Comments on: World Club Challenge should be played in Melbourne

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:52:58 +0000

The problem was the Irish were kicking the Australians and that is about the worst thing you can do on a sports

field.

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=102690

“…..”There is one thing I would like to pass on to the Irish ahead of the revived International Rules series. You can punch an Australian and we won’t be totally insulted. But if you kick us you are going the wrong way about it.”..”

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:32:37 +0000

Baseball has withered on the vine in Australia. I think the big mistake was moving from winter to summer seaons.

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:50:23 +0000

Reading the annual report for Rugby league, it looks like the sport is doing well in England.

http://www.therfl.co.uk/clientdocs/RFL%20Annual%20Report.pdf

By: Dave1

Dave1 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:37:44 +0000

The problem with the Super League world club challenge, is that they asked the players what they wanted and they said they wanted every club involved.

It may have worked with only the top clubs from England and Australia

By: Jeff Baxter

Jeff Baxter — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:39:41 +0000

No Mr Cheese i meant that the qualifiers from the euro cup and the pacific cup should qualify for the four nations every year rather then alternately. that could mean wales if they won the euro cup but is most likely to be france.
Im not sure what standards you are using – wales has a professional club in the superleague, a colts team of all welsh born lads tearing up the national youth league in the winter. what more do you want?

By: swamprat

swamprat — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:28:42 +0000

Theres nothing wrong with R.L . Just wish they wouldnt invent another temporary International calender every year. The games run by Hairdressers.

By: MarkR

MarkR — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:36:01 +0000

Link – so AFL is going towither on the vine ? What about Baseball ?

By: JF

JF — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:34:41 +0000

Sports can do plenty to ‘grow’ without international expansion. IMO RL should be building an east coast fortress and not even be thinking about expansion outside the home states. The patronage that the AFL enjoys in melbourne is the level of support the NRL should be aiming for before considering expansion. More teams, maybe a national Division 2 comp, improving grounds, I regard these as more important to the long-term health of the game. Expansion is just a pissing contest.

By: The Link

The Link — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:55:55 +0000

JF, no sport can afford to rest on its laurels. RL will expand internationally because it will increase revenue into the game from increased sponsorship / TV rights, as well as getting more people to play the game. Sports that don’t grow wither on the vine.

By: JF

JF — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:50:43 +0000

Excellent point swamprat.

I really don’t understand the obsession with expansion. Who cares? Spend millions of dollars so supporters can then jump on The Roar and score some points in the ‘which sport is more popular’ stakes? RL expansion will add little to an already high quality game bursting with talented juniors. The sport is not going to die..ever. The fact that RL is played in only in certain parts of a few countries adds to the sports identity.

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:47:53 +0000

I though the Super League season WCC was awesome. Only because of the war was the perception that it failed. Given time and a better setup, I think it could become a real standup event.

By: swamprat

swamprat — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:36:53 +0000

Why the desperate need to be seen as an International Sport? The strength of R.L is in the clubs . The failed World Club Championship of years ago was an over ambitious failure but could have been a success if it had a realistic format that could have been allowed to grow. Resources are wasted by administraters who feel the need to constantly reinvent the game on their latest whim.

By: Mick from Giralang

Mick from Giralang — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:08:01 +0000

If Melbourne can attract 900,000 TV viewers to a rugby league match (and 30,000 spectators to a league match on AFL grand final day), Wales will be a cinch.

By: MarkR

MarkR — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:17:27 +0000

DoW – you’re kidding right ?? The Oz comp is BRILLIANT, Australia are #1 in RL year in year out with the toughtest comp in the world. Even with a team finally in te NRL the Kiwis (Warriors) can’t get into the final (except for the year the Bulldogs lost their points).

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:56:49 +0000

Yeah, but until the Australian comp is working well, it’s hard for Australia to assist PNG and the Pacific Islands to improve there strength.

Same goes for the relationship between England and France, England really needs to make sure France is right, and then look at other countries (like Russia?), who could follow that model and host a high level team.

By: MarkR

MarkR — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:41:25 +0000

Swamprat – I’m with you, when you get teams in the finals other than Australia with the filler being NZ or England THEN you’ll have an international comp, & no Australia vs PNG with a 50-0 scoreline doesn’t count. The issue for league is there’s a heaqp of conutries playing it but it’s not daylight between the top 3 & everyone else, it’s light years between them.

By: Mr cheese

Mr cheese — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:18:35 +0000

Are you including Wales in that group of 5, Jeff Baxter ?

As Kevin Keegan almost said: “I would LOVE IT if the Welsh took to Rugby League.” Let’s be honest, though: it ain’t going to happen. It’s only a small place and they already have football and Rugby Union.

By: Jeff Baxter

Jeff Baxter — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:43:08 +0000

The scheduled four nations must be a figment of our collective imaginations. As is the pacific cup and the european cup, both of which will soon be qualifying tournaments for the four nations (should be five in my opinion).

By: Jeff Baxter

Jeff Baxter — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:36:25 +0000

It was also Leeds best attended game (with very few away fans) by several thousands. 33,000 versus 20,000 versus St Helens, and thats 33,000 outside the season ticket. The interest is there and is in fact well established. In fact the game illustrated a particular point. The internet boards where awash with “who cares, doesnt mean anything” before last years game but the people turned up in good numbers and it was a tough, properly contested game. The lesson: jibber jabber on the web doesnt mean owt.

By: swamprat

swamprat — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:20:18 +0000

Find a system and stick with it . Continuarity will build a strong support base and the rest will follow . Changing the personal that run the game perpetuates the myth that the game is progressive and innovative where in fact the people that run R.L are shallow and out of their depths . If I was trying to ruin a sport I couldnt do a better job. What surprises me is why so many fans buy into this circus.

By: Mr cheese

Mr cheese — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:59:51 +0000

some “truth”

not “!struth”

By: swamprat

swamprat — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:58:51 +0000

Mick , describe what you beleive to be a strong International Calender. It only exists in the mind .It doesnt matter how many times you repackage it , theres only 3 teams that play it.

By: Mr cheese

Mr cheese — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:55:46 +0000

isn’t there some struth in what he says ?

as i understand it, your RL is superior to ours ( England’s ). So……..playing this match in England evens things out and gives the English club a chance ( even though the Aussies still won this year ).

If you take it to Australia, the Aussie club will win by 50 points. That’s not good for English RL or for its Aussie equivalent.

Be careful what you wish for, Steve.

Doing this in Aussie will just put another nail in the RL coffin. Play it in England.

By: Steve Kaless

Steve Kaless — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:35:37 +0000

Dogs,

The Super League Grand Final is currently on the week after the NRL one (just long enough to get over the jetlag). I think they start about two or three weeks earlier. Pretty tough to make it any more aligned.

Cheers

By: Mick from Giralang

Mick from Giralang — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:12:29 +0000

The envy among the rugby league haters at the prospect of a strong international progam looming over the next few months is palpable.

By: TammyS

TammyS — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:51:27 +0000

“Rugby league is good at the moment – why tamper with it?” lol Ben, IT’S ONE GAME!!!

By: Tom Alexander.

Tom Alexander. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:26:49 +0000

That Broncos/Wigan match at QE2 was a pretty intense game. Looking at it on tape with all the smoke and haze from the fire works, for the first 10 minutes you could barely make out the players. And yet it attracted an awesome crowd which vindicated the decision to play it down-under. Phil Gould should be on some sought of advisory body along with Bennett, Raudonikas, Murray, Lowe and Beetson. Some of the older coaches and players need to be given more input into the game. TV executives get more say on how the game is run than the people that played and coached it. Roy Masters is a pretty smart cookie who is constantly defending the game on AFL Insiders every sunday, throw him in there as well.

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:36:06 +0000

No one is interested in the WCC? Geez, back in 2005, many of us Dogs supporters got up early and went to the Novatel to watch the game on a big screen to watch them take on Leeds (Game played in England). I loved it, and so did the missus. I am sure supporters of other teams also enjoy it, especially being the first taste of real footy played for the year.

Personally it would be better if our seasons where aligned better so the WCC could take place immediately after the respective Grand Finals.

By: AndyRoo

AndyRoo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:18:44 +0000

Phil Gould has too many interests and enemies. He is not seen as impartial and it would be best to leave him on the sidelines where he is still free to comment but without representing the commision when he comes up with something crazy.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:43:53 +0000

Calm down.

My point is that Rugby League is good at the moment – why tamper with it? No one is interested in the WCC.

I agree with other sentiments about getting Phil Gould involved in administration, as well as John Howard as both have the games best interest at heart. Rugby League’s appeal is limited given the very nature of the brutality of it. That is crap about Rugby Union trying to destroy Rugby League – if anything it would be AFL trying to destroy League and Union is being supportive.

Anyway keep up the good work – a great debate.