Should players be allowed to back up?

The ARLC, accompanied by the NRL, has made the courageous decision to take a State of Origin game outside of Australia in 2027.

The pinnacle of our game will be showcased to 50,000 fans at Eden Park in Auckland in Game 2 of the series, marking the first time the code has been played professionally outside of Australia.

The New Zealand Warriors are building in commercial success, shown in record crowds across the country, including their recent sell-out display in Wellington on Anzac Day.

There is a demand for the 13-man code across the Tasman, which opens up the question of whether there is an appetite for the 20th NRL franchise to be located in New Zealand.

Former NRL stars Ryan Hoffman and Chad Townsend reviewed the matter on Zero Tackle's The Boardroom NRL podcast, agreeing it is a smart move from the head office officials to take the pinnacle of our code to foreign regions.

"I was over in New Zealand for the launch of State of Origin for New Zealand. For me, this has been a long time coming," Hoffman said.

"Chad, you played over in New Zealand; we played over there together. How big was Origin over there? Families are divided into either a maroon or a blue line. It really has been a long time coming to getting a State of Origin over there.

Townsend added his own thoughts on the game growing across the ditch. 

"Yeah, big time, I feel like the support over there is just as big for State of Origin, to be honest with you," Townsend answered. 

"This is absolutely fantastic, and obviously, the game, the commission has taken the game to Melbourne, Perth in the past, and I think it's absolutely time now for New Zealand to get its turn for State of Origin.

"The appetite is there for rugby league. The Warriors have done an absolutely tremendous job over the past couple of seasons.

"They sell out every single game for the Warriors each week. Obviously, with the potential for a 20th team coming in, down the line somewhere in New Zealand, I think this is an absolute no-brainer for the NRL to give New Zealand a State of Origin."

Hoffman also pointed out that the rival code, rugby union, is currently being dominated in New Zealand by league, and placing a new franchise into the country is a perfect time to strike while the iron is hot.

"Rugby league is getting bigger and bigger. For rugby union, domestically, it is struggling in both Australia and New Zealand," Hoffman said.

"These could be the big blows that rugby league do. Everyone talks about, 'Do we have the talent pool to be able to have this many teams?'

"There's an endless talent pool in New Zealand and coming out of the Pacific Islands, so there is no worry about that from me."

Not only will the fixture bring exposure to the 13-man code, but it will also bring in commercial success, which will be reinvested into creating greater ambitions for the game's globalisation plans.

"The places, whether that be Perth, MCG, or now New Zealand, they pay an absolute premium to get that game as well," Townsend added.

"So that money being invested back into the game is also a big plus for State of Origin, which is obviously the biggest money-maker we have here in rugby league at the NRL in Australia."

The ambitious ploy will be the first professional fixture outside of Australia. However, it won't mark the first in the code's history. In 1987, an unofficial State of Origin exhibition match was played in Long Beach, California.

It was played in front of 12,349 fans at Veterans Stadium, which saw NSW beat QLD 30-16, with attempts to build a fanbase in the USA. The ARL never returned to those plans until the Las Vegas endeavour in 2024.

The Eden Park Origin fixture is expected to sell out quickly and will give the NRL a strong indication of where to take its 20th franchise.