With the future of the match up in the air after next year, Quinn has urged the NRL to invest its money in scheduling regular-season matches in country towns if the clubs continue to cruel the representative fixture of its best players.

Adam Reynolds, Josh Reynolds, James Roberts, Blake Austin, Lachlan Coote and Matt Moylan head up the long list of players who have withdrawn from the City team for Sunday's game in Tamworth.

City Origin coach Brad Fittler has been forced to name a second-rate team which includes 11 debutants for the match against what is a strong Country side captained by in-form Sharks five-eighth James Maloney.

While Quinn would rather see the annual game flourish, he believes it's time for the NRL to begin looking into regular bush footy games if coaches keep interfering and forcing players to turn down representative jerseys.

"If it's taken off the calendar, we can look at more competition games in strategically placed areas we need the most help," Quinn said.

"There's got to be some sort of trade-off if it does go. I think some of the people in the bush, if you took the North Queensland Cowboys out there, everyone loves Johnathan Thurston. The Warriors, some of their players are well known to the kids on television, they'd even draw huge numbers. That would be the compromise. I wouldn't say I'd be happy the City-Country game would die but that would be the compromise.

"And it has to be at no expense to the country areas. The game will take as much as it provides. And not just fly in Friday, play Saturday and go home. You can make a real difference being there for a few days.

"It's very disappointing [the players have been made unavailable]. I can't tell the clubs what to do. I think the game needs to look at it. If it's on the calendar for next year, which it is, we have to support it 100 per cent and make sure we get the right teams on the park. They'll probably come out and say they can't do anything about it, but they need to support it."

NSWRL chief executive Dave Trodden has also questioned the legitimacy of the game and believes it's not worth being played unless it remains at a genuine State of Origin trial standard.

"I think if the game is worth playing, it's worth playing at a serious level," Trodden said.

"Where we have got to now, the clubs consider the week as being another bye week. They think that all of their players that are not involved in internationals can have a week off.

"If that's where we have got to, then you have to question why we bother playing the game. It just doesn't do anyone justice when there are so many of the eligible players who for whatever reason aren't there."

Canberra playmaker Aidan Sezer, who is one of the most experienced players in Fittler's young side, admitted he had the option of withdrawing but he didn't want to turn down the opportunity to make his representative debut.

"Rick gave us the option there," Sezer said. "It's a rep game and it's not something you can pass up easily. I haven't had an opportunity since 2014 when I withdrew through injury.

"When I got the call from City camp, I spoke to Stick and said 'I'm keen'. He said 'no worries'. He's all for rep fixtures. I don't understand why people don't want to play."

NSW City Origin: Chris Lawrence (c), Nathan Brown, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Bryce Cartwright, Addin Fonua-Blake, Aaron Gray, Clint Gutherson, Leilani Latu, Kyle Lovett, Josh Mansour, Tyrone Peachey, Nathan Peats, Aidan Sezer, Curtis Sironen, Tom Symonds, Chad Townsend, Jake Trbojevic. Ryan Matterson (18th man). Coach: Brad Fittler.

Country Origin: Jack Wighton, Kane Linnett, Euan Aitken, Jarrod Croker, Isaah Yeo, James Maloney, Jack Bird, Shannon Boyd, Mitch Rein, Jack De Belin, Tyson Frizell, Boyd Cordner, Dale Finucane, Jordan McLean, Paul Vaughan, Tariq Sims, Mitchell Aubusson. Coach: Craig Fitzgibbon.