State of Origin: Daly Cherry-Evans proposes 6pm kick-off time for Origin matches, ARLC to consider change

The arduous countdown to tonight’s State of Origin blockbuster is on, but many kids will be in bed before the teams even run out. That could be about to change. VOTE IN OUR POLL

NSW and Queensland will run out onto the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the 8.05pm kick-off to State of Origin II on Wednesday night, but Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans hopes fans won’t have to wait so late to see the action going forward.

The ARL Commission will consider an overhaul of Origin’s starting time in the new broadcast rights cycle, with Cherry-Evans calling for the code’s showpiece to kick-off at the more family friendly time of 6pm.

Cherry-Evans fears the game is being robbed of millions of young fans by the late starts to State of Origin.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo says a change to Origin’s kick-off time will be reviewed when negotiations begin for the code’s new broadcast deal.

This year’s series opener was a raging broadcast success with 3.6 million tuning in to Queensland’s 38-10 rout of the Blues – Origin’s biggest national audience in almost a decade.

State of Origin’s record TV audience remains the 4.193 million who watched the Blues snap Queensland’s eight-year stranglehold on State of Origin in Game Two of the 2014 series.

Daly Cherry-Evans has rallied for a 6pm kick-off for Origin. Picture: Adam Head

That match kicked off at 8pm at Sydney Olympic Park, but Cherry-Evans believes State of Origin could set a new benchmark if the starting time was brought forward by two hours to avoid snubbing a younger audience.

Cherry-Evans rejected calls for State of Origin to be shifted to Monday nights but said the kick-off time had to change.

“I think a 6pm kick-off would be even better for Origin,” he said.

“I’m actually happy with keeping Origin on Wednesdays.

“I love the format. I love 10-day camps.

“I don’t know how we can change it and not affect international rugby league or the NRL competition.

“For the NRL, it’s a tricky one, State of Origin is working well at the moment (on Wednesday nights) so I don’t see any need to change.

“If anything, I would love to see the NRL change the kick-off time so the kids wouldn’t have to stay up so late.

“My kids are older now so they can come to the game, but it is a late night for younger kids sitting at home waiting for Origin to start.

Daly Cherry-Evans has suggested the 6pm timeslot would increase the viewership of younger audiences. Picture: Adam Head

“I remember as a kid, you would be waiting for Origin to begin and getting tired thinking it’s time for bed.

“I think we would get an even bigger audience (by kicking off at 6pm).”

It is understood Channel 9 prefer a later kick-off time to allow more advertising timeslots, which generates millions in income for the NRL and helps fund $30,000 in match payments to Origin stars.

Total match payments across the three-game series amount to around $3.06 million.

The NRL’s current broadcast deal expires at the end of 2027 and Abdo said Origin’s kick-off time will be considered as part of the next TV rights contract for 2028 and beyond.

“It (the 8pm Origin kick-off) is part of our commercial arrangements with Channel 9,” Abdo said.

“It would require them to agree to it (a time change) in the current cycle, but obviously it’s something that will be considered by the Commission in the new broadcast cycle.

“At this particular point in time, there’s no plans to change it, but that’s something that can be considered and we would have to work within the commercial arrangements that we have.”

The 2024 series opener at Sydney’s Accor Stadium represented Origin’s biggest viewership since Game Three of the 2017 series.

Almost 2 million fans tuned into Channel 9’s coverage of the Maroons mauling in metropolitan areas (1.98m), while regional (861,000) and streaming (760,000) audiences took the total viewership to 3.598 million.

It was one million more than the 2.6 million who watched last year’s Game Three dead rubber in Sydney and Origin’s highest-rating series opener since 2016.

The 2023 series had a total audience of 9.2 million, including 3.4m in Game One, which was eclipsed by the Maroons running riot in the 2024 opener.

WOMEN’S PLEA: 80 MINUTE GAMES, 6PM KICK-OFF

- Patrick Woods

Australia’s top female rugby league players have called for two major changes to Women’s State of Origin ahead of the blockbuster Game III decider in Townsville.

Coaches and players alike want to see an earlier kick-off time as well as a full 80-minute game to mirror other representative games such as international test matches.

All three captains – Queensland’s Ali Brigginshaw and Sky Blues co-captains Kezie Apps and Isabelle Kelly – threw their support behind Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans’ suggestions for a 6pm kick-off for Origin matches to allow more families to stay up and enjoy the spectacle.

“Some of the latest games that I’ve ever played have been Origin so I would love to play an earlier game,” Brigginshaw said.

“I have young kids and it’s a struggle for them to stay up and watch the game. I grew up watching the footy and I remember needing a day off the next day because I was so cooked, so I would absolutely love to see an earlier kick-off.”

Apps said she loved the idea of a 6pm kick-off for Origin.

“It’s such a long day waiting until 7.45 at night – I’m usually in bed by 8.30, the grandma that I am,” Apps said.

McDonald Jones Stadium hosted Game 2. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

“I feel like for families as well, it’s quite late for young kids to stay up and watch the game.”

Kelly said an early start time would make game day preparation better for athletes.

“Prep-wise, I think as a player and an athlete it’s a bit easier when it’s a 6pm kick-off, but unfortunately that’s not what we’ve got right now,” Kelly said.

NSW Sky Blues assistant coach Kylie Hilder said the players were “100 per cent ready” for longer matches when it came to the Origin arena.

“I think everyone wants it now,” Hilder said.

“I know that they didn’t like it because they felt that the game sort of deteriorated in the last five minutes, but you’ve seen these girls are athletes now – they train hard, they’re ready for it and I think they deserve to have a full 80-minute game.”

The calls come after Sky Blues squad member Kirra Dibb opened the debate after Game II, suggesting it was the next step for the women’s game after being handed an Origin decider for the first time.

But Brigginshaw said there would have to be other changes to make an 80-minute game work.

“I think (we’re ready). This one’s a little bit clunky though, we’re in the middle of pre-season and we’re trying to play State of Origin,” Brigginshaw said

“Mentally I’d say a few girls are quite fatigued with the load of different teams and different structures, things like that.

“So I don’t know if that sets well right now, doing the 80 minutes, but I’d say it will be in the future.”

Originally published as State of Origin: Daly Cherry-Evans proposes 6pm kick-off time for Origin matches, ARLC to consider change