32 replies to this topic

[ParisSurtout]

We are downplaying the WCC by having it as an early season event, and the Aussies are also doing it even moreso by playing it in England every year. We thereby say that it is less important than the grand final of each hemisphere.

The absurdity of the current situation is that the champions of each hemisphere change their teams at end of season, so it is never the same two teams who won their grand finals.

I am not sure what the advantage of the current setup might be other than it guarantees a little bit of money into the RFL coffers, and it enables the massively overpaid Geoff Carr and his staff to work less for their salary.

If we hold it at season's end we could alternate the event in the UK and Australia.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 01 October 2010 - 06:59 PM.

[The Best The Beautiful The Only]

I do.

[ParisSurtout]

I tried to set up a poll for this topic but it does not save to the top of the thread.

Can anyone tell me how to add a poll and save it to this thread?

[dkw]

I tried to set up a poll for this topic but it does not save to the top of the thread.

Can anyone tell me how to add a poll and save it to this thread?

No.

[Father Ted]

The WCC should be held after the GF's here and in Aus, then prior to the International Series.
It should also be held in the hemisphere that the Internationals are being played in.
As has been implied, the teams need to play each other then so the players taking part are the ones who have gone through the season, succeeded through the play offs and then won their Grand Final.
It is a complete non event where it is now at the start of the following season, it's not rated by anyone down under other than as a trial game.
2009 WCC should have been in the UK and this years in Sydney.

[ParisSurtout]

The WCC should be held after the GF's here and in Aus, then prior to the International Series.
It should also be held in the hemisphere that the Internationals are being played in.
As has been implied, the teams need to play each other then so the players taking part are the ones who have gone through the season, succeeded through the play offs and then won their Grand Final.
It is a complete non event where it is now at the start of the following season, it's not rated by anyone down under other than as a trial game.
2009 WCC should have been in the UK and this years in Sydney.

Good point that I had forgotten to add. A lot of the Four Nationss/World Club players will come from the winning clubs in each hemisphere, so they will just arrive a week earlier than the rest of their national team.

Doing it that way, as you have suggested, also gives a buildup and publicity boost to the international series that follows. It tells the mass media that rugby league really is an international game.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 01 October 2010 - 07:29 PM.

[Dirk Diggler]

One of the (many) problems it has currently is that it is not a game between the two squads that were successful so in that sense it is meaningless. As it is a challenge therefore perhaps it need not be between the two GF winners and could serve as a proper promo game. Maybe Crusaders could be our entrants next time in a game in Cardiff.

[The Future is League]

i agree it should be played after the Grand Finals and before the start of the 4 nations. if they insist on keep playing it in the early months of the new year then i would play it in Hong Kong or Singapore or Bangkok, where there are large expat communitys and feel it would raise the proflie of the game in new markets.

Edited by The Future is League, 01 October 2010 - 09:12 PM.

[ParisSurtout]

Another idea I just thought of is to have the two runners up to play off for a shield of some kind (as club No 3).

After all World Cup soccer does that for the losing semifinalists who play off for 3rd place.

If you play the runner's up shield as an early game you have a double header. That should guarantee a bumper crowd attending in either hemisphere.


So e.g. when played in Australia, televised in both hemispheres live:

Wigan vs Sydney Roosters Sunday 5 pm Sydney ANZ (Sunday 8 am Manchester)

St Helens vs St George Sunday 2.00 pm Sydney ANZ (Sunday 5 am Manchester)


When played in UK, e.g.:

Leeds vs Brisbane Sunday 3.00 pm Wembley (Saturday midnight Sydney)

Warrington vs Melbourne Sunday 12.30 pm Wembley (Saturday 9.30 pm Sydney)


With these times most fans in either hemisphere can watch it on TV.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 01 October 2010 - 08:24 PM.

[Black Country Wire]

Leave it where it is. It's the Charity Shield not the Superbowl.

Playing at the end of the season would reduce the Grand Finals to the status of semi finals IMO when they should be the pinnacle of the season.

[THACKLEYBULLS]

Leave it where it is. It's the Charity Shield not the Superbowl.

Playing at the end of the season would reduce the Grand Finals to the status of semi finals IMO when they should be the pinnacle of the season.

Leave it where it is the Aussies could take it seriously.

[dallymessenger]

potential st george vs st helens WCC.

go saints

[TheObserver]

I once thought the WCC should be played after the GF. However, it would cut into the current test season and push it later, and limit the potential to expand the number of test matches post season. International RL should be the pinnacle, literally "between nations" (from the Latin). Rather than a focus on trans-national club competition.

So, IMO, keep it where it is. Personally, I'd be more excited to see the Australia, NZ or England playing a midweek tour game against the other hemisphere's Grand Final winner or Challenge Cup winner. So, England (obviously with fringe/second string players) could have played the winner of the Dragons or Roosters before the Melbourne test match. Last year, the Kangaroos could've played the Cup winners Warrington midweek at HJ before before the weekend England test at Wigan, and the Kiwis played SL Premiers Leeds midweek at Headingley before the weekend test vs England at Huddersfield.

Cricket has always run tour matches before iconic series like the Ashes, or Australia-India, and they are popular. In long tour games, Australia played Sussex in 2009, Leicestershire in 2005, Essex, Somerset, Hampshire, Sussex & MCC in 3 day games in 2001. Then a bunch of other counties in One Day games in all those years. Rugby Union has brought back tour games in the last couple of years and they have hugely successful, attract large, often capacity crowds. Rugby League could do it too, and tour games would encourage the clubs to buy into international RL more, to support it and promote it more.

Edited by TheObserver, 02 October 2010 - 06:16 AM.

[Hannibal]

Sod the WCC, let's get back to proper international tours.

[1976PMJwires]

Sod the WCC, let's get back to proper international tours.

Agree.

[T Dub]

Another idea I just thought of is to have the two runners up to play off for a shield of some kind (as club No 3).

Like the idea of moving the WCC to teh current season but no, thats a dud

[T Dub]

One of the (many) problems it has currently is that it is not a game between the two squads that were successful so in that sense it is meaningless.

The football clubs that play 'in Europe' arnt necessarily the players that qualified their club to be there.
Ditto Heineken Cup RU

[dallymessenger]

Sod the WCC, let's get back to proper international tours.

nah lets have a revised WCC featuring the top 4 clubs in SL and NRL playing off as follows :

NRL 1 vs SL 4 in australia
SL 1 vs australia 4 in england
NL2 vs SL 3 in oz

etc

top 4 teams to semi finals.

final - home and away, winner on aggregate

the top 4 SL clubs would do well against the nrl clubs and it will further improve the standard of club football in england

[Blind side johnny]

We are downplaying the WCC by having it as an early season event, and the Aussies are also doing it even moreso by playing it in England every year. We thereby say that it is less important than the grand final of each hemisphere.

The absurdity of the current situation is that the champions of each hemisphere change their teams at end of season, so it is never the same two teams who won their grand finals.

I am not sure what the advantage of the current setup might be other than it guarantees a little bit of money into the RFL coffers, and it enables the massively overpaid Geoff Carr and his staff to work less for their salary.

If we hold it at season's end we could alternate the event in the UK and Australia.

I thought you were permanently plugged into the Aussie game PST.

This has been suggested before and the aussies blew it out of the water - not interested; diminish the impact of their GF; prevent the players going on the razz on the Monday etc.

Next topic!

[ParisSurtout]

I thought you were permanently plugged into the Aussie game PST.

This has been suggested before and the aussies blew it out of the water - not interested; diminish the impact of their GF; prevent the players going on the razz on the Monday etc.

Next topic!

This is all part of the rubbish that has consistently emanated from the mouth of the overpaid, underemployed, congenitally lazy and certifiably moronic CEO of the ARL, Geoff Carr.

News flash to "Blind side johnny"! Geoff Carr will not be in power come November 1. The ARL will be dissolved! The NRL Commission will be in power! David Gallop will be CEO and he will take orders from the Commission, most of whom will be successful businessmen. So ideas like this one I have raised will be considered again.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 02 October 2010 - 07:38 PM.