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.
New Zealand Warriors
Fixtures: Bye, Cowboys (away), Storm (home), Titans (away), Broncos (home), Bulldogs (away), Bye, Raiders (away)
Number of byes: 2
Some teams who have only one, or, in the case of the Dolphins, no byes before Origin matches, will be fuming that the Warriors get two. The Warriors had a grand total of zero Origin players in 2023, and it's hard to see that being a fact likely to change in 2024.
From the Warriors point of view, they'd probably also prefer to play in those rounds against teams who are going to be decimated by the Origin campaign.
But they won't, with their only came prior to an Origin coming before Game 2 against the Gold Coast Titans.
They play after all three Origins though, away to the Cowboys after Game 1, home to the Broncos after Game 2 and away to the Raiders after Game 3. They are all matches the Warriors will back themselves to win in that period.
Difficulty: 3/10
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.