State of Origin used to be the land of the giants with big boppers starting games and even larger lads coming off the bench as 34 men from NSW and Queensland bashed each other for 80 minutes straight.

But while the benches are bigger, the players are getting smaller with guys like Cameron Murray and Queensland’s Reuben Cotter the prototypical lock forwards who can change games with their leg speed through the middle.

Murray made his NRL debut in 2017 alongside the Burgess brothers and other big boppers, while the 2006 Origin series featured the likes of Steve Price, Willie Mason, Petero Civoniceva, Brent Kite, Carl Webb and Mark O’Meley.

Twenty years later, Murray is listed at 96kg and is the face of how much the game has changed with its new rules and faster rucks.

“I think there’s probably a bit more fatigue in the game now. Even this year more so than any other year, I think you see the momentum swings and how important they are,” he said.

“It’s a fit man’s game these days, so you need to be fit. I’ve been lucky that it probably suited me just as I was coming in and I got my timing right.

“When I was coming in, it was the era of the Burgess boys and Ben Te’o and John Sutton and Dave Taylor and all that.

“They were all big fellas, and in your mind, you’re like ‘I’ve got to put size on. I’ve got to make sure that I’m as big as these guys’.

“But as luck would have it, I just I came in at the right time. The fatigue and the speed of the game started going up, and it probably suited me a little better.

“Some little tweaks in the rules over the over the years and then the way that the NRL are wanting the game to be played now, they kind of catered that to suit the rules.

“It’s the way that they want the game to go based on the speed of the game and bringing back the smaller guys. I think that’s suited me well, so I’m not complaining.”

There have been calls from former players including Braith Anasta for Murray to start at lock, with skipper Isaah Yeo to either shift to prop or to come off the bench as he did in the 2024 series when the Souths star killed it in jersey No.13 in games two and three.

The Blues are 3-0 when Murray starts at lock, with the Fox Sports Lab unearthing some remarkable numbers that highlight just how good the Blues are when he’s on the field.

Throughout his 16 games for his state, the Blues are +174 points when he’s on the field, while they’re -48 when he’s on the bench, including in game one where the Maroons raced out to an 18-0 lead before he came on.

“He’s been outstanding for a long time, and we’ve definitely missed him in the Origin arena when he had the achilles last year and when he had a concussion in another game,” said Yeo, who has been the standout lock forward for the past six years.

“He’s just one of those players who makes every team he’s in better, whether that’s at lock, coming off the bench or playing in the back row.

“He’s the ultimate professional. You can see that from afar, but you certainly see it when you get in this environment.

“I thought what he and Victor (Radley) brought into the game off the bench was really important. They brought a point of difference for us.”

NSW halfback Nathan Cleary has the pleasure of playing with Yeo at club level every week, while he gets to throw in Murray three times a year when they pull on the Blues jersey.

The world’s best playmaker loves working with two of the most effective link men in rugby league, with Murray providing a point of difference that Yeo can’t match.

“He just adds a different type of leg speed,” Cleary said.

“I’ve seen Cam play in the centres before, and that speaks volumes to what he brings with his leg speed.

“He’s got great ball-playing ability as well, so I think the mix of him and ‘Yowie’ is so dynamic. It’s a pleasure to play alongside those two guys.”

Whether he starts or not is immaterial for Murray, whose sole concern is seeing his state lift the shield again after an injury kept him out of last year’s series.

“When I play Origin, I just try to be myself out there. I try to go out and play to my strengths and do what I know needs to be done to get the job done in Origin,” he said.

“Origin’s all about effort and going out and doing your best for your teammate, and so that’s what I try to do.

“If I’m coming off the bench, then I try to bring energy. If I start, I try to start with a level head and I just go out there and try to be the best version of myself and play as best I can in a Blues jersey.”

Originally published as ‘It’s a fit man’s game’: How Cameron Murray changed Origin as calls grow louder for him to start for the Blues