Curious selections suggest six-again era is about to change Origin forever

Monday's State of Origin team announcements were made with the caveat of uncertainty and a nod to the new era of rugby league that NRL fans are still coming to grips with.

Neither New South Wales coach Laurie Daley and Queensland's Billy Slater knew the answer when asked how the State of Origin opener will be officiated in Sydney on Wednesday week.

It's long been said Origin is treated differently to regular week-to-week club football but everyone is waiting nervously to see whether that's still the case in 2026.

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Scoring has skyrocketed in the NRL this year, coinciding with a revamp of the six-again rule which has given referees the power to wave their arm and keep the game moving rather than blowing their whistle and halting play.

It's led to a faster game and increased fatigue but the unintended consequence may be the impact it's had on the sport's bigger men in the middle of the park.

Last week, Melbourne playmakers Cameron Munster - who will captain the Maroons in Origin again - and Jahrome Hughes spoke candidly about the revamped game on their popular 167 podcast.

"I think the rules were perfect two years ago, or a year ago. If it's not broke, don't fix it," Munster said.

"It's obviously a product the NRL want... I used to watch it all the time but now it's just in the background, I don't even watch it.

"I don't want to see finals this year go to blowout games. But it's the product they want, they want to play touch footy, so all the best to them."

Hughes suggested the rules revamp has taken traditional front-rowers out of the contest.

Their former teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who was once the biggest player in the NRL, walked away from rugby league at the end of last season to pursue a boxing career.

"Our old teammate, players like Nelson are getting washed out of the game because it's just too quick now," Hughes said.

And the Origin teams unveiled on Monday suggest Daley and Slater are thinking along the same lines.

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A traditional rugby league bench used to feature at least two specialist props, sometimes three, as well as a utility player who would sometimes go unused.

But even with the new six-player benches, Daley could find room for only one specialist middle forward on his pine.

Knights big man Jacob Saifiti is the only prop on Daley's bench. The likes of Jackson Ford, Terrell May, Keaon Koloamatangi, and Stefano Utoikamanu were all overlooked by the Blues coach.

He has instead opted for smaller, more versatile forwards in Cameron Murray and Victor Radley, alongside hooker Blayke Brailey, centre Casey McLean, and utility playmaker Ethan Strange.

Daley was asked on Monday whether he has any idea how the Origin opener will be officiated.

"No I don't know how it's going to be refereed. If it's going to be refereed like the NRL then obviously you've got to have that mobility," Daley said.

"So we've gone down that path, but you still need your go-forward.

"We could have gone with four genuine front-rowers but we thought we've got enough go-forward with the three big men, plus the littler men who can play through the middle.

"We think we've got enough mobility in our team to counter however it's going to be officiated."

Slater, too, has opted for more versatility rather than out-and-out power through the middle.

He has even benched Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan in favour of the much smaller Max Plath, who will make his Origin debut starting at No.13.

Agile backrower Briton Nikora also features on the Queensland bench, which does have middle forwards Lindsay Collins and Trent Loiero too.

"There has to be versatility. You have to be flexible, you have to be able to move positions," Slater said.

"The game is shifting a little bit, but it's still the game. You have to run hard... you can't forget the foundations of the game.

"Players have habits... and referees are the same. Really hard to turn on a dime and change the way you perform your role.

"The game's not refereed how it was in the 90s."

The old rugby league adage says forwards win the game and backs decide by how many.

In the new six-again era, it seems genuine middle forwards - the type that simply tuck the ball under their arm and thunder down the field - are less and less influential on the result.

Some fans might see higher scoring as better entertainment but some of the best rugby league games are low-scoring wars of attrition.

The 2024 Origin decider was won 14-4 by NSW. Only two tries were scored that night but it was a genuine thriller.

Only six tries were scored in game three last year when Queensland stunned the Blues in Sydney.

Time will tell whether Daley and Slater have guessed the right way with their bench picks.