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.
Canterbury Bulldogs
Fixtures: Knights (away), Eels (home), Bye, Roosters (away), Sharks (home), Warriors (home), bye, Cowboys (away)
Number of byes: 2
The Bulldogs will play prior to Origin 1 and 2, and have a bye before Origin 3. Their other bye during the Origin period comes in the full round between Game 1 and 2, which doesn't help them in the slightest.
That said, it's highly unlikely the Bulldogs will be decimated by Origin, although off-season recruit Stephen Crichton could be joined by Matt Burton and even Josh Curran if the start of the season sees the blue-and-white turn things right around.
That said, they play the Knights and Roosters without Origin players. With James Tedesco's Origin career likely over, neither of those sides will feel tremendous impacts of Origin, so it could be argued the fixtures there haven't done the Bulldogs much of a favour.
They do play the Cowboys after Game 3 though which is a positive. Tackling the Warriors anywhere in this period is never an ideal scenario though.
Difficulty: 6/10
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.