No progress for international RL despite RLWC

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fozzieskem
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Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 10:54 am

Re: No progress for international RL despite RLWC

Post by fozzieskem »

Wintergreen wrote: Sun Nov 20, 2022 9:59 am Imo there are 2 ways RL could, or rather should, go in the UK.

The first one is that you accept it will never be a game played beyond it's "traditional" boundaries. The game goes semi-professional and the best players go to the NRL. International RL is dominated by Aus/NZ/Samoa/Tonga with England (or GB if you like) becoming the whipping boys.


You scrap the Salary Cap. Teams with the best funding will attract the best players, as, if there is one truism, money talks. Essentially you get 4 or so teams dominating. The difference is that you could genuinely get a wild card with strong financial backing upsetting the apple cart (think Salford with no restrictions tempting half a dozen NRL stars).


At the moment RL is treading water between the two, getting slowly pulled towards the first option as the business model is terrible.
Have to agree with you at present the game is suffocating in mediocrity at present lorded over by people with self interest driving the game down,there’s not much interest out there and it’s time to accept it.

The World Cup as an event was mired with games played in far to big a stadium and as was pointed out on the bbc why on earth wasn’t a rugby league ground used for more England games,let’s be fair the DW only got a game because anfield wasn’t available the organisers treated us fans with contempt in my view.

Ticket prices,yes again sorry but for the group games in my opinion way to much and again why where so many games played at Warrington,st Helens etc?why on earth weren’t games taken to the lower league grounds it made zero sense,but again the organisers won’t admit they got it wrong on that score.

Now to the good points the wheelchair guys..bloody mad as match hares the lot of them but Greta to watch I hope it can kick on.

The women’s game..England closed the gap a little but there was only ever going to be one winner,work to be done but it’ll be many years before they can even get close.

Now the men’s game..stood still really,from day one I said on here Australia would win it,no surprise there but depressing that they really didn’t get going for all bar the New Zealand which was breathless to watch and the game of the World Cup,Samoa well it was good they broke through to the final but fell utterly flat on the big day.

England well where to start all very easy blazing past sides who where either below par,not good enough or simply couldn’t be bothered on the day..mad skillz where going to do it and all was going well until we’ll Samoa did turn up and could be bothered they never looked liked winning,odd selection. For tha t game included for me Welsby in the halves..he’s not a half back..play Sam there or don’t pick him,he’s better fullback for my money in a World Cup teams need players at the top of their game god they missed Lomax badly and now to the hooker problem…if you pick a form player like Ackers you play him,a nice wild card no one expects but not to play him his bizarre chances are he will never be in that sort of form again I found it weird.

But getting back to your point we all now think IMG will save the game,they may but until the cap goes (and the quota spots are increased)the game will carry on stagnating and I don’t hold any hope they will make any meaningful impact other than tinkering with the sport.
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