adamkungl
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Rugby League is a sport made for huge moments and last night proved it yet again.
State of Origin was another magnificent occasion and the perfect advertisement for the game.
Still it has its critics. Particularly International die-hards who bemoan the attention it gets, seemingly at the International games expense.
But this is a case of correlation not equaling causation. Or more simply - Origin's behemoth size makes a stark comparison to International RL's understated presence, but is NOT the cause of it.
Origin is representative Rugby League boiled down to perfection. Peak intensity, meaningful format, a constantly running story spanning decades.
Origin is what International Rugby League should aspire to be.
Origin may be guilty of 2 things in relation to the international game:
Preventing Australia from a mid-year test series by taking up calendar space.
and
Drawing players away from other national teams.
But the 2nd criticism illustrates my point perfectly. Players jumped to Origin because there was a lack of opportunity on the international arena. Now we have Tonga and NZ playing annual mid-year tests as the same time as Origin - and the tide is turning.
International Rugby League, the people running it, need to take the Origin blueprint and apply it to October and November.
It isn't an either/or proposition. Removing Origin wouldn't magically make International footy more relevant. There's room for both to thrive.
Give us annual tournaments with meaningful formats. Give us Australia v NZ 3 times a year. Tonga v Samoa. England v Australia. etc etc
Rugby League will do the rest.
State of Origin was another magnificent occasion and the perfect advertisement for the game.
Still it has its critics. Particularly International die-hards who bemoan the attention it gets, seemingly at the International games expense.
But this is a case of correlation not equaling causation. Or more simply - Origin's behemoth size makes a stark comparison to International RL's understated presence, but is NOT the cause of it.
Origin is representative Rugby League boiled down to perfection. Peak intensity, meaningful format, a constantly running story spanning decades.
Origin is what International Rugby League should aspire to be.
Origin may be guilty of 2 things in relation to the international game:
Preventing Australia from a mid-year test series by taking up calendar space.
and
Drawing players away from other national teams.
But the 2nd criticism illustrates my point perfectly. Players jumped to Origin because there was a lack of opportunity on the international arena. Now we have Tonga and NZ playing annual mid-year tests as the same time as Origin - and the tide is turning.
International Rugby League, the people running it, need to take the Origin blueprint and apply it to October and November.
It isn't an either/or proposition. Removing Origin wouldn't magically make International footy more relevant. There's room for both to thrive.
Give us annual tournaments with meaningful formats. Give us Australia v NZ 3 times a year. Tonga v Samoa. England v Australia. etc etc
Rugby League will do the rest.