The dust has settled from the release of the NRL draw, and while fairness is never possible, the Origin period is always a bug bear of fans.
Zero Tackle have analysed the strength of every team's schedule during the Origin period to determine just how bad your team has it.
For the purposes of this, we are stating that the Origin period starts in Round 13 (the round leading into Game 1 of the series when players will sit out and teams have byes) and concludes with Round 20 (the round after Game 3).
In that period, the rounds are as follows.
Round 13: Before Origin 1, five games, seven byes.
Round 14: After Origin 1, seven games, three byes.
Round 15: Full round between Origin 1 and 2.
Round 16: Before Origin 2, five games, seven byes.
Round 17: After Origin 2, seven games, three byes.
Round 18: Full round between Origin 2 and 3
Round 19: Before Origin 3, five games, seven byes.
Round 20: After Origin 3, seven games, three byes.
Use the drop down menu below to navigate between each club.
Canberra Raiders
Fixtures: Dolphins (away), Bye, Cowboys (home), Tigers (away), Storm (away), Knights (home), Bye, Warriors (home)
Number of byes: 2
The Raiders have their Origin period byes after Game 1 and before Game 3, meaning they will play prior to Game 1 and 2 (against the Dolphins and Tigers), without their Origin players.
How many of them there are remains to be seen, but you'd expect the likes of Corey Horsburgh and Hudson Young will be at the very least in the mix for the green machine.
That could leave them a little short in the forwards for those games, but it also likely means that, on the whole, they are unaffected by the series.
Playing the Dolphins and Tigers won't exactly strike fear into the Raiders either, and getting to take on the likes of the Cowboys and Storm during this period is also a pretty considerable boost. The Warriors after Game 3 is the question mark.
Difficulty: 4/10
I think if I were Wayne, I would concede that the chances of winning the three pre-Origin games is zero. Having done that, I would give most of my non-Origin players some Rest & Recovery time and field a Queensland Cup side.
That will make no difference to the outcome of each match, but will leave the squad a whole lot less battered for the run in from the end of the Origin to the end of the season.