Let's look at what we have at the moment shall we? The competition begins in early February with 26 rounds and four weeks of finals. A total of 30 weeks. However, this season it was enhanced further with three weekends of State of Origin with no club football. Thrown in for good measure was a Test against New Zealand.

The elite players - the likes of Darren Lockyer, Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler etc - face the daunting task of playing as many as 34 matches in a season. And then, to cap it all off, there's a seven-match Kangaroo Tour in October-November. And that doesn't even mention the preseason trials - of which most clubs play two - or the World Club Challenge.

I feel for the players. It's an awfully stressful experience both on the body and on the mind. But spare a thought for the fans, particularly the diehards who support a club and are just as hell-for-leather when it comes to Origin. They're expected to put their hearts and souls into supporting their game every weekend for the best part of eight months! You can't help but begin to lose a bit of interest after a while, and for those supporters of clubs who are out of premiership contention by May or June, it's even worse.

So, rather than going with the conventional media model of criticising and highlighting a problem, I'll venture a solution. Although, I warn from the outset it is something the National Rugby League, Channel 9, Fox Sports and most of the clubs would reject, so don't get your hopes up if you do like it.

Pre-season

I don't know about anybody else, but I miss the old Tooheys Challenge, Panasonic Cup, whatever incarnation it had at the time. However, rather than just having a mickey mouse competition for the same teams that would compete in the premiership, how about expanding it to include teams from some of the divisional competitions around Australia and even New Zealand. Why not have a NSW and Queensland country outfit, the Metropolitan Cup and Bundy Gold Cup premiers, a New Zealand Bartercard Cup side and a team made up of players from the WARL, Victorian, South Australian and Northern Territory leagues? Even Papua New Guinea could get a run by bringing over the powerful Port Moresby side.

All up, about 24 teams split into six groups of four would compete, the competition beginning in early-mid February. Each team would play the others in their group (three games), with each team hosting one home game and the rest played in country areas around Australia, New Zealand and PNG. Of course, not every game could be televised on free-to-air, but certainly a good proportion could be covered by FTA and Pay TV combined.

The top teams from each of the six groups then go through to the finals, forming two new pools of three. Again, they play eachother in a round robin type format and the top two teams from each pool meet in the final, to be played at a major country centre which can bid for the match each season.

The winner would play six games in total. The beauty of it is that this concept takes the game to the country, and allows players from lower-tier competitions to compete against the best of the best. Also, it allows the NRL clubs to give every member of their 25-man squad a run, and perhaps even some outside the squad to gain match fitness and the experience of playing in the top grade.

Other traditional games could also be included, such as the South Sydney-St George Charity Shield.

This competition would be finished by mid-late March, with a two week break before the season begins early-mid April.

NRL Competition

With 15 teams or more, playing eachother twice is never going to work. Playing every team once and half of everyone else again is also a bit unfair in theory. To solve all the problems, play everyone once. A 15-team competition, as for 2002, would involve 15 rounds with each team having a bye. Each team would have seven home games.

The problem will come when the competition eventually gets to 16 teams, which seems inevitable. Teams will have 15 games, with 8 home and 7 away or vice versa.

To deal with this unfairness, the draw would be determined for two seasons. Whatever arrangement of home/away games you have one season is reversed the next.

Eight teams in the finals is too many, despite the good crowds and TV ratings such an event entails. With a smaller competition in rounds, the concern of having teams completely out of contention for half the season is less likely. Therefore, reduce the finalists to five and bring in the very fair and popular 5-team format that was used for the best part of a decade.

Each finals game should be based on the higher qualifying team's home ground, where a suitable venue is available. The only difference is the Grand Final, which would be at Stadium Australia unless the revamped Lang Park warrants a bid for it to be used on occasion, or even Colonial Stadium or the MCG in Melbourne. The Grand Final would be in August under this system, which would mean it does not clash with the AFL decider.

State of Origin

Whatever the format of the club competition, Origin will always be the pinnacle. Therefore, it deserves the neon light treatment that September football conjures. At the conclusion of the premiership, each state selects a squad of 21-22 players for the Origin series. On three consecutive weekends in September, the states go head to head in Origin battle.

Test Football

With Origin and club football taken care of by mid-late September, there is a chance to have a Test series against Papua New Guinea, New Zealand or Britain in October. One-off Tests are a waste of time, and when they are buried amongst club fixtures it creates the inevitable clashes with getting the release of big-name players.

Playing the Test series directly and exclusively after the Origin series, the interstate battle becomes a real Test selection trial and even maintains the interest in a dead third rubber.

Every four years, Australia will have a Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. On those years, the Test series in October would be foregone, with New Zealand perhaps touring Britain simultaneously, and playing games against Papua New Guinea, the Pacific Islands etc.

Most of these ideas would make the traditionalists literally gag and choke, but it would do so much for the game as a whole. The club competition being reduced would if anything increase its prestige, State of Origin would become the ultimate pinnacle and then Test football would be the icing on the cake. The preseason competition would also bring renewed interest to the country and allow the participation of the lesser-known areas and give development areas like the traditional AFL states a chance to test themselves.

The players would, at the most, play 31 games if they play all the preseason games, premiership games, finals, Origin games and Tests. Plus, apart from the less-intense preseason games, they would not be forced to play multiple games per week of the highest intensity, such as what the seven Broncos and Warriors had to do this season after the Test match.

And, the biggest benefactors of this system, would be the fans. Not only do they have two competitions they can cheer their clubs on for, they do not have to sit back and watch the Origin or Test games praying they don't lose their players for the finals or big club games.

As I said from the outset, most of the people that matter in administation will laugh this suggestion off, but hey, it's nice to dream.