https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...c8551290b6040a
I hope this doesnt go ahead as it will disrupt the start of our season given we will be 2 games in when the Aussies want to play it.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...c8551290b6040a
I hope this doesnt go ahead as it will disrupt the start of our season given we will be 2 games in when the Aussies want to play it.
The article seems to imply that Penrith would be treating it as a pre-season trial game and playing a lot of youngsters. If that's to be the case and it might well be played under unlimited interchange then I agree, it would be pointless.
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Mixed feeling about this, it would take about 3 weeks out of our season in preperation through to recovery. More concerned of picking up long term injuries especially in our back line, we don't want another season like last year. On the other side of the coin it would be a fantastic achievement if we win and create another chapter in our history.
Would the RFL make it harder or easier for us in regards the five peat by setting up our fixtures to play the best reams in Superleague pre and post World Club Challenge.
hate playing this game. Too much disruption to the season and we always lose.
Glad it’s not just me who is unsure about this. It would be great if we went over there and won on their patch, however unlikely it may be. That said, after a spell of a few years where we have had a backloaded 2020 due to Covid, a short turnaround into 2021, a twenty-seven game 2022 season and then a World Cup, a trip to Australia to play in a game that isn’t taken with any particular sense of importance by the Australians might be an unwise move.
Wigan’s trip to Australia come in significantly under budget when they went down there for the WCC and to randomly play Hull in a league game. Are we in a financial position to go, right now?
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
Not a fan of it, the Aussies don't take it seriously and will most probably cost us a couple of defeats.
We've players on international duty who are only having a short off season plus Lomax, Percival, Walmsley having operations during close season.
Can't see a plus side for it
I live in Perth, I'll be flying over to Sydney and attending.
This game will (if it happens) be where we look back at the end of next season as to why our season was a disappointment. A total waste of time. All we will get is unnecessary fatigue and possible injuries. It’s a total folly with no positives whatsoever IMO.
Humans are more concerned with having than being.
Part of me feels like this team need to win a WCC trophy to put the Cherry onto of a very fine cake.
Part of me feels like it would be a waste of time.
The levels of disrespect are through the roof there. "We'll play them, but in our back yard and we'll only play the Under 17s" doesn't really scream progressive does it. It's a shame awful people like those at Penrith win the competition and not decent people like Trent Robinson.
Half of me wants us to laugh at them and reject it. The other half wants us to go there and stick 60 on their kids. I do worry though that we'll go with half a team and embarrass ourselves.
If it was a full blown game I think it would be worth the trip, but travelling half way round the world to play their kids is a non starter for me. I just think the whole idea needs knocking on the head for good as logistically it's so difficult. Playing it on and off just makes it look like a joke in itself
“It will also give some of our younger boys the chance to have a run against a quality side.”
As others have said. Massive red flag.
I have no issue with us losing a couple of games. The regular season is pretty meaningless. It is more making the effort to go over there for Penrith to not really bother.
I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
I'm not a massive fan TBF but all it will do is put our players in the shop window?
What a statement to come out with. That to me renders the whole thing completely pointless. It'd be brilliant to go over there and see if we can go toe to toe with them on their own patch. But why on earth would we fly around the world and disrput out start to the season when that is their attitude towards it?
No issue paying there if its full - strength sides - I hope comments alrready are kidology by Penrith. If Penrith don't want to take it seriously, we get disrespected enough by the Aussie media (notable exclusion - Andrew Voss) without this needing to happen. Ironically if it happens and Saints go well, we will then the NRL vultures after our players.
The easy reaction is to bin it off but IMO we shouldn’t allow the attitude of one (particularly classless) Australian club to dictate the demise of the WCC.
If Penrith are too tin-pot to care, so what - go over there and try to beat whatever they put out.
The cynic in me suggests those comments have nothing to do with their plans to play a weakened team and everything to do with trying to create an environment where they can lose the game without looking silly. When the game rolls round there would be a strong Penrith team on the park - probably stronger than what we will be able to name given our off season operations etc.
Playing this game or not will have zero impact on whether NRL scouts think our players are good - they come calling often enough without playing it.
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Just don't see the point of this game at all. The aussies see it as a pre season friendly whereas SL clubs seem to think it'll make them world champions if they win . It does no such thing , it'll disrupt our start and as others have said probably cost us a few games . The comments from Penrith leave us in no doubt as to to they think about the WCC , not much . I reckon we'd be well advised to swerve it
Its always a win - win situation for superleague neutral fans, lose the game and we will be told we are not as good as we think, win the game and it will be downgraded to a friendly game. What the neutrals really want is lots of injuries for us during that game so that we start the superleague season hadicapped.
I’m all for a WCC home or away as long as both teams take it seriously. Saints and Penrith are the clear dominant teams in Super League and the NRL, it would be a massive shame not to have a showdown between the two clubs.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
Utter kidology from them.
No way will they risk getting turned over on their own patch.
Come game day, there'll be at least 10 first teamers in their line up.
Tell them to start talking sensibly or they can get lost.
Unfortunately seems were just as bad as the Aussie fans looking at some of these posts.
Winning in Sydney is something you can tell the grandkids it's the pinnacle and yet people are questioning it because it will disrupt a few games ? Give over.
SL shows you only need win half your games have a chance of winning the thing. On the back of the world cup I think we will start slowly anyway.