The breakneck speed of State of Origin has claimed more than just the biff according to one of its toughest warriors Petero Civoniceva.

Gone also are the massive collisions from Origin's big men which once shook the foundations of Lang Park and other stadiums and ignited fans as rival forwards smashed each other with sickening shots.

We're not talking illegal hits like the elbow by NSW forward Les Boyd which shattered Darryl Brohman's jaw in a million pieces in the first game of the 1983 series.

We're talking about the ferocious, full-blooded tackles inflicted by the likes of Trevor "The Axe" Gillmeister, Paul "Chief" Harragon, Tonie "Hitman" Carroll, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Gorden "The Raging Bull" Tallis, Mark "Madman" Geyer, Steve "Blocker" Roach and David "Cement" Gillespie.

Sadly the bellringers and bone-busting hits that were commonplace in Origin along with crowd-pleasing all-in brawls have fallen victim to the increased pace of the game since the move to the 10-metre rule and the introduction this year of two referees.

It's sped up the ruck area even more, taking away the opportunity and time for the game's big hitters to line players up as they once did.

There's still some huge tackles, but they are less frequent because the players are out on the feet and because a big miss can often be a liability.

The late Jack Gibson once said: "State of Origin matches are proof that the meek don't inherit anything".

Civoniceva is not suggesting Origin football is not every bit as tough as it used to be - it is.

But the pace is now so quick - the Melbourne Origin last month was the fastest of his 24 far - players don't have time to get set in the defensive line to aim up for a big hit like they used to be able to do.

Civoniceva said with a second voice (referee) telling players to move, defenders couldn't dominate.

"You can't get that dominance in the ruck because you can't get back in the defensive line to line someone up," he said.

"As soon as you get back in the line you have to go forward again.

"I grew up watching the great games of Origin when there was the massive confrontations, but that's the game now.

"The fact it's so much faster has taken away those big hits but it hasn't taken away the excitement only Origin football creates."

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