Why schedule representative matches on the same night?
Roar Guru By Steve Kaless, 8 May 2009 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Anzac Test, City Vs Country, Kangaroos, Kiwis, Rugby League, State Of Origin
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The Kiwi team line up after losing the New Zealand Kiwis v Australian Kangaroos Centenary test at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand. Sunday Oct. 14 2007. Australia won the game 58-0. AAP Image/Hagen Hopkins/PHOTOSPORT
The ARL might be a little miffed that the ANZAC Test has been somewhat overshadowed by the itchy feet of the last placed NRL club. But they may only have themselves to blame.
By scheduling the Test on the same night as the City Vs Country game, they’ve already taken away some of the spotlight.
In fact, there seems to be more interest than normal in the City Vs Country match, which is probably down to the fact that it is being seen as a genuine Origin trial for plenty of jumpers (given the fact that Queensland nearly makes up the entire Australian side).
This is something that those of us with more than half a brain have been banging on about for years. If the City Vs Country match is to have any point, it needs to be as a proper trial.
Remember when a certain analyst, who is constantly declaring he knows best and has the game’s best interests at heart, especially those of bush footy, wanted all Origin players quarantined from the match, instantly turning it into a farce?
So hopefully we will learn something from the exercise.
Another thing we should learn is not to have such ridiculous clashes with representative football.
All rugby league eyes should be on the Test match, especially given its billing as a rematch of the World Cup final (although New Zealand don’t have to give the trophy back if they lose).
But to have it on the same night as City Vs Country just dilutes it.
Of course, it does give Channel Nine a cracking double header. I hope they remember it at the next broadcast deal.
But what also dilutes it is when the new coach says, “I’ll be picking on form,” when what he really means is, “It will be the same old stagers”.
Why doesn’t every new coach feel the need to make a variation of the “reputations mean nothing” statement?
Rather than picking blokes in form, Sheens has gone for the novel approach of going with some players dramatically out of form.
Paul Gallen? Fair enough when the Sharks were firing, but what about when they are coming last. And he has already missed a few games on suspension.
Glen Stewart, Anthony Watmough and Brent Kite have all been pretty average for the Sea Eagles this year. Watmough’s defence against Melbourne last Friday was barely of first grade standard.
As debated on this site earlier this week, it isn’t like there aren’t plenty of other candidates.
Of course, against a New Zealand side that has Dene Halatau at hooker, it should make it all academic. b
But we’ve heard that before, haven’t we.
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- Explore:
- Anzac Test, City Vs Country, Kangaroos, Kiwis, Rugby League, State Of Origin
May 8th 2009 @ 9:13am
The Link said | May 8th 2009 @ 9:13am | Report comment
The best thing about the Kiwi’s being more competitive and winning the RLWC is that we don’t hear anymore about the Kiwi No.6 being the next Olsen Filipaina….
May 8th 2009 @ 9:22am
oikee said | May 8th 2009 @ 9:22am | Report comment
Not really worried about who plays because all of them could do the job for Australia Steve, what really concerns me is the season is too long. We need more meaningful matches like City/Coutry to be a highlight, not a token jester. The same applies to maybe a Tonga/Samoan game and also we could have a PNG and Fiji and other games around a mid year break in the schedule.
What we need is someone who can bother enough to sit down and work out a proper schedule. Now is this to hard for the guys in charge, if it is then we need to let them go and get me or the dog down the road to do this. Its not rocket science, its just a matter of having someone come up with a plan to help grow the international games and other fixtures. I keep saying get rid of the dinosaurs, i will keep saying this until someone acts on what i say. Until we do this the game is stuck in the dark ages.
May 8th 2009 @ 9:41am
Pippinu said | May 8th 2009 @ 9:41am | Report comment
I was a bit surprised to learn that CvsC was on at the same time as a test – no matter which way you toss it around, it makes zero sense.
As was discussed on a another thread recently – it ceased being a true trial to aid selection a long, long time ago, and the authorities are doing little here to disguise their contempt for the game!
It now is nothing more than a bone being tossed to the provinces.
May 8th 2009 @ 9:44am
Brett McKay said | May 8th 2009 @ 9:44am | Report comment
Oikee, I’ve done it, it’s in my artcile this week. Instead of the current 30-week season, with midweek SOOs and a 26-round, 2-bye NRL season, I worked out you could make the whole season 29 weeks, comprising a 22-round (for 16 or 18 teams), no bye NRL season, 4 weeks of finals still, and 3 stand-alone rep weekends with a City-Country game on the Fri night, and SOO on Sunday.
Now my plan left out the mid-year Test, but maybe you could slot that in on its own weekend too, and play the Indigenous-Maori game, or a Polynesian reg game on the Fri night??
May 8th 2009 @ 10:44am
oikee said | May 8th 2009 @ 10:44am | Report comment
Good, i will have a look when you post it Brett, and what you need to do is send the bugger straight to Gallop, tell him what a dipshite he is to allow dinosaurs running the Sceduling and here is a genuine plan to help grow and have fixtures at the right time, as for the Anzac Day test, its not rocket science as i mentioned, play the game ON Anzac Day.
May 8th 2009 @ 10:46am
oikee said | May 8th 2009 @ 10:46am | Report comment
At the end of the yaer we now have a international colender, finally. Notice my speeling is getting better.
May 8th 2009 @ 10:52am
oikee said | May 8th 2009 @ 10:52am | Report comment
But your dead right, and even the NRL has to be numb not to notice that most people are tired of watching half baked teams playing while alot of guys are playing rep footy. Just stop the season and plug the holes with Good international games, people enjoy this, well i know i do. I would love to see PNG taking on Fiji, as for the Tonga Samoa match, this could become a real season highlight, imagine if this became like a origin type clash.
May 8th 2009 @ 10:53am
Brett McKay said | May 8th 2009 @ 10:53am | Report comment
Oikee, I meant this week just gone, it’s been there since Monday: http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/05/04/making-city-country-mean-something/
I’ve also sent it onto the Sunday Roast as a starting point, and depending how that goes, I’ll try dave@nrl.com!!
May 8th 2009 @ 10:55am
oikee said | May 8th 2009 @ 10:55am | Report comment
What we have to remember is that Fiji run 4th last year in the world cup, wake up, somebody wake up, thats how far we are behind other codes, i dont even know which dinorsaur i am supposed to be waking up, who’s in change of this shamble.
May 8th 2009 @ 11:01am
Brett McKay said | May 8th 2009 @ 11:01am | Report comment
Sorry if this comes through twice, but I’ve issues posting this reply.
Oikee, check out http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/05/04/making-city-country-mean-something/ – I wrote the artcile for Monday just gone…
[Ed: Sometimes links in comments means they go through to our spam folder. We've recovered your comments Brett.]