Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says the only way his World Cup players will take part in the NRL Nines is if his club is threatened with a big fine or being thrown out of the competition.
Bellamy says his players’ welfare comes first and he thinks the workload is already too much.
The inaugural NRL Nines event will be held in the pre-season on Feb 15 in Auckland.
“It just seems like we’re creating more in each year,” Bellamy said.
“It makes a really big workload for our elite players, who play Origin and play for Australia.
“At some stage we’ve got to look after the welfare of our elite players and I don’t think that’s happening at the moment.”
Kangaroos and Storm fullback Billy Slater said earlier in the week he couldn’t see himself playing in the Nines, with the World Cup final scheduled for November 30.
More than 100 NRL players will represent Australia, New Zealand, England, Papua New Guinea, Italy, Tonga and the Cook Islands at the World Cup.
The Storm could have up to eight players involved including Australian stars Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk.
Bellamy backed Slater, adamant none of his representative players would take part.
“Unless we’re going to get fined or thrown out of the comp or something there won’t be any of our World Cup players playing in the Nines.”
The inclusion of the Nines, with $2.2m prizemoney, has come at the expense of the All Stars match.
Bellamy has been involved with the Indigenous All Stars and said he was disappointed to see it suspended until 2015.
“Something had to give I suppose but I was involved in the All Stars last year, in the camp with the Indigenous boys.
“I must say I really enjoyed that experience and I saw how important that was to the Indigenous boys.
“I’m pretty sad to be honest it’s not going ahead.”
yewonk
Guest
is the first round games of only twenty minutes.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
You should have finished the anti rl"rant thus Seb"We all know rl is a dying sport,only watched by two states on the east coast and a few people in Hull.It doesn't have the appeal of rugby because players don't get to visit exotic destinations like Pretoria and Invercargill, ' IOW the people playing the 13 man game in PNG(national code),Tonga,Cook Islands,Vanuatu,Fiji,Wellington NZ(Hutt),Malta,Ukraine and Serbia to name but a few,are in reality just playing that well known game fanarkling.I have been duped all along. Now please rush back ,the scrum is looking for a flanker.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
+1 T Cooper Couldn't have put it better,than your indepth contribution.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
So they will play trial games ,with 13 men instead.Spare me days. NO the code has received stage 3 acceptance in the Commonwealth games,because of their exceptional work in the C'Wealth countires eg Jamaica,the PI,,PNG,Ghana,Malta and Canada and the BI.(s has been the way to debvelop new countries,the Euro Zone and the commonwealth are well aware of this methodology.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
And I support 13 first and foremost(40 years of doing it BTW) ,and I also support a marketing tool called promotion. 9s are played in Europe for starters,it is hardly something out of the woodwork. You can still have your team in Perth.Adelaide you have more chance of a team in Darwin.2nd NZ team,why not,and getting more games of rl(eg a 9s tourno) helps promote the game. You are still going to get your 24 home and way games of 13 man game,SOO and semis,the 9s tournament is an addtional promo and financial boosting aspect. Players can sustain injuries just warming up. The game has been standing still,because there has bee lack of initiative,SL wars,and the game run by people ,who were not capable of thinking outside the square. An announcement next week ,will reinforce my point.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
We are already playing a healthy comp in the cook Islands David.One of the Iro bros involved.
Sux2bu
Guest
Check the Origin TV ratings Simple Seb. . Some of the best ABs were tweeting away about watching Origin not to mention Man U attending game III. The RLWC will be the same where non leaguies will attend to enjoy the event/occasion.
Bluey
Guest
Just like your comment!
Seb Vettel
Guest
Boring - Rugby 7's is enough - nobody cares about League outside of England, NSW and South Auckland. Waste of time this is.
Matt_S
Guest
No, league is going with nines to enter the Commonwealth Games. Why would you have two codes of 7's? Hence league nines is the way to go and it will be perfect to grow the sport as a step up to full 13's. League is pulling out all guns to increase its presence in Commonwealth countries like this initiative by The Welsh Assembly backed NGO into Ghana, Sierra Leone, and other African nations http://www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/564/ghana-rugby-league-takes-to Trying to do a count of this list that already have domestic comps includes: Ghana, South Africa, Malta, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia, NZ, PNG, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Canada, & Jamaica. So in a decade, league could have a serious case for games inclusion and nines would be an attractive events for game's organisers.
mushi
Guest
Yep some of us actually may actually watch multiple sports so be able to park the whole false closet case self loathing machoism at the door and enjoy a weekend of attacking footy without too much riding on the outcome.
soapit`
Guest
i think you'll find there will be more games than those fixtures you've mentioned. world cups are not all about the winner. scotland qualifying for the semis or quarters or whatever they're having would grow the game there.
Renegade
Guest
Relax...It's going to be played across 2 days....it's not going to replace the entire rugby league season.
Stu
Guest
Lingerie League 9's Now THAT would be something to watch and would rate its arse off. perhaps sexist, derogatory and generally bad taste but... ...I'd watch it!!
Geronimo
Guest
The English RL team has played 3 times in 20 years in the worlds largest RL city so international RL is struggling but NSW/ACT vrs Qld/NT is going fine. Its crazy to play Nines when the players are not match fit in the heat in February I guess.. Sevens originated in UK rugby for end of season festival when players were fit and didn't take it seriously but here players will be going all out to impress... The I thought RL were trying to get into Commonwealth Games Sevens so they run a Nines tournament.
Johnny ball
Guest
Still say your going to end up with touch footie with the 9's Take away the heavvy confrontation and you have a girls game Nothing wrong with girls but is that want you want to watch
turbodewd
Guest
Australia have lost ONE WC cup since 1975. The rugby, cricket and soccer world cups have had far more varied champs and finalists. Australia has been in every WC final since except the first in 1956. The RLWC is basically always will NZ or England lose to Australia in the final. Sorry, it is not quality. There are so many joke teams in the 2013 RLWC....crazy. State of Origin is close, NSW keep narrowly losing due to Mitchell Pearce, hehe.
T Cooper
Guest
Turbo, If you dont like then dont watch it. Simple. Put your keyboard away an go and watch what ever else. This World Cup will be a great specticle and give the emerging countries a chance in the lime light. With more than 30% of NRL players being of Polyenasian blood and 60% of the 20's it's is only a matter of time until the Pacific becomes the dominient force in Rugby League and should get more chances to showcase their talent. I believe they should be playing a 9 team Pacific Cup (Including the Australian and Kiwis 20's teams) each year at the same time as the S.O.O. A six week break from the NRL mid season with the 3 games of Origin played over that period (one every two weeks) mid week with Pacific Cup and 3 game Kiwi Origin also played during that period on the weekends. The Pommy imports could go home over that 6 weeks and play for England. It wont dillute the NRL competition and it will give our Pacific neighbours more coverage on the big stage. On the Cook Islands: You tell Drury Low, Dominique Peyroux, Geoff Daniella, Issac John, Tinirau Arona, Zeb Taia, Sam Matataroa and Brad Takarangi (just to name a few) that you cant take them seriously. For a country with only 11,000 people as you say, they seem to have quite a large participation rate per capita in the NRL. But no they shouldn't be given the oppourtunity to show case the talent that they have in the NRL, or a chance to get sponsors should they Turbo. Only Australia should hey. They shouldn't have been given a chance to qualify for the tournament because there Island is too small for you liking. Thats your thinking isn't it Turbo?
Boomshanka
Guest
So when New Zealand play England at Old Trafford on the 30th November? Origin is nothing but an interstate game . It is not the pinnacle, nor is it the best versus the best. In fact one could say the concept is a one horse race (9 wins next year?)
david
Guest
Well said turbo. Lets first conquer Australia than we can think about expanding to the cook islands.