And his Canberra Raiders teammate Josh Hodgson says it would be a boost for clubs, both through not missing out on their Origin stars, but also freshening up the rest of their squad.

Queensland coach Kevin Walters has proposed the NRL make Origin a stand-alone part of the season.

He suggested playing the representative matches about 10 days apart – with Origin I on a Wednesday, game two on a Sunday and then wrapping the series up on a Wednesday – with no NRL matches played during the three-week period.

It's similar to what happens in Super Rugby, which takes a month off during the season for the Wallabies to play Tests against a northern hemisphere opponent, before returning to complete the regular season and finals.

Currently, Origin players miss the NRL round leading into the representative clash on a Wednesday, meaning many clubs are fielding weakened teams for several weeks. Many Origin players back-up the following weekend.

Papalii said the current set-up "hasn't really bothered" him, but he felt it would benefit the seasoned stars of the game.

"For players like Cam [Smith], [Corey Parker] and [Johnathan Thurston] who play rep footy every year, I think it's obviously good for them to have a break and to make sure their club has the best team on the park every game as well," he said.

"I probably agree with the break in the NRL season and playing rep footy and then back to NRL, it gives the opportunity for every club to put their best side on the paddock."

Hodgson, an England international, also said the idea had merit – unless your NRL team happened to be on a winning streak.

He said it would not only be good for the Origin players, but for all NRL players.

"It would obviously benefit the Origin players a lot and when you look at club level it will probably benefit quite a lot of clubs," Hodgson said.

"If you're on a bit of a hot streak and you're winning games you probably wouldn't want the break, but it's a long season and it's a tough competition.

"You've got to back it up every week and you've got to put your bodies on the line every week. It's not a bad suggestion, it keeps players a bit fresher going into the next couple of rounds.

"The clubs have their main players back, their stars so to speak, they have them back in the team and everybody's a little bit fresher for when they're back as well.

"It certainly makes sense from the players' perspective that are playing Origin. I'm sure the clubs would be happy to have their main players back as well."

NRL ROUND 16

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium, 2pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 1.