Just the five games this round as the eastern states shore up armaments on the border in preparation for Origin War II.

Hold your fire tipsters. Now, more than ever, you should keep your eye on the casualty ward before you leap to conclusions about the matches this weekend.

Origin season is the great leveller. It's that magical time of year when the also-rans get a chance to compete with teams that are depleted by representative honours. So magical in fact, that even Canberra coach Ricky Stuart can pull a trick.

With less rugby league last weekend it was great to see two of Australia's wealthiest and brightest laying into each other on the footpath. After years of rule changes and disciplinary action, we've finally taken the violence off the football field and put it back on the streets where it belongs.