The 2021 State of Origin series will return to its regular mid-season time slot after the competition decided not to continue the one-off showpiece that occurred this year in November.
All three Origin matches in season 2020 were played out across a three-week fixture earlier this month due to scheduling complications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's series saw the Maroons pull off a shock 2-1 upset over the Blues.
The venues for all three games are still to be confirmed but the series will officially kick-off between rounds 13 and 14 of NRL home and away season.
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Game Two of the 2021 Origin series will take place on a Sunday as the regular NRL competition takes a one-week break with international matches expected to be scheduled.
Origin I: Wednesday, June 9
Origin II: Sunday, June 27
Origin III: Wednesday, July 14
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo lauded the success of the November series this year but admitted it was only right to return the game to its historic time slot by scheduling the three games during the middle of the season.
"That's our default (mid-year Origin series)," Abdo said.
"That's where Origin has historically been and that's our contractual commitment with our broadcast partners.
"It's worth to note two things: One, in 2020 we managed to pull off an Origin season. There was no other option but to play in November and it gave us an opportunity to see what it looked like. It's been debated and spoken about for ages when we should play Origin.
"The fact we could get 50,000 people, 40,000 people and 30,000 people across those games was terrific. The fact we had between 2.5 and 2.9 million people watching was terrific.
"It is unusual. It is unusual playing in November.
"Going back to playing Origin in the middle of winter in June and July, the ebb and flow of that, the storytelling, the drama, the rivalry that exists across the premiership, that's what we're excited about and that's what we're looking forward to in 2021."
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/state-of-origin-returns-to-midyear-schedule-for-2021/ab81ce36-5fb0-4275-afd8-b30adb4123c6
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