Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[Henson Park Old Firm]

This is ridiculous....

[Dave T]

2 minutes ago, RayCee said:

Surely the WC organisers saying the USA and another country have accepted so its on. The only reason to really push for indigenous teams is to mirror the sides that won't be coming so any reshuffling of games would be unnecessary. I don't know whether reshuffling is feasible now regardless of who plays. The delay on a final decision is becoming damaging in itself if comments on the forum are any indication. 

To be fair, its clear that the NRL clubs don't want any players going, not just the Kangaroo's and Kiwis. That is the stumbling block here. 

Even if we believe the 500 number, that would only reduce by maybe 50 to 100 or so if these two teams pulled out. 

[The Rocket]

14 minutes ago, RayCee said:

The WC just has to go ahead regardless. I've never been one for waving a white flag. I won't give up on RL but have already stopped watching the NRL. Not that it hurts them but I can't stomach the people who run the comp. 

 

A lot of people stopped watching League after the the Super League war, if this gets ugly and it becomes clear that the players wishes aren`t being met and the clubs are being their usual ugly selfish bogey man selves, don`t be surprised to see another tranche of fans walk away.

Good article in the Herald today with Roy Masters ridiculing Peter Beattie.

Masters; " he ( Beattie ) has always got an answer , even when you don`t ask him a question ".

We need more of this.

[Matterhorn]

Well knock we down with a feather - the clubs don't support there players going to the World Cup this year.

I was just so shocked when I heard that after they promoted & supported sending there players all year.

How amateur to pull that ace from your sleeve?

I mean "Cry me a river" guys - this boo hoo about why there players will not be able to go.

You'd think Covid started last Wednesday & they thought Geez this doesn't look good we'd better bunker down this year & protect our players. 

Again it also wreaks of desperation they play this out publicly.

If you treat your supporters & fans like idiots then I'm afraid you reap what you sow.

 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Don't back down RLWC play! Stuff the NRL

[gingerjon]

17 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

It looks to be on the verge of cancellation, then.

But it is the RFL's response, not the NRL's, that will bother me. Whether or not we'll have to reorganise something for 2022, we should have some kind of event in October/November 2021 because the future of NH international rugby must be the priority.

Men’s and women’s quad series against France, Scotland and Wales.

Wheelchair  the same but add Spain as well.

As a starting idea.

EDIT

Assuming cancellation and only NH players available.

[Hela Wigmen]

We just need to really focus on making the remaining Southern Hemisphere nations comfortable and happy to travel and replace the two with actual nations to save the tournament. Postponing/cancelling would be devastating on a number of levels. 

[RP London]

The thought of gould's smug face if it was postponed/cancelled and there was a NH comp and a SH set of international matches this autumn is enough to turn my stomach. 

Play the world cup and sue the nrl for as much as you can! Also someone just punch Gould I'm the face... pleeeease

[tiffers]

If the RLWC can still convince the players to come, ignoring their employers wishes, then we need to give the players the biggest plaudits and a huge reception when they take the field.

It is a brave decision to step up against your employer. They all have families, mortgages and an income to earn... threatening the biggest payday of your lifetime (for most) is a big step! Putting that on the line deserves a huge round of applause at the very least!

[Oxford]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I am finding RL to be toxic right now. And that goes for clubs, players, fans, the media, commentators etc. 

I often feel there is a lot of gaslighting going on, and I'm not sure the game will ever move out of that. 

It is interesting how this has turned out the way it has. There have been lots of attempts to be balanced and trying to be fair to the Aussies and NZ over this issue. There has been a lot of rhetoric, bluster and nastiness.

The truth is the Aussies are not really interested ( and that's as fair as I can be right now) and it's hard to see or move beyond this.

The arguments for the RLWC just carrying on are pretty sound and waiting till next year seems fraught with even more problems.

The NRL clubs have now backed the decision and that should end this part of the discussion.

That toxicity you refer to Dave is a societal one and the fact that it's being played out on an RL stage is not surprising but truly disappointing.

That we may be witnessing the death knell of international RL seems just as well right now because we've been delusional about the possibilities and benefits since the very first Touring side.

We all know how important it is and we are all aware of how useless it's become.

I just stopped my WatchNRL subscription as a response to this and said why I was doing it, not that I expect anything to come of that, I just felt that was at least in my control. And as this is probably my last post I feel much the same way about that too.

If the RLWC takes place I'll be in the crowd.

 

 

 

[gingerjon]

13 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

We just need to really focus on making the remaining Southern Hemisphere nations comfortable and happy to travel and replace the two with actual nations to save the tournament. Postponing/cancelling would be devastating on a number of levels. 

If the NRL pressure means players have to choose between their employers and a national jersey then 99% of them will, entirely correctly given they have bills to pay, choose the people who pay their salaries.

All the participation agreements in the world will be meaningless if countries dependent on NRL players can't raise a team.

[Whippet13]

25 minutes ago, RayCee said:

Surely the WC organisers should say the USA and another country have accepted so its on. The only reason to really push for indigenous teams is to mirror the sides that won't be coming so any reshuffling of games would be unnecessary (I don't know whether reshuffling is feasible now regardless of who plays). The delay on a final decision is becoming damaging in itself if comments on the forum are any indication. 

They said on Thursday a final decision within a handful of days and I think the player consultation is over a 4 day period (hence the NRL statement timing) so expect a decision early next week. 

[Damien]

22 minutes ago, Dave T said:

To be fair, its clear that the NRL clubs don't want any players going, not just the Kangaroo's and Kiwis. That is the stumbling block here. 

Even if we believe the 500 number, that would only reduce by maybe 50 to 100 or so if these two teams pulled out. 

Yep. If the NRL said the Aussies and Kiwis are pulling out but we endorse players representing other countries then I have no doubt the World Cup would be on and would have been announced as such days ago. The NRL just arent content with the teams under their control, and lets face it the Kiwis are by proxy, pulling out, they want to destroy it for everyone.

[EastLondonMike]

Disgusting from the NRL clubs and the ARLC. One of the most annoying things is this blatant propaganda aimed at convincing all players not to go. 

I honestly don't know what is the best way forward for the game now.

For the RLWC, we have to play it. Absolutely have to play it. If PNG, Tonga, Fiji and Samoa are deprived of their NRL players, but field teams of local players, so be it. I can still recall the '95 world cup and seeing unknown players such as Fili Seru, Asa Amone, Marcus Bai and others.. and how wonderful it was to see them play.

I sincerely hope that some NRL players, no matter how many, stand up for their rights to represent their countries. What are the NRL clubs going to do? sack them? yeah right, I can see that happening to Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Jason Taumalolo and others.

Fck the ARLC and the NRL clubs. 

[unapologetic pedant]

47 minutes ago, Damien said:

Blind loyalty has kept me in the game the last 5 years or so. Now I'm just thinking if those in the game don't give a toss about saving it why should I.

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

I am very close to just walking away from Rugby League, which has been one of my life's great passions - sometimes you have to just let things go to protect yourself! If the World Cup is destroyed as seems highly likely now then I am done.

It`s a little baffling why some posters are seeing this as cause to abandon their general interest in Rugby League.

That would be to succumb to the very presumptuous belief that we`re castigating the NRL for. Namely, that the NRL owns Rugby League.

[Hela Wigmen]

2 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

If the NRL pressure means players have to choose between their employers and a national jersey then 99% of them will, entirely correctly given they have bills to pay, choose the people who pay their salaries.

All the participation agreements in the world will be meaningless if countries dependent on NRL players can't raise a team.

There’s been absolutely zero suggestion of that at the minute, so it’s a bit pointless discussing it. 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

There’s been absolutely zero suggestion of that at the minute, so it’s a bit pointless discussing it. 

Zero suggestion of NRL pressure? Did you not see the combined clubs statement?

[Hela Wigmen]

Just now, gingerjon said:

Zero suggestion of NRL pressure? Did you not see the combined clubs statement?

Yes. There’s nothing there that’s suggesting what you are. 

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

It`s a little baffling why some posters are seeing this as cause to abandon their general interest in Rugby League.

That would be to succumb to the very presumptuous belief that we`re castigating the NRL for. Namely, that the NRL owns Rugby League.

If it were just one thing then you‘d be right.

But think of it more as many “Rollball” scenarios going back over many, many years.

[gingerjon]

Just now, Hela Wigmen said:

Yes. There’s nothing there that’s suggesting what you are. 

Nice one.

[iffleyox]

4 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

That would be to succumb to the very presumptuous belief that we`re castigating the NRL for. Namely, that the NRL owns Rugby League.

except that the presumptuous belief will have become demonstrable fact.. 

[Damien]

4 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

It`s a little baffling why some posters are seeing this as cause to abandon their general interest in Rugby League.

That would be to succumb to the very presumptuous belief that we`re castigating the NRL for. Namely, that the NRL owns Rugby League.

Well no, I already explained why.

[FearTheVee]

56 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The players are professionals who need careers though.

They might stamp their feet but how many, ultimately, are going to ruin their reputations with their current and future employers for a one-off tournament on the other side of the world?

Yeah, I reckon NRL clubs would definitely drop the likes of Lattrell Mitchell for wanting to play in a WC. . . . . . hang on a minute

[Hela Wigmen]

2 minutes ago, FearTheVee said:

Yeah, I reckon NRL clubs would definitely drop the likes of Lattrell Mitchell for wanting to play in a WC. . . . . . hang on a minute

Exactly, this. 

[Damien]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Zero suggestion of NRL pressure? Did you not see the combined clubs statement?

Even Comical Ali couldn't have typed that with a straight face.