If the NRL needed further proof they have to do something to fix the scheduling mess during State of Origin it is on show in Canberra on Monday night.

In the three years Paul Green has been coaching the Cowboys he said they have never played a game without their Origin stars at home in Townsville.

In yet another embarrassing example of just how ridiculous and unfair the NRL schedule is at this time of year, the reigning premiers will again travel without their five Origin representatives as well the injured Michael Morgan.

In comparison the inform Raiders don’t have a single representative playing in the dead rubber on Wednesday night, although Josh Papalii is injured, and will start short priced favourites against a spare parts Cowboys outfit who have hardly trained together for more than six weeks.

media_camera The Cowboys will be missing Matt Scott, Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan.

It is important to clarify Green did not bring up the debate this week, but when contacted by The Daily Telegraph conceded it was time for the NRL to come up with a better and more fairer system, with stand alone Origins the most obvious answer.

“Or at least try and get the Origin period over and done with as quickly as possible with minimal disruption to the normal comp,” Green said.

“How that looks I am not sure and how you are going to do that and keep everyone happy. “Obviously the TV want content for what they have paid for. But I suppose the trade off for them is that they also have the Origin during that, which is the highest rating TV show in Australia.

“It is hard for me because people think I am just whingeing because I have got so many players in. But it is so disruptive.

“Not just for the games that they are not there for but even when they are back, you rarely get to train together as a group. We are lucky if we get one session in between Origin games because you are trying to manage them with time off.

“During that period from a team’s improvement point of view you are really just treading water and really hoping to get through it.”

media_camera Cowboys coach Paul Green is used to managing the loss of his stars.

What makes it even worse for NRL clubs is that when a star player like Morgan gets injured like he did this year, there is absolutely no compensation or salary cap concessions unless the injury is long term.

For years coaches like Craig Bellamy, Wayne Bennett and Trent Robinson have been calling for changes but it has so far fallen on deaf ears at NRL HQ.

Green said it was not only unfair on the clubs and players, but just as importantly fans.

media_camera Ben Spina and Coen Hess — the replacements to face Canberra.

“I know how big Origin is and how good it is for the game, the revenue it brings in and all that sort of stuff,” Green explained.

“You have just to ask what it is also costing the NRL comp in the short term.

“As a game we build up all this really good momentum for the first eight or nine rounds and all of that sort of gets lost during the Origin period from a club point of view.

“From a fans point of view it is hard to keep them really engaged during that period because they don’t know what the team is going to be and I don’t know what the team is going to be right up until the day before we play.

“I suppose the question is what does it cost the NRL comp along the way because I do think some fans do switch off during that period.”