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It is around this time every year that the NRL players association puts out a press release or two filled with the same tired rhetoric that today’s rugby league stars are over-worked and under-paid.
They say that State of Origin is harming the NRL and changes must be made, and all the while the working class army who follow the NRL roll their eyes.
To Cameron Smith, Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy and the others, I urge you to look around you.
>> Expert reaction the Queensland’s Origin team for Game 2
>> Expert reaction the New South Wales’ Origin team for Game 2
Surely you notice that the the truly elite sporting competitions in the world, such as the NBA and English Premier League (EPL), use saturation to satisfy a loyal army who pay those lofty wages.
The NBA has an 82-game regular season, followed by a 7-game play-off series. While Basketball is obviously not as physically taxing on athletes as rugby league, the amount of time spent travelling between games and away from families must be a drain on those men who shoot the hoops.
I concede that to compare the NBA and NRL is not totally fair given the obvious differences in the US and Australian sporting landscapes. But it is on record that the NRL is aiming big on the back of a billion-dollar TV deal, and it could do worse than take a peak over LeBron’s fence.
In European football we see teams play out a seemingly never-ending series of games, for a countless number of trophies. Passionate supporters value these fixtures to a varying degree, but you will still find them singing their way to the pitch.
Add to all this the international games, and nobody can deny that football keeps its army constantly engaged.
Managers of teams elite enough to compete in tournaments as grand as the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, EPL and various other cup tournaments are employed to ‘manage’ their superstars. It is their responsibility to devise a strategy to deliver when those giant moments arrive.
So back to the NRL coach and his management of a six-week period when his key men are focused on external forces.
The supercoaches of the NBA and EPL would simply see this period as an opportunity. That tall rookie with the swagger and big dreams would finally get his shot on court. The next Ronaldo might just rise up.
Shortsighted NRL clipboard carriers with self-interest at heart need to stop trying to tamper with State of Origin – it truly is rugby league’s gem and its army will continue to defend it.
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