Denver NZ v England test is "certain" to go ahead

[Copa]

35 minutes ago, Abicus said:

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/nrl-clubs-demand-answers-from-todd-greenberg-on-julys-denver-test/news-story/d3d56e9ce3db3b2e7cce1c75e5fda43d

"AT least five NRL clubs have already written to NRL boss Todd Greenberg this week expressing extreme concerns around the mid-year Test in Denver this year as one of the game’s biggest names commits to the match.
The match between New Zealand and England in June was officially announced this week despite a stack of trepidation in club land.

A flurry of emails have been sent between club bosses and Greenberg since the announcement.

It is understood South Sydney have led the way, while Melbourne, Parramatta and Penrith have also expressed serious reservations. Canberra coach Ricky Stuart publicly questioned the timing of the game this week.

While no club has threatened to boycott the game, yet they have asked Greenberg to chase the New Zealand Rugby League and their British counterparts for further information.

The NZRL tried to allay some fears in an email to all 16 club bosses earlier this week. As part of the email — obtained by Sport Confidential — Kiwis chief executive Alex Hayton detailed travel plans."

Players from St George Illawarra and Parramatta are expected to play 48 hours later at WIN Stadium. But that won’t stop Dragons skipper Gareth Widdop from representing England.

“I would never turn down the opportunity to play for my country,” Widdop said. “Representing your country is the pinnacle and it does not come around too often. Any time you can pull the jersey on, it’s a massive honour and occasion.

“It works out that we play 48 hours later but at the end of the day it’s been done. There’s nothing much we can do about it now"

“(James Graham and I) have had some brief chats about it. He is the same. He is passionate and if he has the opportunity to pull the jersey on he’ll be jumping at the chance.

“To grow the game in general and spread the game over there so I think it’s a good thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The players want to play. The clubs don't want them.

The Raiders want more details around insurance, medical care etc. They also want salary cap relief if a player is injured in a rep game. The NRL have now said they hope to have a process for salary cap relief before the match.

[Big Picture]

23 minutes ago, Copa said:

The Raiders want more details around insurance, medical care etc. They also want salary cap relief if a player is injured in a rep game. The NRL have now said they hope to have a process for salary cap relief before the match.

Salary cap relief for injuries?  Seriously?  Is there such a thing for players injured in State of Origin matches??

[Copa]

Just now, Big Picture said:

Salary cap relief for injuries?  Seriously?  Is there such a thing for players injured in State of Origin matches??

There should be.

[Allora]

1 hour ago, Abicus said:

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/nrl-clubs-demand-answers-from-todd-greenberg-on-julys-denver-test/news-story/d3d56e9ce3db3b2e7cce1c75e5fda43d

"AT least five NRL clubs have already written to NRL boss Todd Greenberg this week expressing extreme concerns around the mid-year Test in Denver this year as one of the game’s biggest names commits to the match.
The match between New Zealand and England in June was officially announced this week despite a stack of trepidation in club land.

A flurry of emails have been sent between club bosses and Greenberg since the announcement.

It is understood South Sydney have led the way, while Melbourne, Parramatta and Penrith have also expressed serious reservations. Canberra coach Ricky Stuart publicly questioned the timing of the game this week.

While no club has threatened to boycott the game, yet they have asked Greenberg to chase the New Zealand Rugby League and their British counterparts for further information.

The NZRL tried to allay some fears in an email to all 16 club bosses earlier this week. As part of the email — obtained by Sport Confidential — Kiwis chief executive Alex Hayton detailed travel plans."

Players from St George Illawarra and Parramatta are expected to play 48 hours later at WIN Stadium. But that won’t stop Dragons skipper Gareth Widdop from representing England.

“I would never turn down the opportunity to play for my country,” Widdop said. “Representing your country is the pinnacle and it does not come around too often. Any time you can pull the jersey on, it’s a massive honour and occasion.

“It works out that we play 48 hours later but at the end of the day it’s been done. There’s nothing much we can do about it now"

“(James Graham and I) have had some brief chats about it. He is the same. He is passionate and if he has the opportunity to pull the jersey on he’ll be jumping at the chance.

“To grow the game in general and spread the game over there so I think it’s a good thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The players want to play. The clubs don't want them.

I do not care either way on this one but it is not unusual for employers to be concerned about their staff being hurt and away from work whilst pursuing a second job.

That is how they see it, like it or not.

I do not agree or disagree with the Clubs position, its the unfortunate way our game is structured that makes Test matches during the NRL Season an issue for the major stakeholders in the game in Australia.

 

[deluded pom?]

1 hour ago, Copa said:

There should be.

I take it that's a no. Why doesn't Ricky bleat about that then?

[Allora]

6 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

I take it that's a no. Why doesn't Ricky bleat about that then?

I think the Raiders only had Josh Papalii in SOO and the way he played no one would have missed him if he was injured, the most over rated unfit looking player I have seen at representative level in a long time.

 

[deluded pom?]

3 minutes ago, Allora said:

I think the Raiders only had Josh Papalii in SOO and the way he played no one would have missed him if he was injured, the most over rated unfit looking player I have seen at representative level in a long time.

 

That's not the point though is it?

[deluded pom?]

Simon Mannering is up for it.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/101852868/simon-mannering-ponders-playing-future-beyond-2018

Meanwhile, Mannering confirmed he wants to take part in June's test between the Kiwis and England in Denver.

That may not be what the Warriors want to hear as they try to preserve his body through the rigors of an NRL season, but he believes it's vital that international league grows.

"International league is something you've got to nurture and grow and you've got to make sacrifices along the way to do that," said Mannering, who has played 44 tests for the Kiwis.

"I understand the scheduling with NRL clubs and the financial commitment made by them, but you've got to look at the bigger picture and the NRL is a great competition, but imagine if there was something similar in Europe and the United States too.

"I definitely know there will be clubs that won't want their players being part of it, but you have to be bold and put this concept on, if players don't want to be a part of it, then so be it.

"It's moving the game forward, we can't just keep doing the same thing.

"We had more competitive teams at the World Cup, but the growth there has been in the game over the last four years has been minimal.

"There could be so much more happening, but this is a step in the right direction."

There has been a fair amount of negativity towards the Denver test and Mannering suggests that may not have been the case if it was the Kangaroos playing England, rather than the Kiwis.

"I don't want to have a crack at anyone, but I'm sure if it was Australia taking a test over there, there would be a lot more support for it," he said.

"It's like people are saying 'it's just New Zealand going over there and so it doesn't really involve Australian rugby league or the NRL, so we don't need to get behind it'.

"There might be some guys who aren't going to be made available by their clubs, but there will be a lot of guys who will be available hopefully."

[Allora]

Just now, deluded pom? said:

That's not the point though is it?

What is the point?

Stuart is a disliked Coach the World over?

[deluded pom?]

1 minute ago, Allora said:

What is the point?

Stuart is a disliked Coach the World over?

The point is Stuart bleats when there's a chance his player/s may be involved in the Denver game yet keeps it shut when any of his players are involved in SoO. I wonder why that is? But you know this already.

[Scubby]

2 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

That's not the point though is it?

Especially as the SOO will be going to Perth in 2019 too. Will the RLPA and clubs be worried about players backing up from that?

[Allora]

2 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

The point is Stuart bleats when there's a chance his player/s may be involved in the Denver game yet keeps it shut when any of his players are involved in SoO. I wonder why that is? But you know this already.

I don't know.

Maybe because Brisbane or Melbourne are only  a 1 hour plane flight away.

Denver is slightly further and not as easy to keep an eye on the care of your players?

[Allora]

5 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Especially as the SOO will be going to Perth in 2019 too. Will the RLPA and clubs be worried about players backing up from that?

Perth.. Denver... nearly the same distance on my tape measure.

 

[Scubby]

Just now, Allora said:

Perth.. Denver... nearly the same distance on my tape measure.

 

Yes but Origin often sees players back up sometimes 24-48 hours after a State of Origin game. I don't recall the clubs decrying Origin for leaving players under-prepared to play in the next club game.

[Davo5]

6 minutes ago, Allora said:

I don't know.

Maybe because Brisbane or Melbourne are only  a 1 hour plane flight away.

Denver is slightly further and not as easy to keep an eye on the care of your players?

These are international set ups,why would they need to keep an eye on their care ?

[Allora]

Not trying to start something here.

I just put an opinion forward.

I hope Denver is fantastic and the North American and Canadian frontiers can be developed and progressed.

Many kids in the UK already talk like Americans with English accents so they may adopt the Wolf Pack or the New York Rangers or Boston Thunder and Denver Mormons.

Its great for the game, some of the smaller Clubs in the UK that can not get any support from their local catchment area need to move down a few levels.

[RP London]

ok lets have the game in the UK... oh no thats too far.. so we'll have it in Sydney so Super League clubs get p*ssy and dont want it to happen for the same reasons.. ffs only in RL could this sort of line of argument really happen about something that could benefit everyone hugely!

[JonM]

1 minute ago, Davo5 said:

These are international set ups,why would they need to keep an eye on their care ?

Eliot Whitehead pretty much made that point in answer to Ricky Stuart - which was that the standards of player welfare etc. within the England squad were such that he didn't see any problem going to Denver and returning to play for Canberra the following week.

[Allora]

5 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

These are international set ups,why would they need to keep an eye on their care ?

Nothing has ever happen on International tours then?

Kicking down doors.

Off the rails on drugs or grog.

Breaking strick curfews

Sent home.

Robbed by local thugs at ATM's

Sound about right.

 

[Allora]

2 minutes ago, JonM said:

Eliot Whitehead pretty much made that point in answer to Ricky Stuart - which was that the standards of player welfare etc. within the England squad were such that he didn't see any problem going to Denver and returning to play for Canberra the following week.

England has a recent history of sending players home from Test tours.

[Krzzystuff]

15 hours ago, Evil Homer said:

Firstly I'm absolutely nowhere near the M62 and have been an advocate of American expansion and calling for this type of match to take place for over 10 years, so don't give me that ######. Secondly, as I clearly explained in my post, American fans seeing a team of amateurs playing at an embarrassingly low standard followed by a bunch of foreign elite pros playing at the highest standard isn't going to endear the sport to anybody in that country, it's going to send a clear message to them that their own team sucks. The absolute worst thing to do to Americans. It also dilutes the contest and turns the event from a high-profile exhibition match involving world-caliber teams to some sort of festival of a sport they don't know about, there's also a chance fans would show up for the USA game and then go home before the 'main event' which again defeats the purpose of the match, which is to expose Americans to high-level elite RL and test the market for the 2025 WC. Where not every game will involve a USA team playing beforehand. So yeah, I'm well aware it's not trying to appease the M62 but sadly it seems like others aren't.

Another instance of UK folk telling the NA's how they should/will feel and react eh? I won't get into this with ya, we will just wait and see what happens. clearly you think this is a bad way to go about promoting the game and i think it s a good approach.

You are the Ying to my Yang.

[Davo5]

4 minutes ago, Allora said:

Nothing has ever happen on International tours then?

Kicking down doors.

Off the rails on drugs or grog.

Breaking strick curfews

Sent home.

Robbed by local thugs at ATM's

Sound about right.

 

Sounds more like recent Qld origin camps and a normal week for several NRL players.

[Davo5]

37 minutes ago, Allora said:

England has a recent history of sending players home from Test tours.

Qld has a recent history of playing star halfbacks carrying injuries resulting in further season ending injury.

[Allora]

29 minutes ago, Krzzystuff said:

Another instance of UK folk telling the NA's how they should/will feel and react eh? I won't get into this with ya, we will just wait and see what happens. clearly you think this is a bad way to go about promoting the game and i think it s a good approach.

You are the Ying to my Yang.

Is there any need to type the way you talk?

People often sing without accents.

 

[Allora]

29 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Alf has a recent history of playing star halfbacks carrying injuries resulting in further season ending injury.

Who is Alf?