Can you feel it? All that buzz and excitement?
Oh yes – it’s State of Origin time.
It is one of my absolute favourite times of the year. So much passion. So much hatred. So much on the line.
We all become expert selectors. There is always an uproar over who got picked and who was left out, and we can’t understand why our advice wasn’t sought after by the actual selectors.
But none of that matters on game day. You automatically love everyone who made the team, and you are behind them all the way. You get decked out in your blue or maroon armour, and you are ready to go to war.
And it’s not just the footy field that becomes a battleground. Families are divided, friends become enemies, co-workers won’t talk to each other – it’s just glorious.
Everything about Origin time is perfect.
Except for one teeny tiny detail that makes my eye twitch every year: why does it have to be played on a Wednesday night?
I just don’t understand. There are so many negatives to this.
•It’s the middle of the week
•Most of us have to get up and go to work the next day
•The majority of kids aren’t allowed to stay up and watch it as they have to get up and go to school
•We have teams missing their star players, and we usually end up with mediocre split rounds
•And then we have to listen to fans whinge – this year it will be coming from the foot of the mountains – that their team didn’t go as well because they have so many players out.
We are on the right track this year with the second game being on a Sunday night and it being the solo game of the round. But it doesn’t help the other points about going to work or school the next day.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The answer has always been so simple: play Origin on a Saturday.
Set the day up as an Origin bonanza. There would be three games on the Saturday – an under 18s Origin (or something similar), the Women’s State of Origin, and then, of course, the main event. It can look like Super Saturday does every weekend – 3:00pm, 5:30pm and 7:45pm starts.
More fans would be able to get to the game with it being on a Saturday, most of us would not have to get up for work on the Sunday and all of those kids who try to emulate their footy heroes in the backyard and at their junior games on a Saturday morning would finally be allowed to stay up and watch those heroes in an Origin match.
There would be no regular games played on the three weekends that Origin falls on. Everyone has the bye.
This would automatically remove the issue of teams being punished for having high-performing players who have been selected.
The next weekend resumes as normal, and all Origin players have more time than they currently do to recuperate and get their bodies ready again for their club matches.
When Origin got pushed back to November last year, I was excited. I thought this would mean it would automatically get moved to a weekend, as there were no club games on with the season already finished.
Nope – still a Wednesday. It would have been the perfect time to try a Saturday series.
The only reason I can think of it being on a Wednesday night is that it might have to do with TV rights. That is something I don’t know much about. But I like to think I know a bit about footy.
I’m sure some of you will disagree with me and that is fine. I can hear many saying that Saturday is a terrible idea, it’s tradition for it to be on a Wednesday night and that’s where it should stay. And that is fine too.
But to those readers: please do me a favour.
This weekend, after watching the split-round with all of the Origin players out, and then on the following Thursday morning on your way to work, very tired and a bit worse for wear, just have a think to yourself if maybe, just maybe, Lady League could be right?
mushi
Roar Guru
Not really
GregM
Roar Rookie
Would you believe..............!))
mushi
Roar Guru
Now I read it in the Don Adams whine, well played :silly:
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Yes Friday or Saturday with the best couple of games from the QLD and NSW comp broadcast in place of NRL games. Less disruption to the premierships rounds could be scrap the All Stars game at the start of the season and open with Origin 1 weekend before the 1st round, Origin 2 stand alone mid season, bye for all clubs, no split rounds, then Origin three weekend before the finals with a knock out comp all bottom eight sides as support TV games. All top eight sides get a bye round to prepare for finals
Hank77
Roar Rookie
100% have it on a saturday????
GregM
Roar Rookie
you're not a "Get Smart" fan are you? "Sorry about that Mushi"
Albo
Roar Rookie
So highbrow , matth ! :laughing:
matth
Roar Guru
Yes, I'm yet to see Blitz: the Musical.
matth
Roar Guru
Going to see Chess at the QLD Performing Arts Theatre. Cultcha Mate!
Adam
Roar Guru
Skip a Broncos game or skip an Origin? Yeah pretty easy contest...
mushi
Roar Guru
Gus keeps telling me origin is theatre. and war. (which confuses me as I didn't realise Broadway was like the gaza strip)
mushi
Roar Guru
Basic tenant of strategy avoid deliberately pitting strength against strength. In a business context: avoid competition where practical. Most people just do this naturally, if a player has a hole to run through or a tackler they hit the hole right? Paul’s suggestion is akin to a player deciding not to run through the hole but pick out a tackler just to prove themselves. Although it’s actually a little worse as success for the poor run choice would still equal that of the hole (4 points is 4 points) it’s just higher risk for no additional reward. Paul’s suggestion that we should surrender the clear commercial win that we have with the Wednesday night slot to “prove” we can beat other sports head to head is a face palm suggestion. Even if we win it would be a pyrrhic victory because we aren’t going to get the same breadth of non-league audience going up against their first choice sports and other weekend entertainment. So the product would be worth less and the spoils of our “victory” would be a smaller audience and less money. Less money for origin = less money for all levels of the game = we lose from our victory. There was probably a risk initially with going to Wednesday as you needed the customers to adjust, but that adjustment has clearly occurred. to surrender the reward for that risk would be comically bad.
Joey
Guest
$8M given to the NRL. You would have to think that’s a lot of money to pay out, to only guarantee the playing venue (just saying)
matth
Roar Guru
Don’t get me wrong, I love the theatre. It will likely be very good. I just don’t understand why I didn’t buy them for literally any other day. Jesus, I would have been happy to skip a Broncos game this year!
Andrew
Roar Pro
Kaufusi let off at the Judiciary, what a surprise. The fix is in, but what else would you expect.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
But the best Theatre of all time is in Townsville.!
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Are I married to Karen?
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
She’s probably a Toad
Paul
Roar Guru
or something like that :laughing:
MUCK
Guest
Same reason Melbourne Cup day is the biggest day of the year for racing , its on a Tuesday. Put it on Saturday and its just another race . Because they are midweek they capture the audience who normally wouldnt care . The office , schools and work places are a buzz , theres colour , sweeps , passion , experts , teasing , jokes , bets even the knobs who say they arent interested have their place ( theres always one ). It was the night I could stay up late as a kid and make as much noise as I wanted .Three days of giving it to each other , then two days of laughing at the poor simple cockroaches who thought they would win ..... Origin . Its perfect where it is.