Proposal for Future Origin Series'

[parra-matters]

OK this is my propsal to make the origin series better and less interferance on the NRL club teams.
Stop the NRL for 2 weekends in mid-may. Both states name a 25 man squad the week before the NRL round and have no monday night footy that round. All players go into camp Sunday night. Game 1 Friday Night top 17 named on Thursday. Game 2 Wednesday Night top 17 named Tuesday, Game 3 Sunday Arvo top 17 named Saturday. Can only use players named in that 25 man squad. This way no NRL club is affected by missing players, Test v NZ should be 3 weeks after game mid week. City v Country could be played on the Saturday after Game 1 and would be players not selected in the NSW 25 man squad.
I have told this to quite a few punters in my shop lately and they all think it's a great idea. It would create a bigger buzz for Origin as it is hyped for 3 full weeks straight and would even create a bigger demand for merchindice.

Anybody else got any great ideas?
I think the current format is getting tired.

[Western_Eel]

Agree, But i think city v country should consist of both NSW and qld city and country players

[Non Terminator]

So, stop the NRL?
Lost me there. Can't happen.

[watatank]

for it to work effectively you'd have to scrap city/country and the mid year test.

[parra-matters]

Originally Posted by Non Terminator

So, stop the NRL?
Lost me there. Can't happen.

Stop the comp for 2 weekends and then resume after that. no different all the stupid byes we have now really just that every team has thier 2 byes 2 weeks in a row.

[MightyBronco]

Stop the NRL for good and just have Origin games every weekend.

[Quidgybo]

I've posted this suggestion previously back in May...

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/sh...92#post6570692

On the way to proposing something radical in terms of rep scheduling, I'd first suggest we abolish the Anzac test in favour of making October/November our exclusive international season and move City vs Country to a pre-season match played on the same weekend as the All Star game. That would leave State of Origin and any parallel provincial matches New Zealand may choose to play as the only representative games played mid year. Now for the radical bit...

Play the three match Origin series mid season over just two consecutive weekends - in the middle of two split rounds spread over four weeks. Play the first Origin match on Friday night of weekend 2, the second on the following Wednesday night, and the third on the following Monday night of weekend 3 (ie. five days between each game). During the four week period, each club plays two consecutive matches either in the first two weeks or the second two weeks, and two consecutive byes. Origin players are available for their clubs on weekend 1 and weekend 4 but not the middle two weekends.

The first benefit of this scheduling is that no player has to play a second game in less than five days at any stage of the season. Every player plays just one match each week except for the Origin weekends when they play a mid-week match following a Friday night game and ahead of a Monday night game. Yes, they have to turn around between rep games in only five days but then we get the next benefit.

The second benefit is that every rep player is guaranteed a non-playing rest week immediately prior or immediately after Origin. Non rep players get a two week rest. By having half the clubs have their consecutive byes overlapping the first weekend of Origin and the other half overlapping the second weekend, we ensure that every player in the comp gets a genuine benefit from the byes, even the rep players.

The third benefit is the flip side of the second, every club loses their rep players for only one game each year. By having half the clubs playing their consecutive matches overlapping the first weekend and the other half overlapping the second weekend, each club only has to play one game without their star players.

A slightly different proposal would be to suspend the premiership completely for the middle two weekends and play more representative matches in parallel to the Origin games. Games like PNG vs Fiji and NZ North vs South. In this version, the premiership would play one split round spread over weekends 1 and 4. This would still allow the same benefits where every rep player gets a rest week immediately before or after playing Origin.

So given the scheduling outlined above, the mid season rep program could be something like this...

ROUND 9
Fri - North Queensland vs Newcastle
Fri - St George vs Gold Coast
Sat - Souths vs New Zealand
Sun - Penrith vs Cronulla
Bye - Canterbury, Wests, Canberra, Sydney, Parra, Melbourne, Manly, Brisbane


Fri - Origin 1

ROUND 10 (rep players unavailable)
Sat - Gold Coast vs Souths
Sun - New Zealand vs St George
Sun - Cronulla vs North Queensland
Mon - Newcastle vs Penrith
Bye - Canterbury, Wests, Canberra, Sydney, Parra, Melbourne, Manly, Brisbane


Wed - Origin 2


ROUND 11 (rep players unavailable)
Fri - Canberra vs Brisbane
Fri - Canterbury vs Melbourne
Sat - Parramatta vs Sydney
Sun - Manly vs Wests
Bye - Penrith, Cronulla, New Zealand, Souths, Gold Coast, St George, Newcastle, NQ

Mon - Origin 3


ROUND 12
Sat - Sydney vs Canberra
Sun - Melbourne vs Parramatta
Sun - Wests vs Canterbury
Mon - Brisbane vs Manly
Bye - Penrith, Cronulla, New Z, Souths, Gold Coast, St George, Newcastle, NQ


Rep players playing for Canterbury, Wests, Canberra, Sydney, Parra, Melbourne, Manly and Brisbane get the week before Origin selection off with their clubs having byes in Round 9. Non rep players for those clubs get a fortnight off because they don't need to play in Round 10 either.

Rep players for Penrith, Cronulla, New Z, Souths, Gold Coast, St George, Newcastle and NQ get the week after Origin off with their clubs having byes in Round 12. Non rep players for those clubs get a fortnight off because they don't need to play in Round 11 either.

No player has to backup for a second game within five days at any point of the season. Every player in the comp gets at least one week off mid year, most get a fortnight. Origin players get their rest week either immediately prior or immediately after the Origin series. Each club plays only one premiership game without their rep players.

Leigh.

[parra-matters]

We have to get of these stupid byes, with a even number of teams there is no need for a bye.

[Quidgybo]

Originally Posted by parra-matters

We have to get of these stupid byes, with a even number of teams there is no need for a bye.

...apart from giving our most expensive assets - the players - a recuperation break mid season. The big problem isn't the byes, it's that the most heavily loaded players - our super stars - are the ones missing out on the benefit of them.

Leigh.

[parra-matters]

The clubs pay the bulk of these elite players wages and should not have them missing 3 games a season with no return to them.

[Quidgybo]

Originally Posted by parra-matters

The clubs pay the bulk of these elite players wages and should not have them missing 3 games a season with no return to them.

What I proposed back at the start of May has no player missing more than one club match a season through representative commitments. And it does that without suspending the premiership or forcing star players to play consecutive matches in less than five days at any point while still giving them the benefit of the byes. A possible variation I proposed gives the exact same benefits but with no club matches missed at the expense of having the premiership suspended for two consecutive weeks. Take your pick.

Leigh.

[fourplay]

Seeing as State of Origin on a Wednesday night is the most popular sport in the country why tamper with it?

Wednesday night is perfect, everyone is at home and in front of the TV.

[RHCP]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Quidgybo]

Originally Posted by fourplay

Seeing as State of Origin on a Wednesday night is the most popular sport in the country why tamper with it?

Wednesday night is perfect, everyone is at home and in front of the TV.

Not perfect for our most expensive assets, the representative players who have to back up only 48-72 hours later. Not perfect for their employers, the clubs who pay their wages. Not perfect for the fans who don't want premiership matches devoid of star players. We see the complaints about overload and burnout of the game's biggest stars year after year. And we see the complaints from fans year after year of premiership matches robbed of their star attractions. It always gets put in the too hard basket with the claim that no one has a solution.

They tried scheduling all the byes after each Origin match a couple of years back to ensure the players didn't have to back up. Of course that only lasted a year once the clubs and fans worked out that meant even more premiership matches without the star players. What I've proposed above satisfies both the players, who don't have to play games less than five days apart at any point of the season and are guaranteed a rest week mid season, and of the clubs and fans who lose the star players from the premiership for only one or even no matches each year.

Originally Posted by RHCP

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

It *is* broke. That's why we have these debates year after year around Origin time.

Leigh.