The Queensland and NSW rugby unions are in talks to stage a state of origin match in the June Test window next year - but don't expect Israel Folau to appear in maroon again any time soon.
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The concept, which does not yet have buy-in from the Australian Rugby Union, is being driven by the QRU but NSWRU boss Andrew Hore expressed in principle support for the match, which would have the potential to light up a lacklustre incoming Test calendar next year.
The Wallabies will host Fiji, Scotland and Italy in June, fixtures which - rightly or wrongly - are unlikely to inspire fervour among rugby fans while the British and Irish Lions tour New Zealand at the same time.
The QRU and NSWRU are also up against the traditional 'dry season' at that time, when Super Rugby stops for a month to accommodate the Test window. Super Rugby ratings on Fox Sports last year dropped off a cliff after the June window and failed to recover when no Australian team progressed past the quarter finals.
It is understood the ARU is aware of the concept but has not been involved in any formal discussions. ARU involvement and approval would be key, given question marks over player availability.
The country's top 30 players would be quarantined by the Wallabies for the Test fixtures, making it unlikely the likes of Folau, Bernard Foley, Michael Hooper, Sean McMahon or Samu Kerevi would feature.
The plan would also need the support of the Brumbies, Rebels and Force. All three clubs would be keen to keep their squads match fit during the break, but they would also expect to wield some influence over how their players are used.
Hore told News Corp the NSWRU considered the concept 'open for discussion'.
"We applaud the initiative and we're certainly open for discussion," he said. "But we're mindful of our stakeholders like the (Sydney) Shute Shield clubs. We would (also) need to work with the Australian Rugby Union on this.
"But an origin game does highlight the fact that the vast majority of professional rugby players in this country come from NSW and Queensland and sometimes it doesn't hurt to mention that. And there is no question, too, that we are looking at the June window very carefully."
QRU chief executive Richard Barker said the game should be played at Ballymore, which is owned by the QRU.
"The Test window has to be held later and we have to allow momentum to build in the Super Rugby competition," Barker told The Australian. "All of a sudden we come to a dead stop at a time when rival codes are building to the high point of their seasons. We need the IRB (World Rugby) and Bill (Pulver) to work pretty hard on this.
Holding the Test window later, as Barker suggests, is not a simple matter. It has been on the agenda for the ARU and the Rugby Union Players Association for years but requires the support of the northern hemisphere unions, which would have to convince their clubs to move their provincial competitions.
Pulver has been working hard behind the scenes on a campaign to shift the window back to July, which would allow Super Rugby to be staged, uninterrupted, from February to the end of July, and the Rugby Championship to run from August through to October.
But the plan is meeting considerable resistance from England's RFU, who are asking for concessions in return, including one year out of four off the June [or July] tours.
