When you take a look at the state of international rugby league, it feels like trying to water new plants with a hose that’s a metre too short. If only there was a bit more help, it would grow.
Last weekend’s representative round showed us that the game has come a long way and interest has never been higher, yet some of the controversies surrounding the lead-up to the matches were a massive neon sign indicating that we’re not there yet.
The amount of NRL talent withdrawing from teams before the weekend was disappointing, particularly as some of them were for mysterious ‘niggles’, many of which were miraculously healed by the next NRL round.
It dredged up repressed memories of the now-extinct City vs Country fixture and last year’s international clash between England and New Zealand, which was played in Denver, Colorado.
NRL clubs have a deep scepticism for anything that doesn’t directly correlate to their premiership hopes, only making a brief appearance at the big table to ask for more funds off the governing body.
So when a game threatens to take their prized assets – players – out of action for a week, and possibly a lot longer if they become injured, the clubs push back. They withdraw players on shady grounds and draw on favours from sportswriters to question the timing and validity of the game.
Even though I strongly disagree with this course of action – especially when the silence over players being selected for State of Origin is deafening, because let’s face it, the money does the talking there – I understand where they are coming from.
Clubs pay the wages of the players and if they get hurt it can do irreparable damage to their premiership aspirations. So even though the club view is myopic, I sympathise with their position.
With that in mind, it should come down to the NRL itself to compel the clubs to get on board with the game’s international aspirations. After all, it was the NRL along with the broadcasters who made the representative round a reality.
Jason Taumalolo’s Tonga have breathed new life into the international game. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
If the NRL is going to step up to the plate as far as a representative round is concerned, it might as well swing for the fence. You only have to divert your attention towards Docklands to see the sort of bullish pointed defence that the representative round needs.
The AFL’s sojourn into China is now in its third year with very mixed reviews, yet out of AFL house you will never hear anything but an eternal pledge of support that we haven’t heard in rugby league since the final days of our last prime minister’s tenure.
Even though the China fixture is the brainchild of Port Adelaide, the AFL is firmly on board. The game is said to break even and push the product into a new market. As far as Gill McLachlan and co are concerned, it’s a win-win, so when inevitable criticism came from clubs and influential figures such as Jeff Kennett, last year McLachlan and Port Adelaide pushed back.
This year, when dubious crowd figures were questioned, McLachlan sighted everything from patrons hiding in marquees behind the stadium to buses heading to the wrong venue. McLachlan did anything he could to show the game was nothing short of a raging success.
If rugby league’s international test in Denver this time last year had one tenth of that kind of outward and vocal support – for a fixture that had more than twice the attendance of the AFL game in Shanghai – we could be telling a vastly different story about the future of the game in the US in a few years time.
But it wasn’t to be.
The NRL needs to draw from that experience and stop trying to let clubs and their media contacts railroad international fixtures. The NRL needs to call out clubs on dubious player withdrawals.
The international game will never be taken seriously when a club in Kogarah can cast doubt over a fixture in Denver.
The NRL must also demand that if national administrations such as Lebanon want to be part of NRL-funded fixtures, their house needs to be in order. The international game is growing and the fact that we have a round mid-season full of exciting passion filled fixtures is a credit to the players, the fans and the quality of the matches themselves.
The international game is something that needs to be stewarded well and fiercely guarded because we can’t let it be another example of what could have been in this code’s chequered history.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Well Taips have to inform you , you are wrong.No dreaming, reality. Club, uni(college),junior and school comps exist in Lebanon ,and also women being introduced to the game.Over 1,000 registered participants. “Nothing has changed in 123 years.” Another falsehood.Don’t guess.
Taips
Guest
No Crossy.. Nothing like that! You dream of those kind of things. Nothing has changed for the last 123 years
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Could have sworn there was a domestic senior comp, U18, U16, uni comp in Lebanon and now females getting involved.
Babzee
Guest
ITA that the NRL should look to expand the international game. But what about "The Home of Rugby League" - Channel 9? All their videos are geo-blocked, thus unavailable in the US. How is that for helping the game expand? I can't even share many highlights with friends here, to get them interested, because the official broadcast 'home' of the league won't let them be seen here.
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
The NRL runs th domestic game, that's where their focus is, that's where the money is for them via tv deal. There is no reason for them to take control of the international game which takes the best players out of the NRL, risking injury
Fred
Guest
Tonga and Samoa are a very different kettle of fish to PNG and to a lesser extent Fiji. I think I read somewhere there are more Tongans in Australia and New Zealand than in Tonga. That might be an exaggeration. With a bit of extra funding, there's nothing stopping PNG being a powerhouse. It has a population double New Zealand's and a massive amateur playing base.
Fred
Guest
There's been a decent comp in Lebanon for many years, with universities providing the bulk of the teams. I think the fact that it didn't go ahead this year was to do with the internal dispute that the players threatened their strike over.
Nat
Roar Guru
I agree it is closer to 90% when you exclude PNG. However, there is a good proportion that have come from a PI nation or their parents did. Moving to Aust from Samoa is one made for opportunity to provide for their family. If they are fortunate enough to have a son talented enough to play NRL I think it only boosts the game and credibility in their home nations. Tonga is the prime example. Absolute whipping boys for a long time but now they have one of the best representative packs going around. In Turn, look at the crowds and enthusiasm for the game. Compare that to Union, if the PI boys show promise, they are made Wallabies. What does that do for the international game? Personally, I would love to see some of those Fiji 7s players in the NRL.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
They play the thing in the middle of the NRL season to the detriment of the NRL season. Last night was the example of the damage it does - no crowd, dreadful skills, sloppy game, poor officiating. All the momentum for the season is shot and needs to be rebuilt. When you say be more vocal - does anyone listen to the NRL? How do you want them to be more vocal that would add value to the Rep round?
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I think you guys are missing my central point, which is that I admire the NRL for backing this rep round I just think they need to come out and more vocally back it as a whole, just like the AFL as the clubs have proven time and again the have little interest in the wider growth of Rugby League.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
Couple of problems there as I see it; 1) So a club, via a club doctor rules a player unfit. You are then going to force a player to undergo a second medical with an independent doctor who is going to over rule the club doctor? That is going to get the medical profession offside pretty quick. B) A player could have a niggle that, yeah they could play through if it was a do or die grand final, but they would benefit from a rest so why not take it? iii). You are ignoring the possibility that the player maybe doesn't really want to play and infact would rather the week off. A player plays in the World Cup and gets 3-5 games against the worlds best - that is a chance to show to NRL clubs what you can do. A one off match where depending on who you play for, could result in you getting smashed (both on the scoreboard and literally on the field), or could be a training run of a game against a minnow - what good can come from that as a player? If you could force players to play rep footy, the City Country game would still be going strong. What is the difference between Origin and playing for Lebanon or Fiji (or City v Country for that matter)? You get paid $30,000 to play in one, you get a tracksuit for playing in the other.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I suppose in a perfect world I would like to see an independent doctor deem if a player is able to play or not. I suppose just the amateur nature of what is happening in Lebanon and Greece frustrates me, the RLIF did try to mediate but I think if Lebanon is having governance problems to the extent they play out in Aussie media they should not be involved in endorsed televised fixtures until they can sort it out. And as far as promoting the game goes, the message of support just needs to be louder and more direct just like the AFL.
Steve
Guest
True, that's why the whole thing is unsustainable. It's built on quick sand
Nat
Roar Guru
Fair enough. How does the NRL call out dubious player withdrawals? A 'niggle' shouldn't be ignored and the assumption is that said player would've been ok to play a club round. Plus the player is Ok with missing out on representing their country. I believe you'll find in most contracts exist a clause that if you are picked, you must play. I get this has appeared to be the case in recent past but for one round, here in Aust, those figures are no longer applicable. Can I assume you are talking about Lebanon when you refer to holding "governing bodies to a higher standard"? They did try mediation, it failed. What more would you like? It's not a 1st tier RL nation. We only know a small part of what's happening over there but the NRL cannot force anything aside from the warning to have an established comp otherwise no WC place for you. The NRL cannot run the Lebanon league for them. If they fail, that's on their back and another country will happily take their spot. Otherwise, do you just want more promotion for this rep round? Is money or budgets a consideration for you? ROI? No doubt ch9 and Fox have contra arrangements in place but if they spend more then they expect to earn via advertising, they cannot afford to run this rep round at all. This is sports entertainment, every minute costs money and makes money and the business decision of organising, hosting, paying, selling and broadcasting these games comes down to the difference between the two. And, TBH, we have no right to complain when we sit at home and have it broadcast for free direct to our lounge room.
J. Santi
Guest
Close? They provide closer 90%. Who are we kidding it's not like the Pacific nations are producing Rugby League players. Western Sydney and Brisbane are
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I’m talking about the recent rep round in isolation as I know that it has the endorsement of the NRL. And the solution which I put forward is that they compel the clubs to release players and also hold governing bodies to a higher standard, both which I mentioned in the article. I think it’s great that the league is supporting this round I just wish that they were more vocal about it.
Steve
Guest
What more can the NRL do? Australia provides close to 50% of the players for Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Lebanon etc. They could easily turn around and say we are putting a cap on the number of foreigners in NRL teams. The NRL also provides help in funding these matches, referees etc
Nat
Roar Guru
Did I miss the part where you offered a solution? Do you understand the NRL is a stand alone comp as is SL and they are not beholden to the international game? The NRL secure all their money via TV and advertising. They contract the players for the use at X club for the purpose of producing a high quality product for them to sell and us to watch. International fixtures are purely the 'cream' on the cake that is the NRL. The new Rep round is a quality step forward but we still only feature one single tier 1 team. The standard cannot grow if it continues in the same circles but they rest literally don't have the funds to start undertaking tours and paying their players anything near what the top tier countries can. It's the ARL and International Fed that need to be making these games more palatable and less risky for the clubs. Attract their own backers and start making plans for more games in more areas around the world and market the hell out of it. Possibly even the cost-split by taking Tonga to England, add NZ in the mix and we have Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England, NZ, Aust and Tonga touring the north of England.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I agree Brookvale, but the only way that a lucrative broadcast agreement will happen is if the Kangaroos and other bigger countries such as England become more visible and play more. Two to theee Australian games a year isn’t cutting it at present.
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
The only way to get the clubs on board - give them money. Grants for releasing players for international windows. The RLIF need to get serious about exposing themselves and their international calendar to bigger and better sponsors and generate better broadcast deals for international RL games - and then give all the clubs (NRL through to the bush) a value payment for releasing their player.