Kangaroos vs Kiwis: Is there a care factor?
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Australia's Greg Inglis races away for a try during 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
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On one hand, we hear Jonathan Thurston cautioning his team-mates about commitment. On the other, coach Tim Sheens is concerned about his players’ motivation.
My question: why is Saturday’s one-off Test between Australia and New Zealand being played at all?
This game may well be a sell-out in tropical Townsville but seriously, does anyone really care if it takes place or not?
I think that, at best, interest in such a ‘nothing’ game is moderate.
The players aren’t up for it. It’s two weeks after the grand final, a time for holidays after a long and gruelling NRL season spiced with three tough Origins.
Sure, I’ll watch it. League is my favourite sport and if it’s on the box, I feel obligated to flick the switch and see what eventuates.
But I am not exactly hanging out for it. If there were a blackout, for example, I doubt that I’d go hunting around for a battery-powered radio to keep up with the action.
A power failure might seem like a good time to take the cocker spaniel down to the park for walkies. Such quality time might be much more beneficial for both parties.
Can someone please tell me why this game is taking place? Is it a Channel Nine thing, a staple offering stitched into the network’s contract? Is it giving coaches Tim Sheens and Steve Kearney something to do after their club teams failed miserably in 2012?
If you could ask the players the meaning of such a late, late show – with nothing really riding on the outcome – would they answer with any level of passion that it’s what they play for, and could become one of their career highlights?
I guess some purists may declare that this one-off Test is necessary to help keep the flame of international rugby league flickering.
Well, the Kangaroos played the Kiwis in the annual ANZAC Test and fulfilled their end of the bargain with a convincing win.
If there is a blowout victory to either team on Saturday, I believe that would actually cheapen the concept of Trans Tasman battles, causing more harm than goodwill.
Overriding all of the above, a major injury or two to superstar category players could prove disastrous for a club (or State) team in season 2013.
While I am on the subject of ‘nothing’ games, I’d like to see the World Club Championship games between the NRL and Super League premiers given the heave-ho.
Playing a pre-season game in the northern hemisphere is clearly a tough task for any Australian outfit, premiers or otherwise.
The financial benefits are negligible, the logistical problems of getting to and from England are immense.
And the results almost always go to the home country premiers. It has become a no-win situation for the Australian clubs.
Am I alone with my thoughts or are Roarers enthusiastic/fired up or disinterested/ambivalent about watching the Kangaroos and Kiwis at play?
And should the farcical WCC continue or be canned?
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- international rugby league, Kangaroos, Kiwis, NRL, Rugby League
October 9th 2012 @ 4:33am
Roml357 said | October 9th 2012 @ 4:33am | Report comment
It is frustrating sometimes how Australia views international league as a distant second to origin. Here is something that they have all over afl yet they do nothing to try to enhance it. International league has come a long way especially in Europe in the last 10 years but you never hear anything about it from high profile league people in Australia. Are these people aware that there is a World Cup next year? Or England, Wales and France are having a tri nations tournament in the next few weeks? They have a great product but they don’t want to promote it outside of Australia.
October 9th 2012 @ 9:29am
Bring Back the Bears said | October 9th 2012 @ 9:29am | Report comment
The issue with international matches is Australia and its fans go in expecting to win. And so they should, they have the biggest talent pool and with SOO during the year they have an abundance of representative experience.
My recommendation would be to give kiwi and pac islander teams more rep experience throughout the year. Bring in a 3 week rep break in the middle of the year where SOO, a kiwi SOO and the Pac Cup (Or PNG v Pac Islands) is played out. This would not only give players more rep experience but players will actually get a chance to test their mettle and earn the chance properly to play for their country. Putting some pride back into the jerseys. May even prevent a few players from abandoning their home country to play SOO too.
This break would help clubs as well, it would prevent clubs from fielding half strength squads mid year and also give each club an even bye system. Plus after a three week hiatus, fans will be itching to get back into club footy.
Another issue for this current test, is the fact that it is a one off. They should tie this match in with the ANZAC test and either make it a best of two or incorporate another match to make it an annual best of three series. As far as I can tell from this match, they are not actually playing for anything, it just seems like a friendly.
October 11th 2012 @ 5:56pm
Kegel Jelq said | October 11th 2012 @ 5:56pm | Report comment
To any rational mind, this series will be placed into the same bucket as the Ireland/Australian international rules series.
RL just never did grow from within it’s heartlands.
October 9th 2012 @ 5:45am
pogo said | October 9th 2012 @ 5:45am | Report comment
I’m detecting a theme here, first you want the Warriors out of the NRL now you want the Kiwis game cancelled…
October 9th 2012 @ 9:38am
TRUBLACK76 said | October 9th 2012 @ 9:38am | Report comment
I see it too Pogo,any league is better than no league IMO. If you wanna go walk ya cocker spaniel instead of trying to get the league back on then good for you buddy. Sounds awfully wrong to me,especially if its the last 10mins and the scores are drawn.
October 9th 2012 @ 5:59am
jus de couchon said | October 9th 2012 @ 5:59am | Report comment
International rugby leagues admins are incapaple of anything that will move the game on. The next RLWC will be another failure. The ICC is another example of the descent into farce.
October 9th 2012 @ 9:47pm
Blacklisted said | October 9th 2012 @ 9:47pm | Report comment
And yet the last RL World cup made a handy profit, and I’m sure its not the only one that did.
So please don’t BS..
October 9th 2012 @ 7:11am
Stanley Bridge said | October 9th 2012 @ 7:11am | Report comment
I can’t wait to see the Kiwis humbled. Benji put in his place and Inu shown up for the inconsistent performer he is. Kasiano won’t have the engine to go full throttle in a Test and I want to see it proven.
You can sit yourself down and wait for the cricket.
October 9th 2012 @ 7:38am
eagleJack said | October 9th 2012 @ 7:38am | Report comment
Tim, I’m really looking forward to the Test. As are the players. It is a one -off Test and far less strenuous than an overseas tour which are often played at this time of the year.
But I do agree with you regarding the WCC. If it is to continue it needs to be alternated between Aus and England. Or play it in a neutral country to alleviate the travel time. Cam Smith has said in the past that the players don’t get over the effects of the travel until atleast Round 6. It is a tough assignment for the premiers and simply adds to the difficulty of going back to back.
I thought Tooves handled it very well this year. He treated it like a celebration, since the players didn’t get to celebrate their GF win after Hasler left. The result was irrelevant and was simply a team bonding excursion which bought the club closer together and was paramount in the off contract players remaining at the club.
Manly won it in 2009 and I couldn’t have cared less. As a fan you just pray for no injuries.
October 9th 2012 @ 11:17am
Mantis said | October 9th 2012 @ 11:17am | Report comment
How do you know the players are up for the test?
From what ive seen from the Kangaroos in the recent past, the Kiwis are always much more up for it. Its just the Kangaroos class and number of superstar players that (generally) get them over the line.
October 9th 2012 @ 7:52am
Bondy. said | October 9th 2012 @ 7:52am | Report comment
Whats probably best suited Tim is a two or three test match series against G Brt (or whoever their called) in England for winter,it would draw greater interest as its a tour for an outcome for a reason. Although I would conceed that the NRL season is long and tough.I generally feel an obligation to watch the national teams even the wallabies so i’ll watch this.
I disagree with your world club cahallenge game comment, it should be played here in Australia at Homebush.
October 9th 2012 @ 8:18am
wil said | October 9th 2012 @ 8:18am | Report comment
I hang out for any first grade league i can get. seems like everyone forgot about the mighty dragons win in wigan 2010 wcc. And billy slaters only nrl loss this year, also the dragons
October 11th 2012 @ 1:48pm
Renegade said | October 11th 2012 @ 1:48pm | Report comment
That’s cause no one cares about the dragons, we’re talking about internationals here….FYI – slater lost to the sharks as well.
October 9th 2012 @ 8:31am
MattRusty said | October 9th 2012 @ 8:31am | Report comment
I am excited anytime the best of the best go up against each other. Kangaroos are my fav Aussie sporting team.
October 9th 2012 @ 8:35am
oikee said | October 9th 2012 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Well they need to get them motivated, if that means more money, so be it.
We have a world cup next year in England, gee whiz, i hope Sheenzy can get the boys uop for that, or maybe we not bother.
Look, if Sheens is getting tired, or to old, get someone else in with passion and drive to take the game forward.
We dont get much media because nobody has got the heart or drive to get attention.
Things really need to change. Our game is getting nowhere being run like this, this game should be a must see event, it is a ho-hum at the moment.
International games are important because they bring in cash for the Kiwis.
The yanks would be selling our code, not letting it wither on the vine like this mob.
October 9th 2012 @ 8:36am
Pot Stirrer said | October 9th 2012 @ 8:36am | Report comment
I think part of the problem is with the NZ warriors playing in the NRL, an Aust side is basically playing a NZ side all season and this test seems to be about as important as City V Country. Nz players are wanting to play SOO for the money so any intensity is already taken out of the match and i dont see how the Kiwis can be competitive unless the Aussies play bad given the majority of thier players havent played a game for 6 weeks and have been relaxing and getting over injuries since thier season ended. For me thier would be much more interest if we were playing the poms but then they are just not competitive enough when you consider Aust beat all other countries 8 out of 10 times they meet. Which is also why i think SOO is so big. Its the only real rep match we have that can go either way. Basically i think this match is little more than an exhibition match and will be treated as such by both teams.
October 9th 2012 @ 1:11pm
nzmate said | October 9th 2012 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
100% correct pot stirrer. The odd thing is that the warriors are more popular than the kiwis and that’s simply because they play regularly and have a greater chance of winning. apart from the world cup win by the kiwis in 08, there is very little hype around these games as they are either sandwiched mid season between nrl fixtures or post the massively hyped NRL final – add to this they rarely take kiwis games around the country (nz), probably to maximise crowd numbers in auckland. Forget about whatever small gains are being made in growing league in eastern Europe and other outposts, the top tier of international league is struggling and the comments of sheens reinforce this.
October 9th 2012 @ 3:55pm
Go warriors said | October 9th 2012 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
Very true nzmate because the Kiwis very rarely play tests in NZ it is difficult for the public to support them. It is very dissapointing because RL is becoming very popular in NZ. RL is played in just about every province of NZ but unforuntely unless you live in Auckland you probably never be able to see them play live.
I would love to see countries like England, Wales, France, PNG etc come tour NZ play a few local sides and a couple of tests against the Kiwis.
October 10th 2012 @ 9:11am
Leo said | October 10th 2012 @ 9:11am | Report comment
90% of the provinces in New Zealand don’t see the All Blacks games live.