I went to the Rugby League Opening ceremony and a cracker of a game of rugby league between Samoa and Tonga at Penrith. My beloved Wallabies did battle against the Blacks last night, but I couldn’t get to Hong Kong. I suppose that is one achievement of the RLWC: it is here.
I reviewed the Roar site and looked for any articles by Leaguies diasparaging NSWRU premier club grand final. There are none.
In fact, there are not many rugby articles about it either. I was there. But the less said about this “showpiece” the better.
100,000 at the AFL grand final and over 80,000 at Leagues grand final and we get 5,000 (and this was very generous).
Even the Super 14 final is not that impressive, being less than half of leagues. Yet, there were no smart arse articles about rugby’s domestic competition. There have been frenzied attack over league’s joke of a Mcintyre system of finals, yet we in rugby cannot even decide how to have a six team semi-final series after announcing it to all and sundry.
We leave ourselves wide open and then wonder why people do not bother with us.
AFL, Football and league could categorise our club competition and the attempted ARC as a joke. They tend not to, but some in rugby are very quick to lash out.
Some of the articles attacking the league World Cup seem to be very self-serving and, indeed, a little precious if not vindictive. Who in their right mind would even compare this insular competition to the Rugby World Cup, let alone the real World Cup of Football.
I saw an Indigenous All Stars side play against New Zealand Maori before 14,000 as a preliminary to the main game of Australia v New Zealand. I saw the Maori do their Haka and then in response the indigenous men do their war cry. I saw some young indigenous young men gleaming with pride. I thought one of the lads was going to spear a Maori for a moment.
I heard a nearby spectator say “We are Warriors Too”. They are and were.
What followed was an exhilarating game of league decided in the last minutes. We in rugby, notwithstanding some great indigenous players, would be hard pressed to name half a competitive side against a NZ Maori side.
I saw an opening ceremony before 34,100 people witness an understated meaningful effective performance emphasising an Aboriginal welcome and story, so different to the usual Bob Abbot collapsing TV or Billy Idol’s silent singing.
I saw on television the physical and emotional committment of the Kumuls. They were there for their country. I saw the nationalism and genuine pride in the team and the Papuan papers of the next day.
Last night I went to Penrith with some rugby mates and we watched Samoa v Tonga. What an atmosphere created by 11,787. I did witness the fence going down outside and 200 or so getting in for free. At the ticket turnstile one guy paid for 6 but 8 went through. Big family!
$38.00 for two adults and six kids is not bad value.
There was real passion and colour in a very vocal crowd.
It was the best game of league I attended this year. I saw the Samoan and Tongan communities’ passion and discipline. There was no trouble, only a fierce contest.
So what if some of the other teams are manufactured. Any competition, or game, or sporting event that can do these things is worthwhile in its own right. If, as promised, they spend the money on Island football and Papua, then this is an achievement.
Any ridicule may say more about the values and inferiority or superiority complexes of others than anything else.
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