Before covid this foxture had been played every year for 20 years - I’d say that counts as established.
As for much maligned - depends who you ask. I don’t think it’s much maligned in the UK and I don’t think it’s much maligned by most of the clubs and players in the NRL who participate in it.
There are critics but then the NRL is not known for being the most open minded of competitions.
Genuine question - you think a pre season magic weekend is better than for example:
- Newlove skinning Sailor to set up Joynt in 2001 win
- Bulls smashing Andrew Johns’ Knights the next year
- Roosters teaching us a lesson the next year before the Bulls bring it back to UK in 2004
- Leeds winning a thriller at a packed Elland Rd in 2005
- Fielden putting in a magical performance for the Bulls vs Wests
- Scully taking out the MOM in another win vs star studded Brisbane
Etc etc
This IS an established fixture with a great history. Yes there have been some blow out scores but a lot of close ones too - the last fixture was a cracking game at TWS despite a weakened Saints side. Souths / Roosters / Storm haven’t been taking this foxture easy. They are proud to compete in it and win it.
It would be a big mistake to can it IMO, particularly in favour of a nothing NRL-centric jamboree with a token English side.
Anyway - good news that for another year at least the WCC will happen. Looks like we’ll have a warm up game against St George beforehand also.
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Last edited by FearTheVee; 4th November 2022 at 07:52.
https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/st-he...rnament-61666/
Saints vs Saints a week before the WCC apparently.
I’d say it is maligned. There’s been plenty of posts on here and from fans of clubs regarding the lull in form playing in the World Challenge creates in the early part of Super League and there’s plenty in the UK who don’t think it’s a big enough event or that it’s not taken serious enough.
A tournament with potentially a decent sized purse on offer against some of the best on the planet shouldn’t be written off at this stage. We don’t know what the details are for it, what it entails or how it’s won. We don’t know what this tournament could be or what it could become.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
We didn't disrespect the regular season the RFL did with their mickey mouse play off systems that rendered finishing top pointless.
We would finish top year after year and then get beaten by other teams in increasingly silly models. Leeds winning back to back from 5th was the final straw. The teams, the players the fans all knew that the league is a qualifying tournament for the playoffs.
The RFL could have acted and fixed the problem but instead joined the rest of thecsport at giggling at us. So if we can go play against better teams from a better competition then sod Superleague and its 27 meaningless weeks.
I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
Yes I am actually getting quite excited about it.
You feel the model for the tournament could be similar to some of the football preseason tournaments.
I am usually a sceptic of just copying football but if we could have a number of 4 team tournaments with squads from different leagues. This could eventually be sold to venues around the world. It could be a great revenue and exposure tool for the sport.
I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
Well in my opinion the day we decide that a pre season friendly tournament amongst every NRL team akin to what we have in soccer is more attractive than a genuine WCC game between the champions of the two best leagues on the planet will be a sad day indeed - however the NRL try to dress it up.
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Spot on. We could miss 5 games, forfeit them all and still easily make the playoffs given the diluted concept we play in. I struggle with the idea that regular season games are the be-all-and-end-all for some people. They are simply not that important, they are merely a way for the clubs that value consistency and achieving something to flog themselves for 27 weeks in the hope they will get 'shocked' by some team in 5th or 6th to the delight of Sky and neutrals who revel in the fact that our entire season can be shaped by one game in September at the expense of the 6 months before it. Except for getting beat by Wigan or Wire I can't remember the last time a regular season defeat even annoyed me let alone upset me. And conversely, except beating those two I barely rise above 'good win' levels when we win one.
Some on here were happy some of our lads missed out on the chance of playing in a World Cup through injury because 'they'd be fresh for the start of the season', as if anything that happens at the start of the season is even remotely important. Tell Leeds (lost 7 of their first 10), they'll laugh at you, it means nothing, they ended up in the Grand Final after doing nothing for half a season and sacking their coach The RFL, SL and the clubs correctly worked out the RL fanbase a long time ago and knew that the vast majority wouldn't bother complaining about the constant changes, the ridiculous play-off structures or the excessive number of games. Most just get on with on it, turn up and treat every game as if it means something. We get people on here posting in September asking what the play-off format is this year, people simply don't care enough to complain, so nothing happens. And we end up with this, people saying we shouldn't go to Australia and try something new and potentially beneficial as it'll mean we are undercooked for some reg season games in Feb.
If it proves to be a joke and a let-down, or we are disrespected, it's one year, live with it and don't do it again. But what if it isn't, and what if we were in at the start of something that grows, the flagship club from England, the pioneers, seen in Australia as the benchmark of our sport in our country? There's no reason not to do it, and certainly no reason to not do it because it might have a negative impact on a few meaningless run-arounds in the opening weeks of a diluted, overly long glorified qualifying comp masquerading as a league.
To be honest it would be a bit of a victory to kill off the belief that the bottom team in the NRL would mop the floor with us.
I would agree generally that three games would detract from having one big meaningful game. However, as it is us and we are going all the way to Australia, then let's get in a few games and test ourselves in back to back weeks.
I think a lot of out success under Woolf was on the back of the Sydney Roosters game. That was about as intense a game as I have seen us play. Knowing we had that in us convinced me that we could beat anyone in SL. I assume it did the same for the team.
I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
Last edited by Suttoner; 4th November 2022 at 16:01. Reason: Correcting predictive text
My concern with this is nothing to do with the matches themselves, which I would look forward to, but the economics of the whole exercise. I think I remember Kris Radlinski saying that Wigan's trip over there a few years back ended up costing them a fortune.
My only concern would be injuries with going into intense games without a warm up. I like the idea of the 3 games, just hope we don’t suffer any major injuries. If we can go with a full squad, then bring the Aussies on.
I don't doubt that the regular season is far from what it used to be, id rather we had FPTP myself, but try telling our fans if we lose 3 out of the first 6. It'd be meltdown on here and i could understand. I also don't think this 'tournament' or whatever it is will amount to anything long term. All the signs are there that it's some last minute cobbled together pre season nonsense that like every otherbRL idea has little chance of sticking long term. And yes I'd rather win our first half a dozen SL games and be in the strongest possible position to reach the GF at the end of the year, not having to win away twice to get there. I think some people have become a bit flippant about this scenario like its nailed on that we'd come through it
Do Wigan not get an invite?
To be fair they won one of the two major trophies on offer