Think you are right. The way the international game was effectively ignored for a long period did the game no favours.Pedro the Exile wrote:RL had a golden opportunity back in the late 1980's-1990's when we had some world class players and it was a fabulous game to watch.Wembley used to be rammed for the CC (albeit a smaller capacity than the new venue)and International RL was a genuinely exciting prospect -60,00 + at Wembley to watch GB v Australia etc etc.
Unfortunately it didn't seize the moment-in my view it ignored the international competition and is now paying the consequences-and was then faced with a resurgent professional RU and an ever dominant Premier League.
I think its gone past the tipping point and is in a slow decline .Sure,we will get the rip snorting derbies with big crowds but they will be the exception.The international game is playing catch up and lets face it ,the Aussies aren't that bothered as their domestic game is so big.Superleague is losing its best players to NRL and in some instances to RU as the money,opportunity and the exposure are immeasurably greater.
I have a horrible feeling that we've missed the boat and will become an increasingly marginal sport and possibly revert to a form of semi professionalism.It doesn't help when the standard of play is so average a lot of the time.
Its seriously bad when I get more excited about England v australia RU than RL!And yes-on TV Wembley looked about 2/3 rds full-and thats with 2 of the best supported teams in superleague playing.
Lets hope I'm wrong.
We can't just blame the Aussies. The focus on the club game here where the RFL put more effort into the magic weekend than it did into the international game being an example. As is the promotion of the world club challenge to being a game featuring more than one team. The latter has got to effect the desire for a bigger international scene as it just adds more travel for more players.
The move to summer also affected it. The game used to have tours in the off season into the opposing hemisphere during their season.
The club games playing the Aussies were, I am sure, a big advert to get people down to Wembley or over to Elland Road to support GB.