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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The NRL is adamant State of Origin will be officiated in the same way as club football, slamming suggestions that referees are given different instructions for the marquee matches as \u201ccompletely false.\u201d<\/p>\n This interstate series, starting in Sydney on Wednesday, will be the first played under new rules introduced this season, which include an expanded bench and the awarding of set restarts for infringements outside the attacking team\u2019s 20 metres, which were previously only given outside the 40 metres.<\/p>\n Traditionally, the penalty count is lower during Origin, which has led to a suspicion that referees have been ordered to be more lenient when it comes to applying the rules.<\/p>\n This year, though, following a marked increase in six-agains<\/a> throughout the regular season, speculation has raged over whether Origin refs will award set-restarts with the same frequency as in club games \u2013 thereby increasing the likelihood of a high-scoring, attack-focussed contest.<\/p>\n After naming his Blues team for Origin I<\/a>, NSW coach Laurie Daley said he wasn\u2019t sure to expect from the whistleblowers on Wednesday night at Accor Stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how it\u2019s going to be refereed,\u201d Daley conceded.<\/p>\n However, NRL head of football Graham Annesley said the rules for Origin \u2013 and how they are interpreted \u2013 are the same as for club matches.<\/p>\n \u201cAny suggestion that referees are given different instructions for Origin is completely false, they simply respond to what unfolds in front of them,\u201d Annesley told this masthead.<\/p>\n \u201cOrigin features some of the best players from across the competition on the field at the same time. They are not only the best players, but generally, they are also those that play with the most discipline.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what makes them so good, they are not constantly making errors or conceding penalties. When you put those factors together, it requires less intervention from referees.<\/p>\n \u201cReferees only need to intervene when teams aren\u2019t complying with the rules or where there are a lot of errors being made, whether it be knock-ons, forward passes, or any other form of ill-discipline that requires more whistleblowing.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about set restarts, Annesley said: \u201cThat again depends on levels of compliance, the referees don\u2019t go looking for them. If teams comply with the rules, the referee doesn\u2019t need to intervene.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article Canberra coach Ricky Stuart, speaking after his team\u2019s loss to the Dolphins on Friday, said he was \u201cconfused\u201d about how the game is being officiated.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c… The game has interpretations and rules, and we\u2019re in a position at the moment where we\u2019re picking and choosing when we apply them, and it\u2019s a very frustrating situation for those who are involved as players and coaches,\u201d Stuart said. \u201cIn all the years I\u2019ve been involved in the game as a coach, I\u2019ve never been so confused.\u201d<\/p>\n Stuart\u2019s comments come after Storm stars Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster conceded they were watching fewer matches because of the way the game is now played.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll probably be a bit of a guessing game because the competition has shown one thing, Origin might show another,\u201d Blues forward Cameron Murray said on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m not sure if the Origin is going to be similar to the regular NRL season or the same old Origin that we all know it can be. I guess you can overthink it a little bit if you try to think about those types of things \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThe teams and the players that can adapt the best, leave the excuses on the sidelines and just do their best on the field are the players and the teams that are going to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n NSW bench hooker Blayke Brailey was uncertain what style of play to expect in his Origin debut.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not too sure,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t really control those referee decisions and calls, and you\u2019ve got to get on with the job. But I don\u2019t know how it\u2019ll be refereed. I\u2019m sure the coaching staff maybe have a bit more of an insight and they\u2019ll let us know.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can only control what we can control and that\u2019s putting our best foot forward and performing whatever comes our way.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/23333ad63401978f59f96b7991e301cd5945172d.jpeg\")
How much influence will Ashley Klein have on the decider?Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Blues](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7386e2104d0a215fdbceec85169f696326ac4483.jpeg\")
Blues forward Cameron Murray.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779535281_903_5a2323f3424f73e7196f8f83d0a99663bdf7c2ca.jpeg\")
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