Will State of Origin kill Test match football?
Roar Pro By Andrew Marmont, 13 Jun 2012 Andrew Marmont is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- australia rugby league, James Tamou, New Zealand Rugby League, NRL, Rugby League, State Of Origin
Nate Myles gives the thumbs up during State of Origin One. AAP Image/Action Photographics, Brett Crockford
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As we gear up for another round of State of Origin on Wednesday night, rugby league’s fraternity in New Zealand are quietly hoping the series finishes quickly.
Why? Because State of Origin football is going to ruin international rugby league if proposed increases to match payments are approved.
A new broadcast deal currently under negotiation will flood the Australian game with cash. Players are pushing for an increase in Origin match fees to $50,000 a game.
If this happens, the international program will lose out, as the prospect of earning an extra $150,000 for New Zealand-qualified players could be too much to resist. Australia will then receive the rights to the best players.
As it stands, Origin players receive $20,000 per match and Australian players get $10,000 per Test. This compares with $7500 per Test in a Kiwis jersey.
Palmerston North-born prop James Tamou is the most recent case of a New Zealander who went through the Kiwis development system (playing for the Junior Kiwis in 2010) but has commitment to Australia and New South Wales, making his debut in both teams this year.
The international game has flourished in the past eight years with the success of the Tri-Nations series of 2005 and 2006, the 2008 World Cup and subsequent Four Nations tournaments. The Kiwis have won three tournaments including the World Cup and England has made the final on more than one occasion.
Wales, France and Papua New Guinea have all been in these tournaments and gained experience. Test match footy has jumped off the canvas after some dull periods earlier in the decade. The World Cup looms next year in Wales, England and France as another big commercial and sporting success.
The key issue is Mal Meninga and Ricky Stuart. Both are former Australian representatives and are doing an injustice to the game by trying to woo New Zealand-born (and other non-Australian players) to turn out for New South Wales and Origin. Great for their states, but a great detriment to international football.
On Wednesday night, we will see another ferocious game for the Cockroaches and Cane Toads.
But this fan quietly hopes State of Origin will finish quickly, the payments aren’t increased to $50,000 and his boyhood memories of watching Matthew Ridge and Stacey Jones in the black and white V aren’t his last memories of serious Test footy.
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June 13th 2012 @ 1:11am
Johnno said | June 13th 2012 @ 1:11am | Report comment
Yes it will. Money talks in modern day pro sport , not love , money is the only lotaly players have in modern day pro sport.
And unless test foot equals origin payments then it will die test footy.
-And this is the point so will origin die. Even though origin gets more revenue it kinda needs testy footy too.
-To give it legitimacy as the stepping stone to Australian honours, which it still maintains in my mind despite the scheduling of aussie test at start of season, and end of season tour, or that is more grand final form.
-But my point is origin needs the shadow of test footy to stay meaningful i think.
-So origin footy and the players should think long term for the game when they have long gone and retired and sacrifice the demand so fawning big increase in match payments for origin and re-put that money into test footy payments.
-No more James Tamou’s or karmihceal hunt’s or maybe next year Sam Kasiano or even this year Sam Kasiano, and nor more talk of sam burgess or what would SBW do if he came back to league and played origin.
-State of origin need sot be careful and not cook it’s goes and realise it needs test football as much as test football needs it , for origin to remain meaningful and legitimate and have credibility in the future.
June 13th 2012 @ 4:06am
peeeko said | June 13th 2012 @ 4:06am | Report comment
i see your point but i really doubt that the players will get the 50k per game for origin
June 13th 2012 @ 7:08am
chris said | June 13th 2012 @ 7:08am | Report comment
SBW played for the under 18′s NSW squad so why could he not play for the Origin side.
June 13th 2012 @ 7:35am
oikee said | June 13th 2012 @ 7:35am | Report comment
It is up to the commission to make international rugby league more interesting, and dangle some green (money) in front of them to make it more interesting, and to get international league up to speed. Here is a idea.
Take 20 million out of the tv deal, put it aside, offer it to any team or country who can beat either NSW or Queensalnd in a origin series.
And Origin players should keep getting paid more as well, 50 thousand is a starter, as the series becomes ever more popular, keep adding to this, they should get 100 thousand each within the next 5-7 years.
If you use NSW and Queensland teams as your expansion for the game, i think it would work alot better, and dangle the carrot, money attracts the moths to the flame.
Even allow a team of exiles a crack at the 20 million, NZ, even England and France. This will make international footy more interesting, and the interantional teams also recieve big money if they take on the Origin teams. So Kiwis will stay with NZ if they know they can earn 50 thousand each for taking on Queensland, and another 20 million if they happen to beat us, make it interesting.
June 13th 2012 @ 8:57am
Benson said | June 13th 2012 @ 8:57am | Report comment
If players get paid $50,000 per game than that is a disgrace. I was staggered to learn that the All Blacks only earn $5000 per test match.
Origin isn’t killing international football. It’s Rugby Leagues lack of efforts in trying to grow the game at grass roots level in developing areas. It’s a joke that in 1995 NZ had 43,000 registered players yet 17 years later there is 21,000.
Also trying to create international fixtures using teams made up entirely of players of heritage is short sighted and does not do a thing. In next years world cup we will see Tonga and Samoa compete with less than 10% of players being born in the country. This does nothing to grow the game in these areas. Eventually rugby league needs to bite the bullet. They need to create a tournament whereby local players are encouraged to compete and grow the game at this level in increase the local player pool. There has still yet to be a locally developed Pacific Island player play in the NRL.
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June 13th 2012 @ 12:55pm
Rob C said | June 13th 2012 @ 12:55pm | Report comment
Try Konrad Hurrell…
June 13th 2012 @ 5:54pm
Benson said | June 13th 2012 @ 5:54pm | Report comment
Konrad Hurrell was a rugby union player who was offered a scholarship at Auckland Grammar. He hadn’t even heard of rugby league before he came to NZ.
June 13th 2012 @ 9:09am
Go warriors said | June 13th 2012 @ 9:09am | Report comment
I cant see why state of origin and international footy can not thrive together. State of origin has been enormous for over 30 years and it will only get bigger. I dont see how this has to come at the expense of international footy though. All they need to do is tighten up the eligibility laws. Gosh NSW and QLD have got enough quality players, they do not need to poach Kiwis.
RL has had good growth over the last decade with many new countries starting up RL competitions. Jamaica, Canada, Usa, Lebanon, Chezk Republic, Norway, Sweden just to a name a few. If the game can keep the same rate of growth then the future is looking very bright.
June 13th 2012 @ 9:27am
oikee said | June 13th 2012 @ 9:27am | Report comment
I think you will find it is the amount of money Origin players are going to recieve which can set back NZ.
If you can earn 150 thousand for 3 games of Origin, why would you want to commit to NZ for 3-5 thousand a test i think, plus they only play a couple each year. Now take the all-blacks, they might only get 7 thousand a test, but they play around 20 a year nearly. Same as the Wallabies, they get around 10 thousand each and play test after test after test.
If rugby league is going to compete against other international codes, we have to start promoting our show pieces, like Origins, all-stars, Anzac tests and whatever else we can. If we sit back and taske a conservitive approach, we will get flogged.
Our whole game has been humble for 10 years now, we nearly killed our own game, now is the time to get aggressive, we have a strong economy, lets use this to stake our claim.
This is why i love our commission, they are brilliant businessmen and women who know how things work, they will make the right calls, and with the mother lode of a tv deal, will be aggressive.
League has wasted 10 years fighting itself.
June 13th 2012 @ 12:03pm
Renegade said | June 13th 2012 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
If someone gets paid more for representing their state than their country – that is about as far away as you can get from sanity.
The commision needs to wake up and fix this mess….
June 13th 2012 @ 9:30am
oikee said | June 13th 2012 @ 9:30am | Report comment
Plus we have the equivelent of American College football, the under 20 toyota cup. We need to start to promote this as well, any changes need to start here at this level, if it works promote to the NRl level. They could introduce a pacific team against the under 20′s origin boys they played this year.
Their is many things the game can do, like the famous brand “Just do it”. You will never get anywhere just wondering.
June 13th 2012 @ 9:56am
Andrew Marmont said | June 13th 2012 @ 9:56am | Report comment
love these comments guys – and great to see people are passionate about test footy too!
June 13th 2012 @ 10:22am
turbodewd said | June 13th 2012 @ 10:22am | Report comment
Gents,
immutable law of sports number 1 is that fans want to see the best vs the best. When you offer this to them they fill the venue and watch the box in droves.
Origin is the best vs the best (well, almost, it excludes the best kiwis or Englishmen, Benji would be halfback if he was eligible)
Aus v NZ simply isnt as good. NZ just arent as good as Australia…they rarely win. And this is why Test football rarely fills a stadium. Almost never.
June 13th 2012 @ 10:58am
Zippa said | June 13th 2012 @ 10:58am | Report comment
Turbodewd I have to disagree with you there. State of origin is great but if you look at the last 6-7 years then Test football has been a lot more competitive than state of origin. In the last 7 years NZ has won a tri nations, world cup and a four nations. In that same period state of origin has been very one sided with Qld winning everything and NSW not winning squat.
June 13th 2012 @ 1:52pm
turbodewd said | June 13th 2012 @ 1:52pm | Report comment
Zippa,
if Tests were more competitive would we not see bigger crowds at Tests? Coz we dont buddy :^)
June 13th 2012 @ 2:41pm
Nigel said | June 13th 2012 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
Turbodewd you are right state of origin gets a lot more attention than test matches but this is what is holding RL back. In no other sport is playing for your state or province or whatever a higher honour than playing for your country.
June 13th 2012 @ 12:07pm
Renegade said | June 13th 2012 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
The quality of test football over the past decade has been far better than state of origin.
June 13th 2012 @ 1:11pm
Aleks Duric said | June 13th 2012 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
Agreed. It’s not if Origin will kill Test footy. Origin has killed Test footy. The quality of Test footy is sub-par. The level of competition is non-existent. Beyond NZ there aren’t any other league nations worth playing. As much as I love cheering the green and golds and calling the Kiwi’s sheep shaggers…I’d take the pace, emotion and theatre of SOO, even finals footy, any day of the week.
June 13th 2012 @ 2:01pm
Ripper Eater said | June 13th 2012 @ 2:01pm | Report comment
Give me the 10 tries in the 2008 World Cup Final (6 to 4) over current Origin any day.
June 13th 2012 @ 10:30am
Desert Qlder said | June 13th 2012 @ 10:30am | Report comment
First and foremost New Zealand need to stop being upset by the current situation and be proactive with their own setup.
There are strong rumours that a Kiwi ‘Roots’ competition is being formalised and the representative scene in that country would benefit greatly from this. It is all about creating a pathway for young aspiring players. Unfortunately in the minds of young kiwis living in Australia that pathway is distorted by Australia having the only level of rep footy between club and internationals.
Added to this it seems that James tamou was treated pretty lousily by the Kiwi staff, and his disillusionment contributed to his decision. like I stated these problems would be nullified by more professionalism and higher standards that could be set by the NZRL