But the NSW and Australian forward wants to make up for lost time by playing every minute of the Panthers' 2016 campaign.

According to Champion Data, Merrin averaged 54 minutes a game for the Dragons, down by two minutes on the previous season.

The interchange will drop from 10 to eight next season, forcing coaches to tinker with their forward rotation. The change will likely suit players the calibre or Merrin, who is capable of playing big minutes. If Merrin has his way, he'll be on the field for all 80 of them.

"It was very frustrating, especially when you know you can give a lot more when you're out there," Merrin said of his final season in the red V.

"This is something I want to take into next year to try and [improve] my game a bit more and play a lot more minutes. Give me some more time on the field to produce more stuff like I know I'm capable of doing.

"I'd love to play 80 if the game lets me. The game's getting quicker, it just depends on how the game's panning out.

"It's definitely a goal of mine to try and push for an 80-minute game but there's a lot of hard work between now and then.

"I'm definitely looking forward to being able to produce a bit more on the field and being able to push myself to that extent."

Merrin is part of an imposing Panthers pack that includes Tyrone Peachey, Bryce Cartwright and Regan Cameron-Gillard, while South Sydney's Chris Grevsmuhl will also eventually shift to the foot of the mountains. New coach Anthony Griffin will have the welcome headache of working out how best to manage their game workloads.

Asked if he thought his decision to sign with the Panthers affected his game time at the Dragons, Merrin, 26, said: "I can't really answer that, I'm not too sure what goes on upstairs.

"The more you stay on the field the more match fit you get. Once you get a coach that finds that belief and trust in you to leave you out there to push through the hard times I think you build that engine inside and you're capable of staying out there longer."

Fellow Blues forward Aaron Woods has noticed a change in the way the side is training in preparation for the interchange reduction.

"I've spoken to our strength and conditioner Marcus Kain and he's probably happy for us to lose a kilo compared to what we played at last year," Woods said.

"They will probably try to get at least another five or 10 minutes out of you, the game will be a lot quicker with fewer stoppages as well."

Other rule changes, including the addition of shot clocks, will also have an effect on the interstate series. Asked what effect it would have in Origin, NSW coach Laurie Daley said: "I think if you look through the team that we picked a lot of our players at clubland play a lot of minutes anyhow.

"But again, after about six or seven weeks of the comp we'll get a good indication of how far the game has changed, what's different in the game, whether  there's more speed in the game or whether people become more fatigued quickly or earlier, how to use your rotations, how long do you push your front-rowers maybe a bit longer or whatever."