The Sunday State of Origin was a hit on every level - except at the top of the TV ratings charts.
Despite rookie NSW coach Brad Fittler and his baby Blues wrapping up the state's second Origin shield in 13 years on Sunday, viewers were unable to match game-one figures of the usual midweek fixture.
Figures released by MediaWeek on Monday showed Origin II captured just 2.1 million metro viewers to become the second highest-rating show of the year - behind game one.
The NRL remained positive on the broadcast results despite the drop-off.
"While the figures were down on game one, State of Origin was still the second highest rating television program of 2018, drawing an audience of more than 3 million with a peak of more than 3.6 million," an NRL spokesperson told AAP on Monday.
"Importantly, the share of audience was strong - more than 55 per cent of televisions in Sydney and Brisbane tuned into Origin.
"We will also assess data which we expect to highlight a high proportion of people watching from pubs and clubs."
The figures come as Fittler warned the NRL not to tinker too much with their "jewel in the crown".
The NRL this year introduced a representative round devoid of NRL matches, but included a women's State of Origin game and a Pacific Test double-header in Campbelltown.
A sold out crowd of 82,223 packed ANZ Stadium to witness the first Origin played on a Sunday night since 2001 and only fourth in the game's history.
Fittler paid tribute to them, saying their support helped the Blues clinch just their second series victory in 13 years with an 18-14 game two triumph.
However Fittler was wary of the NRL making any more changes to the format due to player welfare.
The 34 combatants only had a seven-day preparation for the Sunday clash in contrast to the 10-day lead-up to the traditional Wednesday evening Origin.
"There's going to be a lot of debate (over Sunday night Origin). The one thing that is important is that we don't disrespect the product of State of Origin," Fittler said.
"The reason why the quality is always here is the turnaround, you have time with teams.
"We had a wonderful international game and the women's game was brilliant but you can't turn away from the fact that State of Origin is the jewel in the crown outside our grand final."
Maroons coach Kevin Walters reckoned the shorter turnaround even benefited his team.
"It probably helped us a little bit. We wanted to get back out on the field and try to challenge again after a game one loss," he said.
"I thought it worked well for us and we saw a great game of footy. There is every indication it was a success."
Game three will be held in Brisbane on July 11 - a Wednesday night.
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