As few as eight NRL games will be drained of State of Origin players, lead-up camps will significantly be reduced with the introduction of a stand-alone fixture and the MCG could host the first match of the series in a shake-up to the interstate format next year.

All NRL teams will be granted just one bye throughout the season in a shortened 25-round competition with Origin players to be available for club duties the weekend before the NSW-Queensland rivalry heads to either Brisbane or Melbourne in 2018 for Origin II, to be played on a Sunday night.

While the plans around the stand-alone Origin are far from set in concrete, if the NRL pursues the predicted path it will be a major fillip for clubs who bemoan the loss of their representative players and the sinking standard of club games when the NSW-Queensland behemoth takes centre stage.

It has yet to be confirmed whether the MCG or Suncorp Stadium will host the stand-alone game with NRL officials giving careful consideration to opening the series in AFL-mad Melbourne, thereby paving the way for Brisbane to host the Origin-only weekend.