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This is the first time in years that there are no post-season Australian international rugby league fixtures, so I am forced to deal with a rugby-league shaped hole until march next year.
But is that such a bad thing? The RLPA and some coaches have made a fuss about player burnout and workload – and that’s fine, it’s their bodies, they know best how to prolong their careers.
But what about fan burnout?
For far too long, State of Origin has been seen as the pinnacle of our sport. And it pretty much was, Queensland and NSW (well, maybe NSW) would have been able to mix it with the Kiwis and England. But we are no longer in that golden age – or drought, depending on your viewpoint.
Of late, New Zealand have produced a better team than Australia, while the pacific nations of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa are quickly chasing down the world leaders. Papua New Guinea are in the Queensland Cup, and England’s Super League is gaining more and more recognition.
The first ever international rugby league match was played between England and New Zealand in 1907, before either of Australia’s state competitions existed, and now the Kiwis are riding their success and touring the old enemy this year, without a word of player burnout.
We have had so many international fixtures for so long that maybe the fans just couldn’t be bothered? I truly hope that this year’s lack of international participation from our great country, after so many years of fixtures, makes us appreciate what we are missing out on, and helps promote the international game back to its rightful place as the true pinnacle of rugby league.
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