Queensland coach Mal Meninga has applauded the decision to hold one State of Origin fixture on a Sunday as part of rugby league’s new television deal.

From 2018 onwards the second match of the three-game series will be played on a stand alone weekend as part of a free-to-air TV deal announced by the NRL on Monday.

Meninga says having a standalone representative weekend is “smart” and the Maroons will make the adaptations to their match preparation to handle the new schedule.