should be standalone but will never be so under the current broadcast agreement-maybe when the broadcast rights are up for renewal the scheduling of NRL/SOO games can be looked at in view of having SOO as standalone and minimum game breaks between NRL games - i.e 6 day minimum break between NRL games for all clubs not just a few
Lidcombe Oval
Guest
SOO in NSW could be played on the Sunday Night before the Queens Birthday public holiday in June- Don't think Channel 9 would agree to move it though - Sunday night would be better in this case and enable families to go to the match and or watch it on TV - No Work for a lot and No School next day.
Lidcombe Oval
Guest
Queens Birthday in NSW is in June - October is Labour Day in NSW-why the Grand final is played on the Sunday before the Monday Public Holiday. You must be QLD then - Labour day in May and Queens Birthday in October( Public Holiday on the Monday after the Grand final too)
GD66
Guest
Love it. Who selects the selectors ?
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Money wise, Origin is fine. What isn't is the affect it has on the competition. We have games either without the big names or they are backing up a couple of days later. Both affect results, attendances and tv audiences. It seems like every year we have the same complaints (as an example, last year the Dragons played two games on the weekends before Origin, both games in Wollongong with both teams lacking star power). A way around this is to put a break on the competition over an Origin period, say three weeks, and play a knockout competition involving all the clubs over this period. Yes, clubs will be still undermanned but the results won't affect the premiership.
Bloody R Bull
Roar Rookie
Origin sucks at the moment. QLD have had the greatest Origin side of all time in the last few years. Old and less likely to dominate now days. NSW need to sack Laurier Daley, and any selector who dares to pick a never wasser like Farah. Sticking loyal to hopeless club players is a joke. Pick on current form, fans are seeing the best players, who ever they are being told they can play out of their skin for there club but haven't got what it takes to play for NSW. Every fan is sick of over payed idiots in their wrong positions. Coaches & Players
Josh
Guest
Counterpoint: Origin actually rules at the moment and I don't think we really need to move it. All the talk at work on the Wednesday and Thursdays are exclusively about Origin and that's almost invaluable to League. It's owns the day like is not possible on weekends
MJ
Guest
Queens Birthday is in October in Qld, no June holiday.
Footy 101
Guest
Only sensible thing to lessen disruption to clubs could be a stand alone series for 3 weeks - Game 1 Wednesday - Game 2 Friday (9 days later) - Game 3 Sunday (9 days later). But that's not sensible in terms of dollars. State or Origin is inevitably a product and the way it stands generates maximum profit. Money will win at the end of the day and even if it's structure doesn't change, we will all still fill the stadiums or tune in passionately watching at home.
Glen
Guest
Origin doesn't need any help to grow. It is big enough as it is. We don't use the Queens Birthday weekend well enough. It should be like Easter weekend, ANZAC Day etc in terms of scheduling a bug match of the round. The NRL crowds will never grow while we miss these opportunities and prioritise Origin. Use the weekend to grow NRL not Origin. Using women's games during the NRL downtime is a good idea though. But it would be hard for the women to get some momentum if they only play disjointed matches.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
Correct .
Birdy
Guest
We've all got ideas in the future of RL. As much as we all love origin, it has turned into a massive sponge soaking up all things league. Hopefully the womens game will concentrate on Aus / NZ matches and then England and Pacific Islands. As well as a national league , lets regain what we once had, a good international game.
jeff dustby
Guest
womens league is not a sleeping giant
The Spectator
Roar Guru
Good points Caroline, thank you for the read.