Buzz Rothfield: Origin and injuries are decimating the NRL product for fans and broadcasters

Superstars who make turnstiles click, entice fans to buy merchandise and attract the most eyeballs were missing from the NRL this weekend. And the competition may not be able to overcome scheduling problems, writes BUZZ ROTHFIELD.

Kalyn Ponga, Nathan Cleary and Shaun Johnson are three of the 100 players who are missing club games.

Rugby league is the most resilient game.

The competition was ripped to shreds over the weekend, missing 100 footballers.

More than 80 of them are among the biggest names in the NRL.

The superstars who click turnstiles, entice fans to buy memberships, sell merchandise and attract most eyeballs to Fox Sports and Channel 9.

Tom Trbojevic, Kalyn Ponga, Nathan Cleary, Cameron Munster, Adam Reynolds, Viliame Kikau, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Shaun Johnson, Bradman Best, Cameron Murray, A J Brimson, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and then all the NSW and Queensland Origin stars.

Yes, the Raiders and Dolphins put on a golden-point thriller but the debate and discussion is one the game needs to have.

Another superstar went down on Friday night – Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr with a hamstring. Ten weeks on the sideline.

And then Jesse Bromwich on Saturday night with a suspected torn pectoral.

Josh Addo-Carr’s injury adds to a long list of injured stars. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

Not only is the NRL experiencing an unprecedented crisis with injuries to big names but then 36 players are dragged away to play State of Origin.

We have a Wednesday night blockbuster to look forward to but previous fan polls have shown most punters want State of Origin condensed into three weeks with other international rep games.

As it stands now Origin effects/interrupts the premiership from Rounds 13 to Round 20.

I looked into TV ratings and compared Thursday night free-to-air Eels v Sharks (640k) with Souths v Penrith (676k) at the beginning of the month – down almost six per cent.

Also the crowd of 11,665 was by far Parramatta’s worst this year.

Then Friday night the TV numbers were much worse.

You compare the Knights v Bulldogs (564k) against the Roosters v Broncos (716k) at the beginning of the month – down 26 per cent (admittedly up against the Matildas).

Look at the Roosters v Cowboys game at Allianz on Sunday.

The Roosters were without James Tedesco, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Angus Crichton, Lindsay Collins and Spencer Leniu. The Cowboys were even worse affected. Reece Robson, Valentine Holmes, Murray Taulagi, Jeremiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter and Tom Dearden.

All-up 11 sidelined Origin stars. Yet they still charge full ticket prices at the gate.

Reuben Cotter is one of the stars missing for the Cowboys. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Yes, it was exciting to watch the emerging stars, Penrith winger Jesse McLean and the Raiders halves Ethan Strange and Kaeo Weekes, in the absence of the superstars.

But it can be so unfair on the clubs. The Bulldogs’ five-eighth Matt Burton is not even playing in Origin. He’s 18th man but the NRL refused to release him to play for his club against the Knights.

And Penrith. They go down to St George Illawarra. No Jarome Luai, no Dylan Edwards, no Brian To’o, no Isaah Yeo. And no Nathan Cleary.

To have 100 players missing is a rip-off to the fans.

Obviously nothing can be done about the injury toll, although there needs to be a thorough sports science investigation at the end of the season into why hamstring and soft tissue injuries has doubled this year.

Is it the wet weather, the speed of the games, too great a workload at training?

What the NRL can easily fix is the Origin scheduling.

No other competition in the world does it like the NRL. For seven long weeks the competition is weakened.

By the time players return to their clubs, mostly fatigued, we have only six rounds left.

The sharpest minds in rugby league called for a scheduling overall last year.

I’m talking Wayne Bennett, Roosters chairman Nick Politis, Storm general manager Frank Ponissi and the bosses of Penrith and Souths, Brian Fletcher and Blake Solly.

They were all ignored.

The Eels had their worst crowd attendance of the season in round 13. Picture: NRL Photos

Solly said: “The NRL Club competition generates 90 per cent of the NRL’s revenues. Yet the focus for almost a third of the season is diverted away from the competition.”

And Fletcher: “Look at the strain on the players with wear and tear. They are human beings, not robots.”

The NRL competition is the toughest and most brutal sport on the planet.

Origin is even tougher.

There’s the player welfare issue, not just the fans being short changed.

It’s almost cruel to be asking elite footballers to back up for their clubs after playing on Wednesday nights.

Surely it’s something the RLPA should be onto.

Andrew Abdo has always said he won’t stop the competition for three weeks to play the Origin series because it’s giving a free kick to the AFL.

Well, having 100 players sidelined is giving them an even bigger free kick.