For years, clubs have been asked to make sacrifices in the name of State of Origin.
They lose players to Origin camps, players to injuries from Origin games … and pay them handsomely throughout.
Some players even receive Origin bonuses from their clubs, who – bizarrely – agree to pay them more money for playing fewer games.
The clubs have grudgingly accepted that the Origin leviathan generates so much revenue for the game that they just have to put up and shut up, regardless of the cost to their own ambitions.
But a few weeks ago, Tom Trbojevic was placed in a situation no player should be put in.
Under the NRL’s rules, the 17 players selected in a state squad miss the NRL round leading into an Origin game.
Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic.Credit: Getty Images
In 2022, that was extended to include the 18th man, when the NRL introduced an additional player to the bench as an emergency cover to combat the impact concussions were having on the results of matches.
It seemed like a sensible solution, but for the fact that player is ruled unavailable for his club, despite the minimal chance of him being called on to suit up for Origin.
Of the 20 teams that have taken the field since the 18th man was introduced into State of Origin back in 2022, only one of those has been in a position to activate the concussion substitute.
That came in game one of the 2024 series, when Felise Kaufusi was activated after eight minutes following a head-high tackle from Joseph Suaalii on Reece Walsh which resulted in the NSW debutant being sent off and the Queensland fullback ruled out of the game through concussion.
Joseph Suaalii was sent off for this hit on Reece Walsh.Credit: Nine
Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton will next week be NSW’s 18th man for the fifth time in the 11 games since the concussion substitute was introduced.
However, the rules stipulate that he is ineligible to play for the Bulldogs against South Sydney this Sunday – the third time will have missed a Bulldogs game for a five per cent chance of being activated by the Blues.
NSW sources with knowledge of team selection for game one said Trbojevic was initially selected as the NSW Blues’ 18th man for the opening game of the series.
Trbojevic, however, declined the invitation because it meant he was made to choose between his state and club.
Tom Trbojevic sat out Thursday night’s game against Newcastle.Credit: NRL Photos
Trbojevic has long been burdened by a guilt that his body has prohibited him from providing Manly value for the money they pay him. It’s why he volunteered to take a $750,000 pay cut last year before the NRL intervened and rejected his request due to salary cap reasons.
With his team struggling for form and licking their wounds after a round 10 loss to Cronulla, Trbojevic – having already missed four of his side’s first 10 games of the year, told the Blues he felt obliged to play for Manly the following week rather than join the Blues in camp for 10 days with no guarantee of playing.
The Blues duly called Campbell Graham into the squad as the 18th man, but it should have never come to that.
The rules allow the 19th and 20th players in Origin squads to be released from the respective NSW and Queensland camps to rejoin their clubs this weekend.
Keaon KoloamatangiCredit: Getty Images
So Keaon Koloamatangi, NSW’s 19th player, will go back to South Sydney to try to help them knock off the Burton-less Bulldogs. How is that that fair?
Burton is 18th man on game day, not the next in line. When Blues five-eighth Mitch Moses went down on Thursday, NSW called Jarome Luai in to take his place instead of the 18th man who plays the very same position.
When Brian To’o pulled up sore, they didn’t reshuffle their backline to accommodate Burton – they brought in Jacob Kiraz.
The NRL will argue that they are concerned about player workloads. That they don’t want Matt Burton having to play on Sunday and then potentially (albeit only a 5 per cent chance) back up three days later for the Blues.
But it’s OK for the NRL to send five Penrith players on an economy-class, seven-hour red-eye flight from Perth to Auckland to try and salvage their season against the Warriors three days after Origin? No wonder Penrith coach Ivan Cleary is likely to rest them.
There’s an obvious solution, at least to the 18th man debacle and not the scheduling farce facing the reigning champions.
The 18th man shouldn’t be selected until the Sunday night before an Origin. Allow the states to pick extended squads as they do now, but send players 18, 19 and 20 back to their clubs. And at the end of the round, having determined everyone’s fitness, then decide who Mr 5 per cent should be.
Burton misses this weekend’s game for the Bulldogs. Next week, they have the bye and he has another week off. By the time he plays again, he wouldn’t have played a game of footy for three weeks. In what world is that good for NSW or the Bulldogs?
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