- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
When I saw Kangaroos winger Brent Tate collapse in agony in his team’s 16-12 loss to the Kiwis in the Four Nations Final, I felt rather disappointed. Here was a guy who four or so years ago was the finest winger in the world, but had been struck down by numerous injuries which almost caused him to quit the game.
So, after finding his feet again at the Warriors, he made his triumphant comeback into the Australian team, only to be cruelly injured in the first half of the Final. As much as I opposed their graphic nature, the revealing images of an inconsolable Tate being attended to by the medical staff summarised his situation perfectly.
He’d had enough. And frankly, so have I.
In a recent interview with David Middleton in the 2010 National Rugby League Annual, Penrith, Queensland and Australian prop Petero Civoniceva hinted that perhaps there were too many games on the calendar, and that the schedule needed to be revamped.
Well, he’d have to do much more than hint because it takes a lot for the current NRL administration to take notice of any issue blighting our game.
Another point which concerned me was Civoniceva pulling out of the Final due to what he claimed was “a lack of form”. As one of the leading players in the game, this comment seemed suspect.
I doubt that he has lost any of the competitive spirit which made him so great, and there have been other more obvious times when he should’ve been dropped from a side, but hasn’t. Why now?
Personally, I believe it is because, like many of the top players, the workload has taken its toll on Civoniceva. Whether his reasoning was true or not, his comments about the bloated schedule should be ringing bells across the NRL. In our game, however, there are far too many complaining about the problem, but not thinking about a solution.
So, bearing in mind the fact this issue is a complex one, I have begun thinking about possible action in order to lower the risk of player burnout.
Whilst State of Origin is a great tradition and gets the best out of players, both North and South and the border, if the series was played every two seasons instead of each season, the intensity and passion of the series would be higher than ever.
I am aware that even the players would disagree with this suggestion, because it is the highest honour in the game to be able to represent your state in the Origin battlefield, but the effects of just one Origin game can stay with a player throughout the season.
The same system should also be employed for the Four Nations tournament. Whilst it is good in promoting the game at an international level, by that stage of the season many players are nursing niggling injuries, which is a major factor in Australia’s disappointing results in the 2010 tournament, as well the 2008 World Cup and 2005 Tri-Nations.
In April, Australia manage to defeat New Zealand, and quite handsomely in most cases. By November however, the fatigue has set in amongst the games leading players, most of whom represent Australia.
Perhaps the Four Nations tournament and Origin series should alternate, while the ANZAC Test should be played in the years that the Four Nations tournament isn’t, with players who get chosen for their country not playing for their clubs that weekend.
The final issue is the length of the season. 26 weeks is far too many, and if the NFL can operate with just 16 rounds, so can the NRL (with one less). Each team faces each other once in a season, with the usual four weeks of finals.
This would save many players from “burnout” and, as a fan, this schedule would be much better because with the current calendar, by the Grand Final I can safely say I’ve had more than enough rugby league. It would make for a great season, with many players staying injury-free and most teams being able to field stronger line-ups.
With these suggestions in mind, how would you react if the NRL were to implement these changes? I think the game would be better off.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.