Craig Bellamy has done what all the other coaches in the NRL do at this time of year, and that is to criticise the current World Club Challenge format. Wayne Bennett did it last year and Tim Sheens did the year before and rightly so. The WCC is played at the wrong end of the year as many people have said because the start of Super League is five weeks before the start of the NRL. NRL sides are focusing on their domestic competition and not worrying about what is happening outside the eastern coast of Australia. The World Club Challenge has the potential to be a respected competition to find the best club side in the world, but are the RFL, ARL and RLIF actually doing anything about it? The answer is no.
And in fairness there are two sides to this argument. On the one hand the NRL Grand Final winners know they will be competing in the game five months before it actually kicks off so the “we’re unprepared” excuse flies right out of the window. The format was agreed by representatives of the NRL and Super League so when the match is organised these representatives should be echoing the views of the Australian clubs, not sitting in the corner staying silent while the clubs have to battle against the system each and every year. And let’s face it, if the NRL clubs were really unhappy about the format they would just boycott the event all together. It wouldn’t be the first time they Aussies have done things their way even if they weren’t successful at it. (The Australian Super League of 1997 springs to mind)
However there are factors that the Aussies try to blow out of proportion but they are very valid points non-the-less. For starters the match is always played on a bitter cold Friday night in the north of England. Not exactly the most attractive place to play Rugby League but this is because of SKY Television acting as puppeteers and controlling the RFL. However, the English cold is opposed to the Australian heat which isn’t exactly ideal Rugby League playing conditions either. As well as that there is the fact the teams have to travel half way across the world to play just one game and its always the Aussie clubs that have to travel. Why not those in Super League? Well, again the answer to this makes the competition a further farce. You see, despite the calls from Red Hall for the game to be played in Australia the RFL know it’s a good source of income for the match to be played in the UK. The RFL only concede major tournaments and matches that will get them money when common sense takes control. For example, it would be pointless to interrupt the ARL’s Centenary Season celebrations by hosting a World Cup on the other side of the world. Now the World Club Challenge has not been around and played as often for it to be given special celebration any time soon so it seems we could be stuck with it.
The idea that the game should be played at the end of the season is a sensible one. Both teams would be at peak match fitness having just played their Grand Finals. However for this to work, the NRL have to shift their season forward to accommodate this extra match and as not to overlap the international season which is also at the end of the year. But if I haven’t mentioned this already, the ARL and NRL fail to recognise Rugby League outside the eastern coast of Oz. They will run their competition as they like, organising fixtures and dates as they like and working them around Australian holidays if they so wish to do so.
So it seems the NRL won’t take the WCC seriously unless it is played at a different part of the year, but they won’t cooperate with the relevant governing bodies to see out these revolutionary plans of theirs that will finally decide in a fair manner who is the best club side in the world.
Their loss, I suppose.
And in fairness there are two sides to this argument. On the one hand the NRL Grand Final winners know they will be competing in the game five months before it actually kicks off so the “we’re unprepared” excuse flies right out of the window. The format was agreed by representatives of the NRL and Super League so when the match is organised these representatives should be echoing the views of the Australian clubs, not sitting in the corner staying silent while the clubs have to battle against the system each and every year. And let’s face it, if the NRL clubs were really unhappy about the format they would just boycott the event all together. It wouldn’t be the first time they Aussies have done things their way even if they weren’t successful at it. (The Australian Super League of 1997 springs to mind)
However there are factors that the Aussies try to blow out of proportion but they are very valid points non-the-less. For starters the match is always played on a bitter cold Friday night in the north of England. Not exactly the most attractive place to play Rugby League but this is because of SKY Television acting as puppeteers and controlling the RFL. However, the English cold is opposed to the Australian heat which isn’t exactly ideal Rugby League playing conditions either. As well as that there is the fact the teams have to travel half way across the world to play just one game and its always the Aussie clubs that have to travel. Why not those in Super League? Well, again the answer to this makes the competition a further farce. You see, despite the calls from Red Hall for the game to be played in Australia the RFL know it’s a good source of income for the match to be played in the UK. The RFL only concede major tournaments and matches that will get them money when common sense takes control. For example, it would be pointless to interrupt the ARL’s Centenary Season celebrations by hosting a World Cup on the other side of the world. Now the World Club Challenge has not been around and played as often for it to be given special celebration any time soon so it seems we could be stuck with it.
The idea that the game should be played at the end of the season is a sensible one. Both teams would be at peak match fitness having just played their Grand Finals. However for this to work, the NRL have to shift their season forward to accommodate this extra match and as not to overlap the international season which is also at the end of the year. But if I haven’t mentioned this already, the ARL and NRL fail to recognise Rugby League outside the eastern coast of Oz. They will run their competition as they like, organising fixtures and dates as they like and working them around Australian holidays if they so wish to do so.
So it seems the NRL won’t take the WCC seriously unless it is played at a different part of the year, but they won’t cooperate with the relevant governing bodies to see out these revolutionary plans of theirs that will finally decide in a fair manner who is the best club side in the world.
Their loss, I suppose.
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