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WCC 2020


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Now the first round of SL is out of the way my next wave of RL excitement is beginning to shift to the WCC - Saints v Roosters. 

As much as I wanted the Raiders to win the grand final I'm really pleased it gives us another chance to witness one of the greatest teams in a generation in the northern hemisphere again. I also think the Roosters as a club have done a lot to get the Aussie fans and media to buy into the concept, not least of all Trent Robinson. They're really 'bigging it up' on social media too, with a few posts in the last couple of days, this being the latest https://www.roosters.com.au/news/2020/02/06/poll-results--your-favourite-pre-season-fixture/ A poll that shows most fans are excited about the WCC than any other pre season event (including All stars game and 9s). 

From a SL perspective it's pleasing to see our rep side be one as strong as Saints - in recent years it feels the side who won our comp the previous season was then somehow weaker by the time the WCC came round. That isn't the case this year. 

I'm sure we'll get the same old tired arguments that 'it's just another trial game for the NRL side', 'SL is already in season so it's not balanced' etc, but is it just me or is this game finally starting to take on more significant role in the RL calendar - I for one truly hope so! 

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13 minutes ago, Eddie said:

For the fans yes, but that is the only good time for international fixtures and the players also need a holiday. 

Align the Grand Finals and play it 2 weeks later,not many internationals played in the first 2 weeks in October.

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59 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Needs to be played after the respective Grand Finals.

Play it the day after the respective teams' Mad Mondays. That'd be, er, interesting...

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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5 minutes ago, Southstander13 said:

Agree completely about the strength of Saints this year, they are the strongest team in the comp. Previous years we've had Wigan having lost half their squad, Leeds having lost half their squad, and it just didn't result in a competitive match up in reality. 

2017 was pretty competitive for a while until Wigan ran away with it.

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This Saints team, with a few SL matches under their belts on home turf have as good a chance of winning this as any SL team in the past 10 years.

2 forwards as good as any 2 in the world, Makemson - best winger in SL and former golden boot winner, Lomax has really come of age and Roby still the best player in SL and as good as anyone in the NRL - Add in a few others who can win a match - grace etc and I'm backing saints!

Just need to play like they can!!

 

 

 

So it's a Wire win tonight then......

 

 

 

Post Wire match edit - I'll get my coat!

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Really looking forward to this game.

The Roosters are an amazing team but they are starting life without Cronk (and Lattrell Mitchell of course) and so may be in a period of adjustment.

And as mentioned by Southstander, Saints have the same strength in place from last year.

We haven't had a classic WCC match for a few years with some blow out scores... this could be a cracker.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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Okay so I'm not going to let last night's Saints performance dampen my enthusiasm for this game....

That said do we know the expected return dates for their arguably 6 best players? 

Walmsley & Percival - appreciate it might be a little early to tell but was good to hear Woolf say it was strain and not a tear for Walmsley

Morgan Knowles - named in the 21 initially so can't be that far off? 

Lachlan Coote - MCL injury which last week they said would be another week, not sure if that's still the case? 

James Roby - I don't actually know what Roby is out with? 

Tommy Makinson - last I can see about him was a quote from Woolf back in mid Jan saying he hopes to be fit for the Roosters

There's Kyle Amor as well although I'm not entirely sure if he's make the 17 if all the rest are fit. 

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14 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

James Roby - I don't actually know what Roby is out with? 

Multiple groin operations last year, which caused him to miss quite a few games and obviously the GB tour too. Said he was targeting WCC as his comeback game.

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15 hours ago, Mr Frisky said:

Makemson - best winger in SL and former golden boot winner

His dad's from Sunderland?

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 07/02/2020 at 09:27, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Okay so I'm not going to let last night's Saints performance dampen my enthusiasm for this game....

That said do we know the expected return dates for their arguably 6 best players? 

Walmsley & Percival - appreciate it might be a little early to tell but was good to hear Woolf say it was strain and not a tear for Walmsley

Morgan Knowles - named in the 21 initially so can't be that far off? 

Lachlan Coote - MCL injury which last week they said would be another week, not sure if that's still the case? 

James Roby - I don't actually know what Roby is out with? 

Tommy Makinson - last I can see about him was a quote from Woolf back in mid Jan saying he hopes to be fit for the Roosters

There's Kyle Amor as well although I'm not entirely sure if he's make the 17 if all the rest are fit. 

I see Makinson, Walmsley and Knowles played at the weekend. Still not hearing much about whether Coote and Roby will be in contention though? 

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5 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

I see Makinson, Walmsley and Knowles played at the weekend. Still not hearing much about whether Coote and Roby will be in contention though? 

I think we'll probably be at full strength other than Coote & Percival, although Grace came off with a knock at the weekend.  Fingers crossed he'll be fine.

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On 06/02/2020 at 15:46, scotchy1 said:

The roosters and trent Robinson have always been a great and progressive outfit supporting things like this.

Sadly, the importance of the WCC has been falling for years now, not least because of our actions.

Hopefully elstone can devote the time and energy necessary to build it back up

What non actions would they be?  Just curious.

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On 06/02/2020 at 16:35, Eddie said:

For the fans yes, but that is the only good time for international fixtures and the players also need a holiday. 

Yes, the only way that could happen is if it's played in Qatar or, hmmm... Singapore. Or if there were no internationals. 

BTW, if Aussies are looking for a half competitive match in France at the end of the season then why not leven the French team with an Anglo French one... or a "Gallic/Celtic one. Select a few non first choice English internationals into the mix.

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2 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

Does this mean our actions?

I would be critical of the WCS which I think was a very halfarsed attempt at expansion. Good aim, poor execution. 

I think the move back to home grounds has seen it loose some prestige. 

I think the lack of plan and push has seen a real opportunity wither on the vine somewhat.

In 2005 we had 40k packing out elland road. Had we seized the moment then we could have a real valuable property now

I agree with some of that. WCS was definitely mishandled - it should’ve been the beginning of NRL v SL wars but turned into a damp squib in history after a few blow out scores and then NRL sides reluctant to travel. Still think it could be built up more and I’d love to see a push for a round 1 NRL game to be played up here. Canberra v Souths or Broncos would be huge and could easily sell out a 30k+ stadium IMO. 

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2 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

I agree with some of that. WCS was definitely mishandled - it should’ve been the beginning of NRL v SL wars but turned into a damp squib in history after a few blow out scores and then NRL sides reluctant to travel. Still think it could be built up more and I’d love to see a push for a round 1 NRL game to be played up here. Canberra v Souths or Broncos would be huge and could easily sell out a 30k+ stadium IMO. 

What benefit would a weekly round NRL game have a) on the NRL as a competition? b) the clubs competing and c) the game in the UK? 

I’m not doubting that we could fill somewhere around the 20-25k mark but beyond our own selfish reasons for wanting it to be played on our doorstep, I’m not sure what the purpose of it would be. 

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3 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

What benefit would a weekly round NRL game have a) on the NRL as a competition? b) the clubs competing and c) the game in the UK? 

I’m not doubting that we could fill somewhere around the 20-25k mark but beyond our own selfish reasons for wanting it to be played on our doorstep, I’m not sure what the purpose of it would be. 

As insular as the NRL can be at times, even they are not naive to the fact they have a large following in the UK. Also, I’m not sure how the UK TV rights packages are handled but ultimately there’s a cost - I’m sure they’ll be looking at increasing that cost. For the game in the UK it’ll hopefully turned into a huge event which is never a bad thing for a game like ours that struggles for media limelight at the best of times. 

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5 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

As insular as the NRL can be at times, even they are not naive to the fact they have a large following in the UK. Also, I’m not sure how the UK TV rights packages are handled but ultimately there’s a cost - I’m sure they’ll be looking at increasing that cost. For the game in the UK it’ll hopefully turned into a huge event which is never a bad thing for a game like ours that struggles for media limelight at the best of times. 

It would need to be a pretty large following for them to take a game here, I feel, and I’m not sure it’s large enough for them to be enticed to do so. You’d also need to incentivise the two clubs taking part, much like they do in the NFL. 

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7 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

It would need to be a pretty large following for them to take a game here, I feel, and I’m not sure it’s large enough for them to be enticed to do so. You’d also need to incentivise the two clubs taking part, much like they do in the NFL. 

If they haven't got a large enough following here, then they may as only play games in Aus from now on.

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Just now, Click said:

If they haven't got a large enough following here, then they may as only play games in Aus from now on.

Large enough to warrant dragging two teams here? What about sponsorship? Is there enough interest here to have blue chip sponsors and good enough incentives to play a game in England for the two sides?

I can’t see it being worthwhile for them as a competition or for the two teams involved. 

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12 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

It would need to be a pretty large following for them to take a game here, I feel, and I’m not sure it’s large enough for them to be enticed to do so. You’d also need to incentivise the two clubs taking part, much like they do in the NFL. 

This is where I was tying it into the WCC - I agree asking 2 teams to come over in say May/June you’d be hard pressed. But we have the commitment of one club already at this time of year so getting one more over is feasible. I’m not going to speculate what kind of deals the NRL would be looking for to make this happen but you’re right to compare how the NFL has took off over here since regular season games have started. Not on the same scale but RL could definitely benefit from have a game from the pinnacle league played here. 

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7 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

This is where I was tying it into the WCC - I agree asking 2 teams to come over in say May/June you’d be hard pressed. But we have the commitment of one club already at this time of year so getting one more over is feasible. I’m not going to speculate what kind of deals the NRL would be looking for to make this happen but you’re right to compare how the NFL has took off over here since regular season games have started. Not on the same scale but RL could definitely benefit from have a game from the pinnacle league played here. 

You’d have to make it worth their while. Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a “home” game at Wembley each year, make a significant amount more from that game at Wembley than they do from a normal home game in their home city. While I don’t know what figures NRL teams are making from home games, I imagine they could be profitable if they held a game in the UK but I think they’d need some real convincing and a decent financial package to even debate it. 

 

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