The fixtures for the 2022 State of Origin series have reportedly been confirmed, with Perth set to host a game once again.
The game in Perth will shape as the second game of the series in what is likely to be the final Origin fixture played on a Sunday night.
As part of the Dolphins entering the NRL from 2023, the NRL will instead utilise all weekends of the Origin period to fixtures, with extra matches added to the season.
But that will be in 2023, with the Origin series set to maintain its Sunday night timeslot for Game 2 in Perth. With an easing of coronavirus restrictions, it could mean we return to a weekend of international rugby league during that time period as well, with New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and Papua New Guinea among others all eyeing off matches.
That second Origin game, reportedly to be played on Sunday, June 26 according to a The Daily Telegraph report, will follow the series opener, to be held in Sydney at ANZ Stadium.
A series opener in Sydney will follow the 2020 series, where all three games were played in Queensland as Sydney, and then Melbourne, went into lockdown. The original fixtures had matches in Brisbane, Melbourne and a Sydney decider, however, the series would ultimately be played in Townsville, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
The Blues won that series comprehensively and will look to use home ground advantage in the opening game of the 2022 series to get off on the same foot, before backing it up with a second win in Perth, after they won the inaugural Origin clash in Western Australia by 38 points to 6 in 2019.
All of that means the decider, to be reportedly played on Wednesday, July 13, will head back to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, with Billy Slater to take charge of his first Origin series and potentially have a chance to win it on home soil.
It's understood hospitality and corporate tickets are already on sale, while the NRL website are advising tickets for Game 2 in Perth are not yet on sale, but fans can join a waitlist for tickets to be released.