The NRL are reportedly weighing up moving the State of Origin series to Mondays.
While a number of different days and models have been floated for Origin matches over the years, the matches have been played on Wednesday evenings for a long period of time.
However, the latest push, reported by News Corp, comes with growing pressure from clubs to have their players available in games post State of Origin.
As it currently stands, players can back up off as little as 48 hours rest if their teams were drawn to play on Friday evening. For Origin 1 this year, that was the case for the St George Illawarra Dragons as all of Ben Hunt, Jaydn Su’A and Zac Lomax played in a thumping against the Wests Tigers.
Even those players playing on Sunday have only four days rest, leaving them under the minimum recovery period allocated to any team during the regular season of five days.
The issue saw the Rugby League Players Association at one point test the standing around the competition as to whether players being forcibly removed from NRL games after an Origin would have any appetite, although that never got off the ground.
A move to Monday would also have a secondary benefit, where clubs wouldn’t lose their players to a week and a half long Origin camp, but rather, only seven days.
The state organisations and their head coaches – Michael Maguire of the NSWRL and Billy Slater of the QRL – may not be so supportive on that front.
Monday night is also a question that will have to pass through the game’s broadcaster, Channel 9. An experiment which previously moved one of the Origin games to a Sunday evening was a failure, and they will be unwilling to risk the ratings which a Wednesday evening blockbuster in prime time brings.
Despite that, Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’Landys said the game are always open to changing the timeline of Origin.
“We’re always looking at ways to get through the Origin period that best suits fans, players and stakeholders,” he told News Corp.
“Any good ideas will be considered. This has got some merit and should be in the mix when we’re next discussing the schedule.”
It’s believed no change will be made before the start of the next TV deal in 2028, which will also be likely when the NRL bring an 18th team into the competition.
Those negotiations are scheduled to kick-off shortly.