The Kangaroos jersey will once again be the pinnacle of Australian rugby league following the announcement of the NRL’s record $925 million broadcast rights deal.
It is a massive shame that Australian honours are no longer seen as the pinnacle by some of the game’s stars, with its prestige having fallen below that of state colours.
A representative scheduling overhaul may see that trend reversed as State of Origin shapes up as a legitimate selection trial for international honours.
I have been longing for a major revamp of the representative schedule in a bid to restore pride to the famed green and gold jersey. When the new television broadcast deal kicks in to gear ahead of the 2018 season, I may well get my wish.
The current schedule sees the Australia vs New Zealand Test kick off the representative season, followed by City vs Country on the same weekend.
The State of Origin series then takes centre stage from late-May to early-July, and more international footy awaits us at the end of the year.
Well, that’s how it usually works – the Kangaroos don’t have a single match scheduled for the rest of 2015.
The new NRL TV broadcast rights deal will change this, and in doing so, the Australian jumper will once again be the pinnacle for our players.
The mid-season Test between the Kangaroos and Kiwis has gone the way of the Hunter Mariners, with international football between the two slated for an exclusive window at the end of the year.
The second State of Origin battle will be played on a Sunday night on a stand-alone weekend, meaning that the NRL competition will go on a week-long hiatus.
A stand-alone weekend opens the door for the fledgling Pacific Island nations to do battle, with Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji likely to be joined by Papua New Guinea.
One of these nations doing battle with New Zealand remains a distinct possibility.
I have outlined my preferred representative scheduling below, with the implications of the broadcast deal tapping in to my prior ideas.
City vs Country remains as a New South Wales Origin selection trial. The timing could be an issue given that it is no longer on a stand-alone weekend.
A possibility for the traditional clash is to adopt a Wednesday night time-slot, similar to that of State of Origin games.
State of Origin I held on a Wednesday night, as it is at present.
Then, for example, the stand-alone representative weekend sees Fiji take on Papua New Guinea on Friday night, Tonga play Samoa on Saturday, with State of Origin II to be played on the Sunday night.
If, however, the NZRL deemed that it wanted to field a Kiwis team to take on, say, Tonga, then an option is to also field a New Zealand Maori team to play the remaining nation, i.e. Samoa.
State of Origin III would be held two-and-a-half weeks later, again on a Wednesday night.
Upon the completion of the NRL season, a Four Nations tournament featuring Australia, New Zealand, England, and another qualifying nation based on where the tournament is held, as per the current agreement.
For example, if the tournament is held in England, the fourth nation will be the winner of the European Nations Cup (Wales/France/Scotland etc.).
If the tournament is held in Australia and New Zealand, the fourth nation will be the winner of the Pacific Cup (Papua New Guinea/Tonga/Samoa etc.). The same structure would be used in a World Cup year, but simply replacing that year’s Four Nations tournament with the World Cup tournament.
New Zealand’s success over the past few seasons has already seen the Australian jumper take on more importance. International footy has become more interesting, with an Australian victory no longer a foregone conclusion. And by opening the representative season with an international clash, Australian selectors were giving incumbents a free ticket to another green and gold jersey.
Now, the State of Origin series shapes as a legitimate selection trial for the international tournament to be played at the end of the season.
It is a massive step towards restoring the illustrious Kangaroos jumper to the top of the pedestal in Australian rugby league.
