With the 2015 State of Origin Series fast approaching, The Future League answers which conference is the most represented – and what it might mean for the result.

Both New South Wales and Queensland have selected their sides for Origin I, and just like every other year, scrutiny of the makeup of each team has been relentless. With both states fielding rookies alongside seasoned veterans, how much has the success of each NRL conference influenced thoughts at the selection table?

Most represented: NRL North Conference (12 representatives)

Three out of the four NRL North conference teams are based in Queensland, and the chemistry of the Maroons squad reflects this with 10 players representing the conference. New South Wales has only selected two from the North.

Honourable Mention: NRL East Conference (8 representatives)

It is curious that a conference like the NRL East, whose teams have consistently under-performed over the first third of the season, are the second-highest represented in State of Origin. The Blues have five NRL East conference players in their side; the Maroons initially selected four, but now have three due to the withdrawal of Daly Cherry-Evans through injury.

Last but Not Least: NRL South and NRL West Conferences (7 representatives each)

Two of the NRL South conference teams are currently entrenched in the top four of the competition, and another is not too far behind. So the fact that they have as many representatives (three for the Blues, four for the Maroons) as the most poorly performing conference, the NRL West (seven players for the Blues, none for the Maroons), raises several questions. How much does team form influence State of Origin selections, and if it does, how consistent is that influence? A team like the Penrith Panthers, current leaders of the NRL West conference, had no players selected for Origin; the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, currently third in the conference, have four. That is the same amount of players selected as the table-topping Melbourne Storm.

Conclusion

On paper, the two strongest conferences in the NRL right now are the North and South. Queensland’s squad (excluding 18th man Dylan Napa) consists of 14 players from those two conferences. New South Wales? They only have five.

The weakest conference by far is the NRL West, and New South Wales’ team has seven of its players in their side. Queensland has none.

Besides the fact the NRL North conference is predominantly Queensland-based, and the NRL West conference is purely based out of Western Sydney, one can read as much as they want into those statistics. But the fact remains that winning breeds confidence, and confidence breeds winning. As both teams begin final preparations for Origin I, it is Queensland that has the most players whose confidence is sky high after successful openings to their respective NRL campaigns.

Whether that will influence the result of Origin I is another thing altogether. After all, club form has never counted too much when it comes to how a player performs in the Origin arena – but it has certainly helped.