I had a busy weekend at the Sydney Football Stadium, attending the World Club Challenge on Saturday night before heading straight back the following afternoon to watch the Waratahs open their 2014 Super Rugby season.
Suffice it to say I was reasonably pleased all up.
But while I was happy with seeing strong six-try victories to both my teams, it was the World Club Challenge that has lingered on most in my mind.
Here was a game that has received the barest minimum of publicity, featuring an NRL team that is derided for having fans that generally don’t get out in numbers to see their team.
Yet for all that, over 31,000 people filled out the SFS on Saturday night, and it felt like quite a bit more.
People can quibble over the predictability of the result, but from where I was sitting the game was a brilliantly successful event, with plenty of passion and aggression on show from both teams and plenty of noise in the stands.
It certainly got me thinking– why can’t we do more with this? Why shouldn’t this game be a bigger deal?
It’s a match that has been increasing in importance to Australian teams over the past 10 years, a fact reflected in our recent domination of the fixture. NRL teams have now won five of the last six WCC matches after a long period of Super League domination in which we insultingly sent weak squads over to England.
The problem with the WCC has never been the idea itself, but rather that it was poorly executed from the outset.
The very fact that it is at the beginning of the season after many players have come and gone from the championship team makes a mockery of the title it bestows on the victors.
But in spite of its half-hearted execution, the attempt to bring the NRL and Super League together appears to be increasingly gaining traction, with reports that South Sydney and Brisbane are already airing their interest in an extended six-team World Club Challenge playoff series.
It’s an interesting idea, but personally I think that there’s a much better one: an NRL v Super League ‘Super Bowl’.
Of course, we can’t call it that (the NFL is notoriously litigious regarding the use of the name Super Bowl), but you get the idea – an ultimate final that definitively decides the best rugby league club in the world.
A couple things would need to be done to make this happen.
First, you would need to align both the NRL and Super League to ensure that they finished on the same weekend.
From there, you would shift the World Club Challenge to two to three weeks after the grand finals to make it a genuine championship match. Perhaps it could be renamed the ‘World Club Final’ or ‘Super Grand Final’ – I’m sure someone in marketing can think of something short and attention-grabbing.
Whatever you call it, the match could be alternated between the UK and Australia each year, and if successful the governing bodies could even look at shopping it around to non-heartland locations like London or Melbourne (Origin does alright there).
As an event it would serve as a point of difference for rugby league, help strengthen the profile of the game in both the UK and Australia, and it would crown a genuine Rugby League Club World Champ.
All it would require is for both the NRL and Super League to get fully behind it, and with strong TV deals funding both governing bodies now there’s no reason why this can’t be done.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
I used to be into bodybuilding but no Mr. International for me Muzz. The only title I ever won was Mr. Bathroom Mirror and even then, it was a close decision.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
I like reading your posts Glenn Innes. They are well written and your view is easy to understand which makes considering your point of view enjoyable. Nonetheless, I tend to disagree with the thrust of what you are saying. I think the results of actively supporting the development of rugby league in England (and I am completely open to how that support is given and in what form it takes) is something that is most definitely worth pursuing. In my view, Anglo-Australian rugby league is not a relic of a bygone age. It has been allowed to stagnate and regress, for sure, but that is very different to saying that it is dead. The World Cup showed that it isn't. But a bit of help and direction wouldn't go astray. I think the rewards would be well worth it.
solly
Guest
I think the most important thing is to build up to it. There will be a time when the public are pro-international league (perhaps off the back of a couple of series victories by the English). That is the time to strike, while the iron is hot. Until then, build it up, bit by bit.
Muzz
Guest
Last years finals double header only managed to pull 32k so 31k with minimal promo is very impressive and show's that there is an appetite for the WCC Try telling the Wigan players that were hit by JWH that the game wasn't intense. I like the concept of a 6-team WWC but the big question is - When do you have it? I think the markets taste may be changing and a shorter season with a variety of small tournaments may not be to far away.(plus more international match ups for Mr International Azizi)
Glenn Innes
Guest
And how may I ask are we going to balance post season international football with a club challenge post grand Final?The whole concept is complete nonsense... pre season is where it fits best and it should stay in England to give the English clubs some chance of winning and to help promote the sport over there. Comparisons with the superbowl are too silly for words - the idea there will ever come a day when Australian fans.players and coaches value the WCC above the NRL Grand Final is daydream material. As for expanding the WCC beyond a one off game... been their done it in 1997.I t was a joke... the English clubs copped a series of humiliating thrashings and they dumped the idea.Try it again and nothing will have changed - why can't people just accept the reality that comparing superleague with the NRL is like comparing the EPL with the Scottish premier league.? In one couhtry Rugby League is the number one sport in the number one city and the number one sport in the largest and third largest states..in the other country it is a minor provincial sport resticted to a couple of dozen towns in Yorkshire Lancashire and Cumbria and even in many of those towns it is the poor cousin of soccer. The superbowl is actually a good analogy as it the culmination of an entirely domestic competition and the more I think about this issue the more I think the NFL model is the model the NRL should follow (with the exception that we should push hard in New Zealand)Anglo Australian Football is a relic of a bygone era that willl never return... the gap between the two Leagues is only going to get bigger. Other than giving them regular competition at international level there is nothing Australia can do for the game in England it is up to the Rugby Football League to grow the game there...they have had a hundred years to do it and failed miserably so why will the next hundred be any different?
up in the north
Guest
Hey Daniel. I always thought a finals system with half of the comp' was a bit silly. So if you went with the idea I suggested you would be taking a quantum leap that the conservatives wouldn't accept. I reckon make the finals shorter in NRL and add on the international tournement afterwards (alternating between countries) that way you get a bit of win - win without too much pain. But as I said, it's maybe too much and too simple to happen.
albo
Guest
Parra would have to build a bigger trophy cabinet
matt dunbar
Roar Rookie
as you say on home turf....that is kind of the problem. playing here they really don't stand a chance. i agree with you that english rugby leauge needs the ARLC's help as much as possible there really isn't anything in it for them. Playing over in england after the season ends , it's just an end of season trip for NRL winners, with a gimmick game thrown in as well. Preseason and you have coaches ( I'm looking at you Mr Bellamy) start whinging anout player wear and tear before the season starts, and sending a weak team, thus making the whole idea of the best against the best moot. i like the game, i think how it works at the moment is ok but not ground breaking. however moving it around won't make NRL clubs takeit seriously. If there was big money( And I Mean BIG money) the clubs would pay attention to it
Storm Boy
Guest
TGGOA gets the message. I saw on Fox a few weeks back a 1990 international between the Kangaroos and England that had a a French referee. The guy was all over the place with his rulings but he gave each team a go and stayed out of interfering too much. Put a NRL referee in charge of Roosters and Wigan there was never going to be anything except a Roosters easy win. Right from the start the Roosters were mliking the referees for penalties and they were getting them. Put a PNG, French or NZ referee in charge of Roosters and Wigan WCC then let's see how the Roosters go. If they are that good a team who the referee is shouldn't worry them. But it obviously did as they wanted the 2 ref NRL system.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Yes, that seems like an idea with some potential to it.
Epiquin
Guest
Like DR-T I'd ultimately like to see the WCC expanded. There was talk about holding it in somewhere like Vegas or Hawaii, which would be awesome! However, first I think we need to turn the 1on1 contest into a bigger event. I think having the game after the GF has its merits, but it also has its issues. Firstly, having it so soon after the GF could be somewhat of an anticlimax for what is supposed to be a huge game. Secondly, it would potentially interfere with the international season, which also needs to be made bigger and better. Besides, while we're at it, why not have a World Club Wooden Spoon?
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
Of course they could, and the exposure would do them good. The NRL is definitely the superior competition, but on home turf the Super League teams would be hard to beat. To be honest I reckon it'd be a little like the Super Rugby (yes, I know the competition isn't analgous), where the Kiwis dominate, but we manage get the odd title; the ESL teams might only get the odd one, but for each one they do win, they'll go nuts. Just think of what it would do for English Rugby League - it'd be huge! and frankly they need our help. And before you say they're not our problem, I'd argue a strong England is good for Australian League. I sort of envisage this as expanding into something even greater and more integrated, but to start with I think having one big game right after the GFs is a great idea.
matt dunbar
Roar Rookie
honestly do you think the SL teams could beat the NRL teams at thier peak? Wigan were flattered by the scoreline and as the Chooks coach TR has stated they were underdone. if it's after the season why would they care?i'd want to have a break as soon as the final whistle sounded from the GF and i think most players would too. if its preseason its a warm up and means nothing as well as for superbowl winners i count 11 of the fist 16 to the AFC, but it is hard to compare the two asin the NFL both confrences play each other during the season so it's alittle apples and oranges as NRL teams don't travel to Engand and play teams there during the season and vice verser. also they play the same rules and have a draft which speads talent fairly( and i use the term loosly....*cough cough * Cleavland Browns) evenly.
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
Just out of curiosity, why can't you see it working as a post GF ultimate final?
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
Again, as it stands now it's not a big enough event and its too poorly placed in the calendar to be all that memorable. My point is that can change. I also think you're wrong about the competitiveness of the Super League. The NRL is the stronger comp, sure, but the Super League's concentration of talent in a few teams and the prospect of home ground advantage would see them win some titles. It would be a huge deal for them too - a genuine shot at knocking off the NRL premiers at their peak. Also, the point with the AFC and NFC is a little bit lacking in context, as it has ebbed and flowed; The AFC was hugely dominant early, winning 12 of the first 16 Super Bowls, with it then shifting to the NFC who won the next 13 straight. So it's hardly been consistently even.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
The biggest problem is that players have moved club and we aren't getting the same teams as which won the comp. Not that I think the result would have been any different, but the intensity of the match would have been much better had it been held after the grand final.
Jack
Guest
Wait, so we're actually talking about the concept now and not just bickering over Wigan being hard done by? Because that was my point; in the game just played it was fair enough to play under NRL conditions, as it was being played here and the poms have got to play under their system when it's been played there. But sure, in an expanded and properly done WCC you'd want both countries to have the exact same systems in place.
TGGOA
Guest
Youre confused Jack, both comps should be rationalized, but still operate under different rules and circumstances? What ever suits your argument mate. You have shown yourself to have a dismissive and anti-social attitude, i'll leave it at that.
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
Can I just cut in here and say that I didn't actually mean anything about the refs when I said that. All the same, I really don't think the Super League team having to cope with two referees was that big a handicap. It's something to get used to, sure, but it's not the reason Wigan got hammered. Either way though, I figure the details of something like this are for the execs at the NRL and ESL - I'm pretty sure they could work out a fair system. It's not like we're trying to organise a Wallabies v Kangaroos match after all.
Jack
Guest
Mate, no need to start hyperventilating. I just reckon it was a poor point. I mean, the game was played in Australia after all, so why shouldn't it be played in our conditions? NRL teams have to deal with absurdly short ingoals and single refs when they play in the UK so why shouldn't the UK teams have to put up with our conditions. Anyway though, it doesn't really sound like you have much vision or much to say in general, so I'll leave it at that.