League: Kiwi State of Origin clash a step closer

A New Zealand version of the State of Origin is a step closer. Photo / Getty Images

A New Zealand "State of Origin" clash to dovetail with Australian's iconic interstate league series is a step closer.

A meeting of National Rugby League club chief executives in Sydney yesterday reacted positively to a concept promoted by the New Zealand Rugby League which would see a team of Auckland and Australian-born players take on a combination from the rest of New Zealand in 2013.

At this stage it is envisaged to play just one match in the New Zealand Origin series - New South Wales and Queensland meet three times each season.

The transtasman Origin matches will be staged during a bye week for the entire NRL - a new initiative to ease concern about players having to back up for their clubs 48 hours after the traditional Wednesday time slot.

New Zealand's Origin match will coincide with either game two or three of the NSW and Queensland series.

New Zealand Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said the staging of a New Zealand Origin game was an exciting concept, though it would not be set in stone until the NRL's negotiations of new broadcasting deal was finalised.

"There were no negative comments," said Scurrah.

NZRL chief executive Jim Doyle said the game would provide a significant boost to the code in New Zealand.

While Auckland is the league hotbed in New Zealand the "Rest" combination was hardly light on talent considering Benji Marshall (Whakatane), Adam Blair (Whangarei) and Issac Luke (Hawera) would qualify for selection.

In another new departure the 2012 schedule will start a week earlier than this year's March 11 kickoff to incorporate a standalone weekend which will feature the annual mid-season Anzac test between the Kiwis and Kangaroos in May.

It is hoped to hold the test at Christchurch's AMI Stadium, though that is dependent on the venue's recovery from February's devastating earthquake.

The traditional Anzac test will be incorporated into the calendar for the last time with NRL chief executive David Gallop saying future internationals would be programmed after the NRL grand final in early October.

However, there will be an exception in 2015 - the centenary of the Gallipoli landings - with the NZRL and its Australian counterpart still planning to play a one-off test in the Turkish capital Istanbul.

Doyle said ideally the match would be played at one of Istanbul's two main soccer grounds on April 24; the Kiwis and Kangaroos would then travel to Anzac Cove to attend the following morning's dawn service.

The NRL is also considering the addition of an extra round in the 2013 regular season that would feature tripleheaders at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, ANZ Stadium in Sydney and possible back-to-back matches at Eden Park, Newcastle or Melbourne.

Meanwhile, club chief executives learned the NRL aims to lift next year's salary cap by A$100,000 to A$4 million.

- NZPA