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The Roar

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Expanded World Club Challenge and a new finals format are worth a look

Cowboys' Tariq Sims looks to fend against Warriors' Shaun Johnson in their semi final match. Day Two of the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. Sunday 16th February 2014. Photo: www.photosport.co.nz
Roar Guru
16th February, 2014
14

I think if we want rugby league to reach new heights, we need to charter new territory. Perhaps the best way to do this is to build links between the Northern Hemisphere’s Super League and the NRL.

In the wider world, the NFL is looking at a team in London. I don’t even know which conference that team would fit into.

They say they will do that before putting a new team into Los Angeles and want to increase the number of games to eight matches a year. The current matches are selling out Wembley.

Clearly the world is getting smaller. But competitions also want to protect the spirit of sport, and dig into the entertainment realm as much as possible. Twenty20 cricket is a good example.

But what about this talk of a UK-based NRL side? I don’t think it will work at all.

But I am aware of Souths and Brisbane signing up to be involved in any expanded World Club Challenge, should it get off the ground.

In the NRL itself, we are not even selling out all the games in the finals series, which must be the goal. Last year the ARLC increased ticket prices and doubled finals revenue.

But no matter what the price of the tickets are, it is quality matches rather than cost that will bring fans to the game.

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I have a few ideas as to how we can boost rugby league, all while maintaining tradition.

Let’s keep agenda out of this and see if we’d actually enjoy this season set-up. A successful iteration of this will only help the clubs.

Rules alignment
Right now the NRL/SL need to align rules, or risk eventually having two totally different forms of rugby league. Rules need to go to the international board, which was recently given more teeth, before they are ratified between the two competitions.

At the moment both competitions will need to work more closely on this. I think it’s important. We must remember in soccer you used to be able to rugby-tackle early on in the rules, but perhaps that was ditched for injury purposes.

Rules change, but they need alignment in two different places. Playing more matches with the Super League will help bring these closer over time.

Then we need to bring the two comps closer. Why not play the World Club Challenge during the season, across three fixture weekends? They come here and we go there, swapping each fixture or yearly.

Clearly there is an appetite for Australian-based rugby league teams in the UK and vice versa, as Wigan are showing now.

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We need to then align both competition’s dates and match days. England’s Challenge Cup is becoming more irrelevant, so it should be reduced – at least in terms of the workload of the Super League clubs.

You could have teams willing to be involved fly over/fly here during otherwise bye weekends, and give them more time off after the next match. This is what Wigan are doing right now.

It would probably be three match-days, and may involve three teams from each comp. First fixtures would start before the season proper, then one before State of Origin and one after.

It would finish before the semi-finals of both comps. Coaches can manage squads well enough, I do not buy they can’t. We need to ‘give a little’ in these areas, because the NRL is a long season and rugby league is the winner overall.

We can’t really chop NRL rounds just yet, because of the TV contract. I don’t think the WCC should be played after the grand finals either.

But I do think this will help align rules and the leagues and player talents between, without watering down each league’s traditional goal.

We all love it when English teams tour Australia. We don’t have to play all matches in traditional posts. Perth/Adelaide could take one game, and if the New Zealand Warriors are involved they can take a game.

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Remember if we want to reach new heights, we need to chart new territory. And this serves a lot of purposes. It’s authentic.

The Finals
I’ve always wondered in NRL, because it’s a league-ladder, if the team to come first should qualify automatically for grand final.

In any case, I think 2009 was the last huge crowd for a finals match outside the grand final. It’s rare we get the combinations and match-ups and locations to sell out.

All the finals should be changed into knockout contests. You’d only have two or three less matches than right now.

I think you need to ramp up the risk/reward and stop giving teams two bites of the cherry. We need to ask ourselves why World Cup finals and the like are knockouts after the pool stages.

When that fuel is charged with media reporting and fan expectations/finality, I think you get a more compelling, intense experience. It’s either watch your team here, or wait until next season if they lose.

Imagine the roll-on and build up from the media in that scenario. Also with less matches you can focus on them more, and you can logisitically prepare better community engagement in the cities/towns.

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Imagine the NRL rolling into Melbourne with a finals match on the line and increased exposure/focus down in Melbourne and things of that nature.

If the first team sits out until the grand final, it will place more emphasis on people to actually attend matches for their team when they can.

The second-placed team gets a rest first week of finals. I am unconcerned with keeping the best two teams out, because again, you had a chance to watch them for 20-plus rounds in some way, make the most of that.

So there are three knockout games in the first weekend. Then the second team from the season joins for two knockout games the following weekend, then a preliminary final to decide who plays the minor premiers in the grand final.

Everyone talks about more comps, we have the international dimension but little is ever done about it. We can give it an Ashes flavour. If we are looking for extra free rounds, such a finals series will help provide that.

The current top eight format rewards mediocrity, but I am not bailing on it just yet – I’d like to see how this year’s finals go.

But if there is no improvement and no sellouts I think we should seriously consider changing the finals.

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In any event, if we are going to split the competition and do a World Club Challenge mid-year then we may need some kind of seasonal structure/reward to help people refocus on such a long season.

If the minor premiers get a grand final place automatically and second place gets a week off, it’s only going to make the final rounds of the premiership mean something extra. Suddenly, lesser games gather more meaning and interest.

These ideas aren’t something we should rush off to do, but it may be something to discuss.

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