State of Origin 2023, Phil Rothfield v Brent Read: Should Origin be switched to end of year?

Phil “Buzz” Rothfield is calling for a massive Origin change following a spate of injuries. Brent “Ready” Read reckons Buzz has lost the plot.

Nathan Cleary and Jai Arrow have both been ruled out of Origin after sustaining injuries while backing up.

Stars Nathan Cleary, Jai Arrow and Cameron Murray went down over the weekend while backing up from Origin.

It poses the question: Should State of Origin be moved to the end of the season?

Phil “Buzz” Rothfield and Brent “Ready” Read debate.

Buzz: We’ve got to think about moving Origin to the back end of the year. Nathan Cleary out for six weeks. A $1.5 million superstar. A massive blow for the Blues and Panthers.

Ready: You’ve lost the plot Buzz. The back end of the year is reserved for international footy. Now you want to throw Origin in there. It would kill the international game. We need to play more Test footy.

Nathan Cleary comes off with a hamstring injury.

Buzz: Lost the plot, hey. There’s always a lull after the grand final. Origin was played in November a few years ago. It rated very well on Channel Nine.

Ready: That was during the Covid year when the world was turned on its head. You did a story this week on record ratings for Origin. The game is flying at the moment. Why do we always feel the need to tinker with things?

Buzz: When are you going to start thinking about player welfare? NRL Physio Brien Seeney told me this morning: “A sudden spike in workload, like playing two games in four days, can contribute to increased hamstring strain risk,” he said. “Good past example is Reuben Cotter in 2022, strained his hamstring in the warm up of the game after he played 80 minutes on debut in Origin.”

Ready: You know what else can contribute to injuries? When blokes are thrown into Origin series cold after sitting out a few weeks. What happens if the Roosters miss the finals series? Or last year when the Broncos missed out? Four or five weeks later you are asking them to play an Origin game. Test footy is not the same. It’s not as frantic or intense. Origin is a completely different beast.

Buzz: At the end of the day it comes down to protecting the athletes and their welfare. We’ve discussed many times that the players are now bigger, stronger, faster, more powerful and more explosive. The collision impact increases every year. It’s more physical than it was back in the 80’s when Origin was born. We now need to adjust to the times.

Ready: I agree but it falls back on the clubs. I understand they pay their players huge wads of cash but the best way they can protect them is by resting them after Origin. It might mean they miss a couple of games of club footy but it’s a small price to pay for having world-class players in your team. Maybe as a game we can look at compensating clubs for players who are on Origin duty – the NRL and states cover their salaries while they are in camp and the clubs get an exemption for that money.

Buzz: This is easier than out-debating you on NRL 360. No amount of money compensates Penrith for losing Cleary for six weeks. He’s the best player in the comp.

Ready: It’s unfortunate but he’ll be back for the business end of the season. They’ll be ok. We always talk about their amazing depth.

Nathan Cleary and Jai Arrow have both been ruled out of Origin after sustaining injuries while backing up.

Buzz: The fans who pay every week at the turnstiles don’t want to see superstars rested. Origin almost kills the competition between Rounds 12 and 20. It’s sabotage. The standard drops off. The interest drops off. What other competition on this planet allows for an eight-week mid-year slowdown for another series.

Ready: I’m not sure it kills the competition. We had some pretty good games at the weekend. There were more than 18,000 people on the Central Coast for the Bulldogs and Roosters. I was on the sideline and it was a cracking atmosphere. The cream generally rises to the top by the end of the season. The best teams play finals footy.

Buzz: Look, I’m fatigued. I’m going to the Gold Coast this week. I need you to be a guest on my podcast with Mick and Mobbsy. No lamb and rosemary recipes thanks.

Ready: Your podcast? Mobbsy and Mick will be filthy. They reckon they carry you!!! Anyway, you enjoy the sun and the sand Buzz. We’ll hold the fort while you are working on your tan. The ratings tend to spike when I make an appearance anyway.