Australian Rugby League chief executive Geoff Carr has moved to end speculation surrounding a proposed hybrid rugby end-of-season competition, describing it as a “kite-flying exercise”.
Under a proposal detailed in Rugby League Week, senior rugby league and rugby union officials are believed to be toying with the idea of an Indian Premier League-style competition.
The proposed league would seek to secure the best players from both rugby league and rugby union with the lure of huge financial gains outside their respective salary caps.
But with the NRL calendar already running from March until October before the international season starts up, Carr concedes there is very little wiggle room for a new competition.
“If players are contracted to clubs and clubs are committed to the main competition, I’m not sure how we can find time to do another competition,” Carr told AAP on Wednesday.
“It’s obviously a kite-flying exercise and I can’t really see how you can get our best players to keep playing.
“They’ll be starting on Christmas Day (if all these proposals are true).
“Players are contracted to clubs, and there’s already discussions from the clubs about the length of the season and the season structure.
“To add another layer of competition to the elite players is questionable.
“It’s something which comes up every year and it’s been rumoured for the past four years.”
News Ltd are believed to have an interest in the concept, and have been named as one organisation keen to cash in on the huge potential for revenue generated by TV audiences.
“News Ltd reckons the hybrid game has got legs and they believe it could be a TV rights bonanza down the track,” an unnamed source told Rugby League Week.
“They see it as being like an IPL set-up where both codes come together during a short window and make a heap of money.”
But Carr questioned the presence of an outsider looking for a pay day.
“Like (Australian Rugby Union chief executive) John O’Neill said when this was first floated back in 2008 ‘if we were serious about it, why wouldn’t the ARU ring up the ARL and why wouldn’t we do it ourselves?’,” he added.
A News Ltd spokesman played down any talk of their involvement.
“I can’t rule it out because I just don’t know, but I’ve heard no discussion of that kind of thing at all,” the spokesman said.
“To be honest, the whole thing sounds unlikely.”
chris
Guest
Hybrid could work as in letting Rugby League in for the Olympic 7's.
Johnno
Guest
Tried somehting so silly once between wigan and Bath something so Australia's Wonderland it was not even funny anymore. Did anyone go there or just me lol . Loved the whitewater rafting and that rollercoaster, these hybrid thing makes me think of places like Australias wonderland. Had a league game and Bath got smassheddddd hahaha. And in the rugby game they couldnt have contested scrums for safety obviously. Seires was a farce no real scrums, got slaughtered in the line outs, probably committed endless fouls in the rucks and mauls coz they didnt understand ell the rules does any one no all the rules of rugby lol, would of been dangrous there to because the leaguies would of had no accurate stye of maininting body height and probably would of got rucked out mercilesly, and would of had ot have the ref go soft on foul penalties in the rucks. So this hybrad fair floss and it is , will never happen and it looks just to many rules saw highlights o f it a farce. they are two codes like AFL and gailec football share similarities but are very different for any number of reasons and those 2 codes are actually more similar than RL.RU in my opinion at least. Whats next hybrid Baseball V cricket, or how about hybrid Basketball V Netball, look out girls Micheal jordan and Shaq are coming to get you.
Big Rig
Guest
The hybrid concept has all the tacky hallmarks of another News Limited / Daily Telegraph non-story designed to get people with low IQs believing in patently false concepts and to undermine the things we hold dear - namely rugby union for the union followers, and rugby league for the league followers. This is my message to Uncle Rupert and his loser lackeys in suits - F+#* OFF and leave the rugby codes alone!
ronnie88
Guest
This whole concept is such a gimmick with no regard for any real code long term benefit whatsoever. Lets face it, It is simply some hairbrain money making scheme by a few of the usual money hungry would be entreprenuers/cronies and a few of their connected mates (fulton, franks etc). And what would be the point of the whole thing, sorry, just don't get it.
Sluggy
Roar Guru
What did the ARU have to do with Superleague (other than enjoy watching the loig tear itself apart) ?
Sluggy
Roar Guru
Yes, not worth the time spent reading it, better to spend time with the family than on the computer reading stuff like this..
The Bush
Roar Guru
Who said the IPL was unlikely? The concept went from wow-to-go in no time at all. Most people didn't have enough time to digest it. Once the thing kicked off everyone knew that the old ways were finished. Also you're not factoring in a significant difference. Cricket has never, until now, had any real "club" competition anywhere in the world that had any real relevance compared to international cricket. There was never really a version that made it viable. Rugby, on the other hand, has already had a version capable of being played at night, for television, and between clubs. Back to the IPL: India was, relatively, starved of top flight Cricket. A billion people, and only their national team to follow. Contrast with Rugby, whereby clubs Competitions already exist in Europe, are popular and well entrenched, and are already tugging away players from representing there countries. The Currie Cup in South Africa already gets thousands to attend. Where is the market that is void and requires filling? I hope you're not seriously suggesting that the Austarlian and New Zealand markets have some void and require yet more versions of football... Besides we don't have the economic clout to pull it off. This idea of a hybrid competition, even if it was done IPL style, who is it going to appeal too? Is there some untapped market that isn't already saturated with a version of Rugby? The IPL was the revolution of Cricket that we all knew was going to happen one day, even if we couldn't predict the outcome. India was always going to emerge as the centre of the Cricketverse. Neither version of Rugby has this super-power in waiting ready to revolutionise the game.
The Bush
Roar Guru
LT80, I'll believe it when these "gathering economic forces" show themselves...
LT80
Roar Pro
This isn't the first time rugby administrators have sat back and ignored gathering economic forces. England, 1890s - "A breakaway rugby league where the players are paid? Nah, it will NEEEEVER happen" Australia, 1995 - "A Superleague competition? Not chance mate, NEEEEVER gonna happen"
Damo
Guest
A one off wallaby / kangaroo test each year would not hurt anyone' schedule and would be great entertainment. Imagine Mortlock vs Inglis, or oConnor vs Slater, or thurston vs Cooper, Polata Nau vs Gallen . Great promotion for both. RU would get local exposure. RL would get international exposure. Fans of each code would be in the hunt for bragging rights . But most of all would be the interest of those of who enjoy the talent in both codes all on the field at the same time.
Chris
Guest
Show me a emerging economic superpower with 1 Billion people with Rugby as the number one sport then. Without it I am left wondering how the IPL is relevent at all.
jus de couchon
Guest
As unlikely as the IPL.
AC
Guest
What a non-story. “To be honest, the whole thing sounds unlikely.” The End.
Wall-Nut
Guest
So conservative people. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
jus de couchon
Guest
Old men talking here. The IPL dictates to Crickets blazers now. Rugby should learn from it or be left behind. Someone somewhere will make the IRB irrelevent oneday and sooner than later it will happen.
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
I think it's a rubbish concept also - but to hypothetically answer your question of when is it likely to happen – surely, as the article hints at, you only look at what the IPL has done – ie put it anywhere and then the other calendars have to fit around it … it would need to have masses of cash thrown at it .. and only then would you possibly see players turn around and say during their next contract negotiations that they want time off to earn $x million for 6 weeks … I don't think it'll happen because the IPL sides are playthings of the cashed up private owners and I really can't see News Ltd stumping up the required levels of cash ... at the end of the day rugby is a niche sport and doesn't have the following in the mass population markets to generate the required level of TV revenue
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
Pie in the sky stuff, that only the media would give credence to. Both codes know that playing a hybrid game would be the death knoll of both codes. It might be a bit of a lark for young teenagers to dabble in but ridiculous to contemplate at a professional level.
Brett McKay
Guest
I've said this before and I'll say it again: this couldn't be more Mickey Mouse if it was played at Disneyland itself....
formeropenside
Guest
Seriously, who wants to watch this? A "hybrid" game satisfying to no one which is pointless in terms of outcome.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I just read in the Australian that the ARL/NRL and the Players Association is crying foul because the Poms want to organise a tour at the end of next season (2012). They are talking about "player burnout" (personally I'm skeptical). Then in 2013 there is the Rugby League World Cup that will be held in England. Simultaneously the Union guys will be playing the Four-Nations in August-September-October now, and then head straight off to Europe for three (3) plus games after playing New Zealand for a third (3rd) time. When is this tournament going to happen? As Carr states, in December? They're reluctant to play either form of Rugby in Queensland in March, do we not realise how bad it would be in December? And when do these guys get time off or a pre-season? It's never going to happen. Rugby Union is just now filling out a full calendar season in Australia, but they aren't going to expand it beyond the March-November timetable for the elite (Wallaby) players. Rugby League is simultaneously looking at ways to SHORTEN the season. The players wont be interested anyway. If they are after an "Indian Premier League" style payout they'll do a Mason: move to the Top 14 or Japan's Top League.