- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
If the future moves of its own accord, then the ideas it takes with it start with the people who dare to recognise them.
High and mighty words, but without such recognition and the chances they bring, rugby league would still be mired in inner city derbies featuring clubs funded by gambling addicts.
Instead, rugby league has spread throughout Australia and the game at the professional level has finally moved beyond the era of the chook raffle. The code is discovering that, despite a number of hiccups, it actually has an international presence.
That discovery may have come a lot sooner if rugby league were not dogged by its village mentality.
Its own worst enemy, the code not only excels at physical excellence but also at mental self-defeatism. The myopia of some of its fans and administrators can be lethal.
Professionally, world rugby league is dominated by two domestic competitions, the Super League in the UK and the National Rugby League in Australia.
In the Super League, 13 English teams along with the French Catalans Dragons make up the Super League, while 15Australian teams plus the Auckland-based New Zealand Warriors make up the NRL.
I read somewhere that Italy’s World Cup captain, Anthony Minichello, was stating the ultimate goal of the Italian rugby league was to have a team compete in the Super League. It certainly is a fascinating goal and one that opens up numerous possibilities.
Imagine if the only two professional leagues in the world expanded their scope to embrace the league playing nations in their respective regions? Along with France, the Super League might feature teams from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, and dare I say it, Lebanon.
And what about the NRL? Is it conceivable to feature teams from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Papua New Guinea as they join New Zealand in having a team compete in the NRL?
Pipe dreaming? Perhaps, but it is worth considering, if only for other international possibilities that emerge from such consideration.
For example, the current format of the World Club Challenge features two club teams only, the grand final winners of the Super League and the NRL competing against each other. What if that concept were to open up to include the grand finalists – four teams in total?
For the 2014 World Club Challenge, the event would have featured not only the Sydney Roosters and the Wigan Warriors, but also the Manly Sea Eagles and the Warrington Wolves.
Or if the grand finalists are not to your liking, how about the top two teams in the minor premiership?
That means the 2013 version would have been between the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Sydney Roosters, Huddersfield Giants and the Warrington Wolves.
Taking the concept a step further, why not feature, as a warm-up match, the winners of the Lebanese, Italian and French amateur competitions competing in a Mediterranean Club Challenge.
Or how about a Pacific Club Challenge featuring the USA, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji?
It goes without saying that many things need to be changed and adjusted in order to accommodate such ideas. These may include shorter domestic seasons, revamped international priorities, improved communication with other domestic leagues as well as (perhaps most importantly) more intelligent scheduling.
But if the 2013 Rugby League World Cup is anything to go by, much is possible in the rugby league world.
Whether it is probable or not depends a lot on the vision of those running the game.
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.