Never again: V’landys has lost the plot if Origin stays in November

League boss Peter V’landys had to move State of Origin to November this year. Fair enough. If he does it again next year, he’s off his rocker.

NSW coach Brad Fittler and Jack Wighton Central Coast ahead of State of Origin Game 2 in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Peter V’landys might possess the most magical administrative wand since Albus Dumbledore and the most vivid imagination since Albert Einstein and the most tenacious never-give-up mentality since Phar Lap but he’s lost the plot if he thinks State of Origin in November is a going concern.

The build-up to Origin II is the flattest since Origin I. No one is to blame for the plague other than the bloke in China who ate the bat and so it’s not V’landys’ fault that this year’s off-season Origin has been forced upon us all. But there’s a distinct feeling to it of trying to listen to a Christmas tune in June. Origin’s still a great song, tra-la-la-la-la, but now’s not the time.

You know so. The players know so. The coaches know so. NSW duo Brad Fittler and Jack Wighton were photographed laughing their heads off at training on Monday. Someone must’ve told them Origin might be in November every year. The series’ colours were lowered last week by something it’s not used to: competition. When it went head-to-head against the Melbourne Cup, Origin ran a distant second for public interest. It’s big … but we now know it’s not as big as the Cup. Even though the Cup is over, Donald Trump is out and Anthony Van Dyck is dead, Origin still feels flatter than one of Jake Friend’s dummy-half passes. Which are usually forward, by the way.

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Two marquee events are on this week. The US Masters starts on Friday but the suits at Augusta National have done one thing the suits at League Central have not. They’ve shouted from the top of Eisenhower’s Tree that this is a one-off. Over their dead bodies, or perhaps another million dead bodies in the US, they’ll be back in their April timeslot next year. The scheduling is part of the tradition for occasions such as the Masters and Origin. We’re used to seeing it at a certain time, and we like it. Wimbledon cancelled itself this year because it was July or nothing for the All England Club. An Ashes cricket Test at the MCG would feel awkward if it was in June. The calendar dates are sacred. Origin simply feels wrong. Which means V’landys cannot be right when he says November games may be here for good.

Last week he told m’learned colleague Brent Read, who’s not a bad bloke for a Queenslander, that Australia’s fascination with the US election was to blame. And a Queensland team sheet that had its most formidable names on the list of coaches. I don’t know about you, but I was sick of hearing about the American election by 8pm last Wednesday. Origin was a welcome reprieve … but then Origin didn’t feel like Origin at all. I had two screens on. Origin and the WBBL. I spent more time watching Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy than the bloke who got man of the match, Daly Cherry-Evans, and the bloke who should have got man of the match, Dane Gagai.

“Our expert is telling us it was a lot to do with the US election,” V’landys said. “I think a lot of people also thought it was going to be a whitewash. The fact is NSW were the shortest-priced favourites. The Queensland market was where it was down a bit.

“I think the big test for it is next Wednesday when people realise Queensland is competitive. But the reasons we did it (move to post-season) haven’t gone away and they are because we wanted to make sure the best players were available in a shortened NRL competition.”

Origin’s meant to be so big that nothing could dampen the hype. The Cup did. According to V’landys, an expected NSW win did. Is the attraction that fickle?

NSW winger Josh Addo-Carr at the Blues’ training base on the Central Coast ahead of State of Origin game two in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: Phil Hillyard

If nothing else, think of the players. Give the poor bastards a rest. Pre-season training starts next month. The best will be going through to October. Even after a full and plague-free season, they’re expected to play for another month? What about player welfare? The club competition isn’t consistently spectacular enough to go uninterrupted. Origin is an explosion of elite league right when the regular season is trudging along. It’s a welcome variation to regular programming. And to state the obvious, we’re into the footy in winter. Gagging for it. Hanging out for it.

The build-up to Origin II seems ho-hum. I thought the Channel 9 commentators sounded flat and forced in Adelaide. You could hardly blame them. Ratings were down 20 per cent on last year, the worst Origin figures since 2003. If viewers were nodding off, it might have been because it sounded like the broadcasters were, too.

Origin had to be in November this year. One hundred per cent. V’landys thinking it might continue is the odd bit. Dumbledore’s wand couldn’t make that a good idea. Nothing in Einstein’s brain could make it a goer. Phar Lap would have given up on it by now. It’s just … what is it? It’s just not right. As the lawyer for Darryl Kerrigan in The Castle: “It’s the constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s justice, it’s law. It’s the vibe and ah, no, that’s it. It’s the vibe.”

Or as they’ve said in Masters promotions at Augusta National, where the only spectators will be the pine trees, “A year unlike any other.” In other words, for those wise souls, never again.