Brett Finch with the ball during Representative Rugby League, Country v City match at WIN Stadium, Friday, May 2, 2008.AAP Image/Action Photograhics, Grant Trouville
Yesterday over on a News Limited website, there was a interesting debate going on. Well, to be fair, the topic was probably more interesting than the actual debating that occurred.
In this debate, chaired by a certain “executive sports editor,” the pros and cons of the City Vs Country game came in for some treatment.
Our “executive sports editor” rather fairly kicked things off by stating that the game is not a selection trial for State Of Origin anymore and it had become “rugby league’s most boring game.”
He then suggested that the games’ elite players are already playing too much, before contributing that from 2004 through 2006, the man of the match from each game failed to make the New South Wales squad.
Another fair point raised, even if it does stretch back a bit far. And it’s hard to argue against the game being degenerated this year as a result of being played merely as a curtain raiser to a Test match.
But surely there’s a place still for this match in the rugby league calendar.
There’s nothing wrong with the concept behind the match that’s just shy of reaching 100 years old. The problem is that the powers-that-be have pandered to Channel 9’s need to broadcast two games on a Friday night and cheapened the match by stripping it of the Origin contenders that are playing in the Test on the same night this year.
It’s not to say there haven’t been bolters come from the match for the Blues in recent years. But the recent trend of leaving out players deemed automatic selections hasn’t exactly paid dividends for them recently.
The other problem is that the match needs to go back to the days when it was a fully-fledged selection match that’s promoted and marketed accordingly.
With all the talk that the codes need to consolidate and expand their places in the crowded market, rugby league needs to take advantage of this point of difference and regain a strong foothold in rural NSW.
Administrators from any other sport in the world would probably kill for the chance to stage a match that features a pretty good slice of their best players competing for higher honours.
In fact, while they’re at it, they should take the concept further and do the same in Queensland, and then they’ll still have two games to show on a Friday night.
And if that’s not good enough, then perhaps the ARL could push for ONE, or one of the commercial stations, to put in a decent bid to show the matches or even bundle them as part of an Origin or representative package once the current deal expires in 2012.
We all know the NRL and Nine’s close relationship (arguably too close) has done its bit for the game, but in this case, they’re denying the fans a chance to see a truly top quality contest.
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