New South Wales great Benny Elias has called upon the NRL to reconsider its rules around punching in order to revive the interest around the State of Origin series.
Elias' comments come in the wake of the melee between Queensland and NSW in last week's encounter in Sydney that saw enforcers Payne Haas and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui sin-binned for striking.
The traditional Origin brawl has been unsighted for some years after a crackdown from the NRL sparked by a punch-up between Paul Gallen and Nate Myles in 2013.
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Yet there are claims the rivalry has been lost on Origin and that the hatred across both sides of the border that the game was once sold on no longer exists.
The NRL is faced with a steep decline in TV ratings for its showpiece event, with this year's series opener presenting the lowest audience figures for an Origin match in 18 years, since such numbers were first recorded.
The follow-up game, in which the Blues were fighting to keep the series alive and avoid embarrassment, didn't rate much better.
And Elias, who lived through the era where the Blues-Maroons rivalry was perhaps at its most ferocious, believes the only way to revive the Origin product is to loosen the rules around fighting.
“What phases me to no end, is that when they want to promote State of Origin, they use the big hits and the biff,” Elias told Sportsday.
“But you’re not allowed to do it anymore, I think they’ve taken a lot of that away.
“You have to differentiate what an NRL game is compared to what a State of Origin game is, and not just make it just a faster NRL game.
“I think they should introduce some new rules for State of Origin only and abide by it … let the war begin.
“It should be five minutes in the sin-bin (as opposed to the current 10-minute penalty).
“If you want to take the risk of having five (minutes) in the bin, it’s still a big mortal sin and a big psychological advantage to the opposition."
New South Wales dominated last week's affair, walking away emphatic 34-10 winners to set up a mouth-watering decider up at Suncorp Stadium.
Yet it was the melee between Haas and Fa'asuamaleaui that has stolen the headlines in the aftermath.
Elias says the overall interest around the pair's on-field clash speaks for itself.
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“I was at the game last week when the biff started,” Elias added.
“There was a louder cry then, compared to when both teams came out onto the football paddock.
“That is the people talking."
