I didn’t want the NRL Premiership to go on a brief hiatus over this weekend after an opening nine rounds where as a Panthers fan I spent most it on the edge of my seat.
The Anzac Test was always looking like a lacklustre affair with the Kiwis missing some of their biggest assets in Kieran Foran, Roger Tuivasa Sheck and Isacc Luke among others for a variety of reasons.
The Kangaroos did get the win at Hunter Stadium with a relatively familiar looking team that has been criticised in the aftermath by Phil Gould as being incapable of winning the next World Cup.
The annual City versus Country clash took place in Tamworth yesterday afternoon. It has been punctuated in the lead up by plenty of chatter around what this game is actually for, if players actually want to play it and if the fans actually care about it.
The Pacific Tests were a bit of an aside in the lead up, taking place on Saturday night at Pirtek Stadium, but they were the stand-out clashes from the weekend. Not bogged down in selection issues, ageing squads or feasibility of the contest they were games for the fans.
They brought passion, colour and noise to the game and were played in terrific spirit. These games mean plenty to these nations and the players are there to represent their families, community and country.
As was mentioned plenty of times in commentary these nations need more games against one another and if the support is anything to go by they would always be well attended.
Whether it be a State of Origin style series that could take place as curtain raisers or the creation of more rep weekends where they go head to head they need to feature more in the rugby league calendar.
The kind of free-flowing footy they play I would be very supportive of them having squads for the Auckland Nines as wild card entries. Or as they already have with the women, have their own series run at the same time.
These are the games that I love. They are for the fans. They are not for the media to debate and pick apart and give their opinion on, They are not tainted by criticism of referees and bunker decision or controversial press conferences. It is 34 blokes giving it their all for all the right reasons.
More money needs to be invested into growing these contests and these nations for the betterment of the game. It would take a brave person to say that the money invested in the bunker wouldn’t be better spent on growing this fixture.
And while on this, the women’s game as the curtain raiser on Friday night is a continuation of the theme. Here are athletes who aren’t there for the money, fame of fortune. Here are just lovers of the game going at it for their countries. They earn significantly less than the men but play with the same motivations and intensity.
Rugby league is doing much to grow inclusion of women within the game and as previously mentioned their inclusion in the Nines as well as this fixture are evidence of that, as is the payment they receive, even if it is less than the men.
The column space spent debating and criticising these other rep matches could be used to highlight and celebrate what these clashes mean to the league and how they are helping grow the game. The money spent on things that frankly the league doesn’t need could be used to foster this growth.
Whatever you have made of this round you can’t help but smile at the scenes at the conclusion of the matches on Saturday night and the increasing inclusion of women in this great game.
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