The NRL preseason has become increasingly packed, now featuring a variety of novelty events ranging from the Auckland Nines and All Stars to the World Club Series. This is putting unnecessary strain on the players, risking injury before a ball has been kicked.
The NRL need to devise a balanced schedule, giving players necessary match fitness while also promoting the game to communities and spreading messages of well being.
A popular point of contention is the World Club Series. Since expansion of the World Club Challenge back in 2015, it has become a one-way affair – although we are starting to see this turn around after Warrington and Wigan beat both Brisbane and Cronulla respectively over the weekend.
Despite this, NRL teams are simply not interested in the format. It is time the RFL and NRL cut the series and instead revert back to the standalone World Club Challenge, shifting it to the postseason.
Given the two competitions align themselves, there is enough space to slot the match in before Test matches begin in late October. This allows the game to be played between the full premiership-winning teams, rewarding those who endured the entire season to finally lift up the trophy.
The venue for the fixture is up for debate, with Asia shaping as a possibility, providing a neutral venue in any of Dubai, Singapore or Hong Kong. While the Sol Mokdad incident still looms over rugby league in the United Arab Emirates, the RLIF can work in conjunction with the RFL and NRL to promote the game and give it every chance at becoming a success in that country.
Since its inception back in 2010, the annual NRL All Stars match has been lauded for its work in supporting Indigenous communities and promoting reconciliation. However, it has been debated recently as to who the Indigenous All Stars should play, after they gave the World All Stars a 34-8 hiding.
One popular proposal is a combined Pacific Islands team featuring players from countries such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. This concept has every chance to succeed if the NRL can provide a strong opponent for the Indigenous All Stars to play.
While it has been met with strong support in the cities of the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Newcastle over the years, the NRL must give back to the people of regional NSW and Queensland.
With City-Country now gone, the NRL should take the game on the road throughout regional areas, giving back to the communities. Towns that could host the All Stars over the coming years include Wagga Wagga, Tamworth, Dubbo, Orange and Lismore.
Allow the players to continue to run workshops in the lead-up to the match, and retain the Koori versus Murri Interstate Challenge fixture and Women’s All Stars as curtain raisers. By giving the Indigenous All Stars a meaningful opponent it will only increase the quality of the fixture. In addition, by gifting the people of regional NSW top-flight rugby league the game will maintain its relevance in these areas.
On the topic of taking games to the bush, the NRL have the opportunity to further spread the gospel through pre-season trials. Currently most teams play two trial matches, however this needs to be scaled back to one each. Players have the necessary conditioning and there is little need for trials.
The focus needs to be on engaging the community, with players becoming involved in workshops with local schools and rugby league clubs. Core matches such as the Charity Shield, Battle of the West and Community Cup can maintain their place while NRL teams should be encouraged to explore playing their trial against a team such as the Papua New Guinea Hunters to further spread the game and introduce themselves to new regions.
Matches should be streamed on NRL.com, or aired live on Fox Sports, and played throughout the weekend alongside the All Stars.
The other point of contention on the NRL pre-season is the Nines tournament. Currently held in Auckland, there have been talks to relocate the event to another city, Brisbane the favourite to take the rights. The Nines has booked its place on the calendar and deserves to stay, despite some teams not taking it seriously.
The NRL should consider including teams such as Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, or even invitational teams from the Queensland or New South Wales Cups, or Super League, to add more flavour.
A revamped pre-season will take pride in spreading the game to regional areas, while also encouraging players to partake in community events at schools and local rugby league clubs.
Roarers, is the NRL pre-season in need of a shakeup?
PatchMan
Guest
& Add in West Coast Pirates too!... They are already a Established Team/ Club' & they really do want to be part of the NRL!...Then they can show they Really Belong in our Competition!
PatchMan
Guest
I disagree' with that'... Charity Shield should stay where it is! It's only the Dragon's in recent yrs who haven't put the Passion they once did' into the Charity Shield Match' Where the South Sydney Rabbit's still show the Passion! I've been to just about all the Charity Shield Match's & the Atmosphere was usually like a Semi Final/Origin like'.. Leave it be!
PatchMan
Guest
I also agree with having, Fiji' Samoa' Papua New Guinea Hunter's, Cook Islands, The Champion's of NSW Cup & Champion's of Queensland Cup' added to the Super 9's ! It Surely would add some Flavour to The 9's Concept! Like the Old Day's when we had USA, Great Britain, & France' if it is possible' that would be Great too!...But the first lot would definitely be Great!
PatchMan
Guest
I agree with Champions from NRL v Champions from Super League being played end of Season'..as there are Player's who do retire & Player's leaving for other Club's at end of Season'..meaning it won't be the same Team's.
andrew
Guest
You can keep it as a pre-season match, but why not alternate it between Redfern and Kogarah? Why play it at ANZ every year?! As a preseason community event, it would be much better if played in the community!
Parra
Guest
I would also incorporate the Charity Shield match into the NRL regular season. It will be more of a contest if two competition points are on offer. Bigger crowd as well. It's also a long season, another trophy mid season will add interest etc.
Parra
Guest
I would prefer the 9's to be an international summer comp played in Australasia run over 6 weeks in different capital cities, NZ etc. Let's spread the game a little The WCC is fine where it is at the start of the season. Perhaps the preseason should consist of the WCC only played by all NRL and Superleague teams. Some matches can be played in the bush and around Australia. Imagine one day Toronto v Wigan in Perth. Cancel the Allstars game and replace it with an indigenous round of footy where all games are played at 2 or 3 venues as suggested by JT. Eliminate trials. That should do it.
billyg
Roar Rookie
like a lot of coaches say - they are a necessary evil. Every sports competition in the world have "trials" - they may be called different things such "pre-season friendlies" but they are still trials. You can have as many intra club hitouts as you want, but they will never replace a good old fashioned trial. Most coaches use the first trial to test out newcomers or youngsters to see how they perform under pressure after all the pre-season work, to see if their new plays will work against the opposition. The 2nd trial they give their first squad a good hard hitout just to check on combinations and get their players into game decision making mode, rather than pre-season training mode. So if trials are a thing of the past, why does every club have them... One thing I would like to see more is the pacific island clashes - Samoa v's Tonga, Fiji v's Cook Islands, PNG v's NZ Maoris etc - those games can be some of the fiercest and most entertaining clashes of the year
jamesb
Guest
Great stuff Baz.???
Magnus M. Østergaard
Roar Guru
Trials are good for testing out combinations, dedication etc. Anyone who says they arent worth it obviously dont realise that caches do everything for a purpose
bear54
Nailed it....
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Spot on the Barry.Couldn't have spelt it out better. I don't see rugby league fans insecurely wasting time sniping at other sports' ,and how they describe their world representations either big or small.They get on with developing their sports and so should we. 7 billion on this planet, room for all sports.
Mike from tari
Guest
As the coaches say, trials are a necessary evil, love the World club challenge, the Poms pay good money for the NRL teams to go over to play, the All Stars game should revert to the NRL Allstars & the fans pick 1 player from their team, no flogging when this concept was used, the Nines is good, if footy is a business well you have to go for the money, the Charity Shield has been going for 37 years, I don't hear The Rabbitohs & Dragons complaining & finally the World Cup, who really cares about who represents their country or country of their parents sorry only Union people who seem to forget that some of their World Cups had some huge floggings put on lesser nations & on Pacific Island Nations when their English & French clubs refused to pay them if they played for their countries, in league it makes the lesser nations stronger.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Crosscoder will not give you(Smithy) the satisfaction of a measured response to what is an immature shot at me and a typical hate post to rugby league.Go chase shadows and grow up.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Does Mbye not have African heritage? What part is untrue? Is there another domestic league that would produce a teamthat would beat the Australian or U.K. / European champions? Should the AFL not be allowed to have 'Australian' in their name? They don't have teams from NT, ACT or Tasmania. Rugby league has had three nations as World Cup winners. Rugby union has had four. Everything you say can be directed at a lot of sports. Most of all I wonder what sort of mean spirited loser would go onto a website of a sport he doesn't like for an unprovoked attack with a bunch of half baked nonsense. It really is a pathetic way to spend your time. Why don't you go and make s meaningful contribution to something you enjoy...
Kevin Malone
Guest
Half the country ? You realise NSW, Qld and vic add up to 90% There is also a team in NZ Adelaide and Perth are small
Kevin Malone
Guest
Better than the game that made Australia Pest
Kevin Malone
Guest
Well said, we see the same whinging every year about problems that aren't really there
Your kidding
Guest
Now That's what I call a spray Smithy. Got it off your chest have you? Unfortunately most of what you said is pretty much true. Bring on the real season and skip all the novelty stuff.
Kevin Malone
Guest
They tried it post season and it didn't work