New rules, but same frantic State of Origin ahead

NSW hooker Damien Cook believes the NRL’s new rules that have slightly slowed down the speed in the regular season will barely impact on State of Origin.

NSW don’t expect the NRL’s new rules to have any impact on slowing down State of Origin, preparing as if this year’s series will be as fast as it was in a frantic 2021.

New rules introduced at the start of this season have resulted in marginally slower NRL games, with penalties blown for infringements with teams coming out of their own end.

NRL data shows an average of 4.6 penalties have been blown each game for offsides and ruck infringements, which would have been set restarts last year.

While still far quicker than the pre set-restart days, ball-in-play time is down by around 20 seconds a game in 2021, while matches are taking just less than a minute longer to complete.

The brief stoppages have coincided with a reduction in margins and point-scoring, with an average of four fewer points scored per game on 2021.

But the Blues say they don’t expect those numbers to translate into Origin, after last year’s high-speed and high-scoring series.

“Obviously it will be a little different this year with the yardage penalties. But then again there aren’t many given away in Origin,” hooker Damien Cook told AAP.

“I am sure they will ref this game on its own merit. It will be a free-flowing game and it will be pretty fast as well.

“Once you get over halfway the six-agains (will still) come into it, because that will be the way teams try and stop each other from scoring.
“No doubt this one will be pretty fast as well.”

Cook stands among those with the most to benefit if the game is played at close to the same frantic pace as last year.

The NSW No.9 averaged more than 12 metres a run out of dummy-half last season, busting three tackles across the series.

NSW do not have the likes of Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell to capitalise on front-foot attack if the game is particularly quick like they did last year.

But their Penrith halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai have been the NRL’s premier combination since the introduction of the set-restart rule in 2020.

“I think both teams would want it to be quick,” Cook said.

“Just looking at their spine, that is how they would want to play too. 

“The likes of (Kalyn) Ponga and (Cameron) Munster and the two hookers as well off the back of that. 

“They have Chez (Daly Cherry-Evans) there who likes to kick on a quick play-the-ball.”

Queensland meanwhile are less certain on the speed of Wednesday’s game.

Accor Stadium games have traditionally been lower scoring, compared to all three of last year’s matches being played in Maroons territory.

“I honestly don’t know (how the rules will impact the speed),” Queensland captain Cherry-Evans said. 

“We’ll play a style that’ll help us win but we don’t know how it’ll unfold.

“We can have it quick or slow. Whatever it is, we back ourselves.”