How State of Origin will affect you NRL club with representative stars out of action

STATE of Origin is rugby league’s showpiece but it can also be the time premiership dreams are shattered. BUZZ ROTHFIELD looks at how your club will be hit.

Phil Rothfield analyses how State of Origin will affect your NRL club.

STATE of Origin is rugby league’s showpiece event of the season but it can also be an eight-week period where premiership dreams are shattered.

Some clubs never fully recover from the burden losing their superstars.

Traditionally, NRL powerhouses Melbourne, Brisbane and North Queensland are hardest hit during Origin.

Again they will be without their superstar players but no club will be more affected than the Sydney Roosters, who not only lose five players this year, but get only one bye and have two games against near enough to full-strength line-ups.

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Mitchell Pearce will be just one of five players missing for the Roosters. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

It starts this weekend when the Roosters play the Raiders in Canberra who are missing only second-rower Josh Papalii.

“There’s no point feeling aggrieved,” says coach Trent Robinson, “We’re actually happy for the five boys who have made the teams.

“It would be nice playing a couple of side without Origin players as well but we can’t change the draw so you’ve got to try to enjoy these moments.

“I actually find it exciting. It’s a hard place to go Canberra and they’ve got a lot of size and flair.

“We’ll compete hard with them and get a good insight into our depth.”

The Roosters get only one bye and also have to play a full-strength South Sydney side.

It’s a huge opportunity for debutants like Lindsay Collins, a former Broncos under 20s prop who has been playing NSW Cup for Wyong.

It’s also a time of the year that highlights the unevenness of the competition.

A full-strength Rabbitohs outfit gets to play the Roosters and Gold Coast without their Origin players.

Likewise, the Parramatta Eels. They get St George Illawarra and the Storm without their Origin stars.

The New Zealand Warriors love this time of the year. They get two byes during the series and get to play the Broncos at home without their Origin representatives. They also play the Bulldogs at home in round 16, on the Friday following Origin II.

The Broncos will also have to cope with Origin call-ups. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

The Broncos lose Darius Boyd, Corey Oates, Josh McGuire, Sam Thaiday and Matt Gillett but at least get two byes. Their only game without their stars is against the Warriors.

In round 16, on the Saturday following Origin II, Brisbane’s stars face a three-day turnaround to travel to the nation’s capital to face a near full-strength Raiders side.

The Sharks get only one bye while their players are unavailable but at least play against the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers, who will also be fielding weakened teams.

Canterbury get only one bye but at least face a weakened Sharks team this Saturday night. They play the Knights in round 18 who will be only missing Dane Gagai. A round 16 clash on Friday night following Origin II in Auckland will be tough.

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It’s another year where the Raiders have been snubbed in the selection rooms. Not even Test prop Shannon Boyd made the NSW side. They lose only Papalii and get to play a severely weakened Roosters this weekend.

The Titans will be without Jarryd Hayne and Nathan Peats but have been given two byes. However, they still have to play a full-strength Souths team in round 15.

Manly lose Jake Trbojevic and Nate Myles but get two byes. Their only match without the two forwards is round 18 against a full strength Panthers squad.

It’s the same old story for first-placed Melbourne. They lose Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Will Chambers but at least they get to keep Billy Slater this year.

Still, they have been given only one bye. At least they get the Cowboys, who will also be weakened in round 15. It’s a shame because this clash is normally a blockbuster. It’s also a big ask on Friday week when the Origin stars have only 48 hours to recover before playing the Knights.

Penrith could benefit during the Origin period. Picture: Brett Costello

The Cowboys will be without three stars but at least get two byes and their one game sans Origin stars is against a Storm side as weakened as them.

Penrith escape with their roster intact. Who would have thought this would be the case at the beginning of the season with a team containing James Tamou, Matt Moylan, Bryce Cartwright, Josh Mansour and Trent Merrin? They get two byes and play Manly in round 18.

The Knights are in a similar position and hardly affected. They lose only Gagai and get two byes while getting to play the understrength Bulldogs in round 18.

Wests Tigers get two byes while they are missing Aaron Woods and James Tedesco and play a seriously weakened Sharks outfit in round 15.

St George Illawarra have lost Josh Dugan and Tyson Frizell but at least get two byes. It could have been much worse if selectors had chosen form forwards Jack De Belin and Paul Vaughan.

Originally published as How State of Origin will affect you NRL club with representative stars out of action