ELLIOTT: Are the Nines the solution to our State of Origin problem?

When the domestic Twenty20 cricket competition started on free-to-air television two years back the amount of attention both at stadiums and on TV seemed nothing more than a small ripple.

But since that point the current Big Bash League has pulsed along with a groundswell of interest seeing record-breaking crowds for domestic cricket, and new, innovative and entertaining commentary has generated great TV audiences on the back of genuinely exciting games.

Can rugby league learn from this?

The answer has to be of course we can.

In fact, league’s answer to T20, the Nines, could provide the part answer to some of the dilemmas our game is facing right now.

After experiencing the inaugural Nines in Auckland first hand and witnessing the crowd numbers and enthusiasm, along with the quality of football on display there is no doubt that a well-planned tournament would attract crowds and generate massive interest on the tube.

So when is the ideal time for this competition to take place?

Thankfully, there is a growing awareness of the over exertion of our players, particularly our premier talent. Where the Nines currently sits in the pre-season is far from ideal, with many clubs only committing talent because of the rules implemented by the NRL.

In its current form, it not only extends the season but it puts players at high risk. Teams are at the back-end of pre-season where players are most susceptible to injury due to of fatigue from their tough preparation for the NRL season.

My suggestion is that during the Origin period the competition proper is put on hold to allow our representative players to completely focus on what is our jewel in the crown.

Over this one-month period a Nines tournament could be held in a similar format to what we see with the cricket in the Big Bash League.

This would allow fans to see two games a night, except on Origin Night (the debate on what nights that should be held is for another article) with completely new ways of witnessing the game for fans on TV and at the ground.

While it may be impossible at this stage to interview players on the field as they do in cricket, I’m sure we could send commentators on the field like water carriers to give insights and ask questions of players on the run. How good would it be to have Brad Fittler, Mark Gasnier and Gordon Tallis running around close to the action commentating and asking questions?

Without a doubt a special highlights show once a week would also provide the opportunity to show some great rugby league tries and allow for some good fun revisiting events in and around the game.

The tournament would culminate in a four-team play-off at a pre-determined venue.

The concept also allows for the inclusion of country venues, and maybe overseas trials as the V8s have done in Singapore.

A genuine crowd pleaser in the cricket has been the performances of retired players like Jacques Kallis, Shane Warne and Freddy Flintoff; these guys aren’t able to contribute at the higher levels but light games up in the Big Bash with their skill and lighter approach.

We saw the same thing last year with in Auckland, with Freddy Fittler and Steve Menzies engaging the audience who just loved seeing their old superstars back on the field again.

We are seeing more of it in this year, with Scott Prince and Ken Nagas gracing the field. Including these ex-greats will not only attract more interest to the tournament but also make up for the absence of the current best players who would be focused on Origin.

The month format would also reduce the risk of injury that reared its head at last year’s Nines, as guys aren’t playing two to three games a day. Further to that the quality of the games would stay at the same high level as opposed to what we saw last year with all teams completely exhausted going into the semi-finals and final.

The grass roots level cricket is now experiencing a surge of participation from the younger generation as they are now getting the opportunity to play a game that their heroes are playing on the big stage.

Not only does the Nines format offer the same opportunity to the leaders of our game, it also enables administrators to sell a safer form of the game as the speed of collision and physicality is far reduced in Nines.

There are some other very real and significant incentives for the game to consider what is being suggested here.

It is a perfect format to introduce young, up and coming players to the highest level that doesn’t involve making the jump from Under 20s to first grade.

In all sports there is always a large drop off in participation in the 15 to 17-year-old age groups. Having a Nines option may not only keep people in the game, it makes it easier to field teams as less numbers are required.

At the moment, we lose many players not just because they don’t want to play but due to them not having a team to play in.

The international appeal of Nines both from a spectator and competing teams position has a wider appeal. For the fan they get to see a more expansive game with more tries.

For a lot of us league puritans Nines will never cut it compared to the real thing, but for those who haven’t got a background in the game they find it far more spectacular and entertaining.

In rugby sevens countries like Fiji, Samoa and even Kenya have had success on the world stage. This precedent opens the Nines concept for potential expansion and greater international participation.

Many in Australia won’t know this but Wellington in New Zealand has an international sevens competition every year that has in all previous years sold out in the first few hours of tickets going on sale for a three-day event.

Last year was the first time in memory this didn’t happen as Auckland people decided on the Nines instead.

This is not about trying to undermine rugby union, but our sport is in a highly competitive market and the greater share of that we market we can command the more effort and resources we can put into ensuring all our participants and supporters are looked after as best as possible.

Rugby league has an opportunity.

Is the Nines another great concept that will disappear into the ether or will someone pay attention and seize the opportunity this new and exciting form of rugby league has gifted our administrators?

Former first grade player and coach Matthew Elliott has done and seen in all in rugby league. He played with St George, and has coached in the top grade of the NRL at Canberra, Penrith, and the Warriors. He joins The Roar as an expert rugby league columnist.