Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has supported the idea of the NRL looking at a standalone State of Origin schedule after resting a number of NSW stars in his team’s defeat last week. Cleary chose to rest three of his representative players after the NSW Blues went down 44-24 to Queensland in a gruelling Origin clash.
Cleary was banking on his side getting the win against the Titans without Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Brian To’o. Although they were upset in a game where the Titans showed too much class as they start to build momentum.
Ivan Cleary (pictured left) has claimed the NRL could look at a standalone State of Origin period with the coach resting a number of players last week against the Titans. (Images: Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
The Panthers are fortunate they still hold a four-point lead at the top of the table. This makes Cleary’s decision to rest his rep players a little easier.
A win against the Cowboys this weekend will be valuable considering they play Round 18 without their Origin stars. But calls have once again grown for the NRL competition to come to a halt for three weeks when Origin takes over.
The Panthers are one of the teams impacted the most by missing stars, while the Dolphins and Roosters have been decimated. And Cleary has backed calls to look at the Origin schedule again.
“I think that’s got merit. At the end of the day…I think the game has got to consider whether the NRL is still a good product during the Origin period,” he said ahead of the Cowboys game. “There is a lot of media around Origin…it’s worth considering, but I don’t know the answer.”
When pushed about the decision to rest his representative players after both games, Cleary said there were a number of reasons. “There is a lot of factors that go into these decisions…some short-term, some long-term. But not necessarily for this game,” Cleary said.
Cleary joins a chorus of fans and experts suggesting the schedule favours certain teams over others and creates an unbalanced draw. What should have been a blockbuster clash between the Roosters and the Dolphins – two top-four teams – ended up seeing 12 players missing out due to Origin.
Nathan Cleary (pictured) didn’t play against the Titans after State of Origin Game 2. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
(Quinn Rooney via Getty Images)NRL reportedly considering State of Origin change
There are reports the NRL is considering moving the State of Origin series to a standalone window. Last week, reporter Travis Meyn of The Courier Mail claimed things could be about to change. The NRL has reportedly listened to the complaints of fans and will consider playing State of Origin in three consecutive weeks while the NRL comp is suspended.
The NRL will have a new broadcast deal from next season, which means it’s the perfect time to impose the change. It means club teams won’t be dudded for having players in Origin and fans won’t be short-changed.