State of Origin fatigue has officially set in

2 games would keep the intensity with a soccer like win on aggregate if win 1 game each and keep the player workload down and possibly reduce injury

I understand that quality players are missing but if you picked a team of "others" they wouldn't win a game. RTS maybe Dally M player of the year and is a fine player but I think NSW are happy to make do with Tedesco. Likewise players such as Klemmer, Frizell and Cordner equal if not beat Burgess. I do however recognize that this is how it is in 2019. Going forward it could change as players like Milford have another option.

Superspud even the current dallyM player of the year is not available for SOO....None of the Burgess Bro's, None of the English Kiwi, Tongan, etc etc etc players are available to play the SOO....It would be extremely arogant to say that the 50% of the comp that can play for Australia are all superior to the 50% of the comp that isnt and if you believe the past 2 or 3 years...even 5-10 years is of the same standard as the 80s 90s matches then you are looking thru channel nine's hype dept. glasses

Mushi, its everywhere.....every commentator on both 9 & Fox are banging on about state of Origin from just about round 1 and it just goes on and on.....and that is the point Mary is making I believe. Do not know about you...but I have seen every State of Origin game and I still enjoy most of them. However I am fed up with the constant blah blah & ballyhoo about it for such a long period.....

I am of the reverse feelings, I love the intensity of Origin matches but NRL does not do much for me until the Finals, so I am enjoying this Origin series. The NRL should treat this like association football leagues around the world do during major national team competitions, stop play completely while their players are away on national team duty. Do the same for the month State of Origin takes place. In fact if the entire NRL took a break then the State of Origin could be completed within 3-4 weeks instead of the current 5.

Once the dust settles after origin the genuine contenders will regroup and push towards Sept. Barring injuries the team with the most impressive 17 is Souths. Before origin they were 10 and 1 and then the worst draw and injuries during origin took its toll. Full rosster almost complete and with James Robert's and Jaydn Su'A just signed all is looking good at Redfern. Tip will play Storm or Raiders in GF. Roosters forwards will struggle against those 3.

Like several others, I too feel drained of enthusiasm at the moment for both the NRL & Origin. I'm not too sure I even care who wins Wednesday's game (actually I do, go Blues) but I just want it over and done with. Enough is enough. How disappointing was the turnout for the Dragons v Storm game? Seriously, that is what is happening now. Origin is everything. Yeh the NRL make a heap of moola from it but that's not what it's original intentions were all about. Yes I know it's no use going on about it but c'mon I'm allowed to have moan when the average attendance for each game over the week was toughly 10 people and a pie seller. That's my sport. No, that's our sport that is being left to slowly bleed to death. It is not only a disgrace but downright disgusting that the powers that be think it's alright for the Premiership competition to be an after thought. I'm just over it all. Give us back our game.

I agree Mary, it's overkill. We hear in the press that in January there are emerging player camps so it starts then. As soon as the comp starts every man and his dog is up for SOO selection along with Gaseous Gus Gould stressing a particular player is an "Origin" player. Then all the commentators put their two bob's worth in for selections. Next we are told coach "whisperers" are bellowing to coaches, players walk barefoot to "connect" with the earth and now some karaoke singer comes into NSW camp for some reason. Maybe the players need to be sung to before they go to bed. By the time the series comes around I'm just about all Origined out but that's when saturation coverage starts. I was pleased to see QLD win game 1, just as happy to see NSW get game 2 to make a decider and will be elated when whoever wins game 3 so we see the end of it. I'm sure Brad Fittler and Kevin Walters are very nice blokes and their parents love them dearly but if we don't see or hear from them until next year it will be too soon. Yeah Mary, I'm right with you on this one.

You need to factor weather into 2 of those games.

I think we've been through this before. I don't see all the players that are better than the ones playing. With the exception of JT13 and Andrew Fafita I can't find any obvious selections that would change the team. Yeah sure you say SB or maybe Bateman but do they change the team that much? Say what you want about Origin losing something but one thing it hasn't lost is the quality of the football. It is still the highest order.

Yes I realise Channel 9 pay a lot of money for the Origin rights and the players get paid very, very well and by the time you pa for the all the squads to fly around the country etc I am sure there is a sum left over. Mean while the clubs and the sponsors of the clubs get screwed around as interest in the NRL becomes almost non-existent. Impacting the clubs ability to be self sufficient and meaning they have to rely further on the NRL to prop them all up. The NBA/MLB suspend their league for about 4 days for an All Star break. We effectively suspend our comp for over a month...

I can’t say I get sick of SOO, I get more sick of the NRL, the quality drops mid season, and it’s a long season. Then my investment picks back up after origin, as we are on the home stretch

I think that maybe ones interest in SOO is directly related to your clubs position on the NRL ladder. As a few of the doggies fans have said...they are more interested this year because their side is doing poorly. Conversely I'm a bunnies fan so can't wait until the whole thing is over.....its been nothing but trouble this year. Your best players out or backing up 48 hours later...or your 5/8 coming back with no confidence from being dropped after one game. In truth it will probably cost us a top 4 berth in the end. Hope NSW win...but can't wait for it to end.

Too much of a good thing. One match would suffice, but 'kerching', big money on TV rights, sponsorship , plus untold millions of dollars spent on gambling. The NRL is prepared to sacrifice its best athletes for money, despite their absence from club competition ruining weekly matches. Another issue that feeds SOOmania, is the weekly quality of many NRL games . If there were just 12 clubs, the quality of rugby league would be such that the six games a week would equal in intensity and passion to SOO . But the NRL have created its own 'catch 22' : The current 18 teams cannot possibly provide the quality of just 12 teams as talent is so thinly spread, a salary cap is required to deliberately keep the weekly standard of rugby league at an acceptable minimum, to the extent the quality of many games result in poor attendance , in turn resulting in clubs no longer being able to survive with out the cash injection provided by SOO. The NRL giveth, but it sure as hell taketh.

Bazza do you think that the fans getting a bit over the hype will start to influence the $$ from TV? If the games are not selling out in Sydney then I believe the TV guys will start saying "hey why should we pay so much for this" The whole concept needs overhauling. In the early 80s when it all started the comp was mainly Australin players and the SOO represented the 2 states that League was in....Now SOO only represents 50% of the comp as 50% are not from Aus and the game has progressed way beyound the Qld v NSW that SOO is....If you watch SOO from the 80s it was the best v the best...barring maybe 1 or 2 international players from OS but now its missing many players better than those who take the park.....Time to re-include the sv best to liven it up again

I get that Mary, but that rationale for a defense is still a bit broken to me Mary. Complaints about origin fatigue seem misplaced in an article unless it is an open letter to your editors.

There is no reason for the series to take so long. Play it over consecutive weeks and give the NRL a break. Pick squads of 25 for the entire series and teams set up in the host city for each game. I really couldn't care less who wins on Wednesday night much rather my Dragons get the win over Canberra on Sunday night

100%. I pretty much turn off electronic media coverage now. I concede the TV to the minister for home affairs for the various trashy "reality" shows. I Read the paper online I can click off it anytime I want.