An expanded World Club Challenge is in the works
Roar Guru By Steve Kaless, 15 Oct 2009 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- England’s Rugby Football League, Four Nations, Gary Hetherington, Leeds Rhinos, NRL, Rugby League, World Club Challenge
After witnessing a bit of interest in my proposal to shift next season’s World Club Challenge to Melbourne, and with a bit of time before the Four Nations kicks off, I thought I’d put the idea to Leeds Rhinos CEO, Gary Hetherington.
Hetherington has a bit of reputation in the UK as something of a rugby league visionary. In Australia he’d probably be anointed a ‘good operator’ and seems at ease talking about rugby league expanding beyond the renowned the M62 corridor.
As a background, he explained that the WCC concept is joint owned by England’s Rugby Football League (RFL) and Australia’s NRL, so any change to the format needs to be managed and directed by those bodies.
He also explained that the reason the game had been held in the UK over the past season was down to the respective seasons and the certainty of income that could come from playing the game in England.
In regards to the first point, he said that the thought that match could potentially be played in North Queensland in middle of February was a turn off to both competitions (England, it seemed, were always able to guarantee a cold evening).
Hetherington also revealed to The Roar that he had previously worked on taking to game to locations such as Dubai and Singapore. He felt that they held the attraction of being “in between” both hemispheres, as well as locations with a history of staging such events in the sporting world.
The stumbling block was finding an organisation keen to back the concept to make it more financially attractive than the status quo.
While that project remains a work in progress, Hetherington is also looking to build support for an expanded competition, which would see the top three sides from each competition playing off over one ‘blockbuster’ weekend.
“We’d hope that this sort of concept could grow to have an almost State of Origin appeal as the Super League faced off with the NRL,” Hetherington said.
“The creditability of the current fixture is growing, you can see this by the sides the Australian teams are putting out. Both Melbourne and Manly put out full strength teams when we played them over the past two years, and we think this expanded format would be a tremendous success and create huge interest.”
Hetherington’s plan would have the two third placed sides play each other on the Friday night, the runner’s up on the Saturday and the respective champions on the Sunday.
It’s a proposal he put to a number of NRL clubs when he recently visited and received support from no fewer than six clubs, all who felt it would be commercially successful.
The same plan will be put to the English club at the Super League annual conference next year, and the search will be on for a viable promoter.
So we look to be on to something. So what about taking on the Storm in Melbourne?
Not so fast. The Storm will play Leeds at Elland Rd with a provisional date set down on the third week of February.
The Storm are almost certain to play a warm up game prior to that match elsewhere in the UK again. But Hetherington was unsure whether the Harlequins would again be holding the London Rugby League Challenge, as they did last year.
So some positive work in the pipeline, which is a nice alternative to usual pipe dream which these things usually are for rugby league fans.
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October 15th 2009 @ 8:25pm
Anakin said | October 15th 2009 @ 8:25pm | Report comment
The World Club Challenge – whilst a nice to see – is really a farce. Pure & simple!
How does anyone give the concept any credence when one side doesn’t actually field the same team that won their respective premiership? The poms can beat it up all they like as an indicator of Super Leagues quality, but we all know that if you take the antipodeans out the SL falls on its head. Lets hope (for the sake of the international game) the poms prove me wrong in the 4 Nations .. but I’m not holding my breath!
October 15th 2009 @ 9:45pm
Mr cheese said | October 15th 2009 @ 9:45pm | Report comment
I don’t think anyone over here thinks for 1 moment that the SL is much better than Aussie RL. If anything, people consisently say the exact opposite.
But then RL in Australia is a major sport. Over here…………………..it ain’t !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 16th 2009 @ 2:26am
Jeff Baxter said | October 16th 2009 @ 2:26am | Report comment
33,000 spectators suggest its not a farce. Biggest crowd outside a final, thats not something we can afford to lose.
The problem with an extended WCC is the knock on – what do we lose? Internationals? Challenge Cup? Its fine as it is except it should of course alternate between the two countries.
October 16th 2009 @ 8:34pm
Anakin said | October 16th 2009 @ 8:34pm | Report comment
33,000 maybe – because it’s a novelty event.!!
Hold the event in Melbourne – where AFL is the major sport – and I still reckon you’d easily get that number. I’m a League fan first & foremost, so I’d go & watch any live international … doesn’t mean I don’t think the match is a joke; as i do many of the so-called international eligibility rules. That of course, is a topic for another threead
October 18th 2009 @ 9:00am
Jeff Baxter said | October 18th 2009 @ 9:00am | Report comment
That makes very little sense. Seriously what are you on about? 33,000 people dont pay their hard earned cash for a “novelty event”. What does that even mean in the context of a rugby league match? They turned up to see their own team and the chance to see the Australian Champions.
Of course the game should alternate but the reality has been that 33,000 fans in the UK has meant more money then in Australia. It’s a shame but there you go. Maybe the organisers see endless aussies claiming they don’t care and its a “novelty event” as a reason not too bother. Too many fans are dismissive of any attempt to increase the amount of marquee games, something that the sport desperately needs. I get the impression that aussie league fans couldn’t care less as long as the NRL is doing ok. Such shortsightedness is dangerous for the long term health of the game.
October 18th 2009 @ 9:05am
Jeff Baxter said | October 18th 2009 @ 9:05am | Report comment
So it’s a farce because the team uses players it expects to win the next season with? That again makes no sense. Are teams employing players they have no regard for? Do they immediately sack all the players they won the NRL with? How bizaare. “Yeah you beat us but those players were just thrown together. God nows how they’ll play in the upcoming season. Obviously we got rid of all the players we won the Grand Final with.”
I love the game of rugby league, but god the fans are starting to get on my tits.
October 18th 2009 @ 8:07pm
Anakin said | October 18th 2009 @ 8:07pm | Report comment
You’ve highlighted my point exactly – its not a contest between the two respective premiers – its between two squads under the same club name … so what does it really mean?
October 18th 2009 @ 9:21pm
Dogs Of War said | October 18th 2009 @ 9:21pm | Report comment
With the Indigenous vs NRL All Stars game next season. They really need to look how scheduling the WCC after the Grand Finals have been played to make it a true event. Currently the WCC is a good start to the season, but I think this new event is even better, and would much prefer the powers that be put the event where it should be.
April 20th 2010 @ 9:40pm
jus de couchon said | April 20th 2010 @ 9:40pm | Report comment
Must be time again for Leagues next big Idea . In Union the Idea of having an annual fixture of the top S14 v top Heinekin team is often disscussed. Detractors of such a fixture often refer to the farsical nature of the WCC as a reason to be wary.
Perhaps the WWC does need an overhaul. Perhaps evolution rather than revolution might prevent the constant need for League to reinvent itself.