And, so, to the Tri Nations...

[nqboy]

The grand final's been won and lost and I guess the celebrations and commiserations will go on for a few days but I'm almost over it already.

After last year's series, already I can't wait for International Rugby League to surge back into public consciousness. The Kiwis have been whinging (and rightly so, Bill) about clubs ordering their stars to have operations instead of turning out for the B&Ws. It's such a shame we rarely see their best side as they don't have our depth to replace superstars with more superstars, and being without Benji and SBW is a huge hole. The Pommies still have everything in their favour with all their games at home (hope they've found a halfback) and Australia have picked a very average side full of players whose form this year has not matched their hard-won reputations.

The best part of it being played in England is the fanatical crowd support over there as the Pommy pretenders strive to ride the Ashes wave of emotion created by their cousins in flannells and zinc cream. I hope they've picked some big venues and I hope we don't spank them too badly early on.

If we win, great, but I hope the others give it to us. If the Poms or Kiwis get up, Good on'em. What a boost for International RL and what a retort for the complacency and arrogance of our selectors.

Bring it on!

 

[bartman]

Venues for the games in UK are pretty much same as last year. The London venue is somewhere different, and anyway I don't think that game sold out last year?

Hopefully KC at Hull, Galpharm at Huddersfield and JJB at Wigan will be full or close enough again? I'm sure the final will be another full house at Elland Road in Leeds - guaranteed to be if GB make it through. It's all there to be won or lost, and I think people might be writing off the Kiwis too early, despite the lack of big name stars....

 

[Charge]

Venues for the games in UK are pretty much same as last year. The London venue is somewhere different, and anyway I don't think that game sold out last year?

Hopefully KC at Hull, Galpharm at Huddersfield and JJB at Wigan will be full or close enough again? I'm sure the final will be another full house at Elland Road in Leeds - guaranteed to be if GB make it through. It's all there to be won or lost, and I think people might be writing off the Kiwis too early, despite the lack of big name stars....

The Aus vz NZ match was in London last year and was played at Loftus Road. This is where GB will play Aus this year.
Then GB vs Aus in Wigan (JJB Stadium)
Then GB vs NZ in Huddersfield (Glapharm Stadium)
Then GB vs Aus in Hull
The final in Leeds.

The main disadvantage for GB is that we have to play 5 matches on the trot with no weeks off to win the tournament... Quite a big ask against a rested Aus and NZ.

 

[bartman]

Thanks Charge, knew something was different about London game this year.... Am heading down there to check it out, but it's GB v NZ played there first though, isn't it?

 

[Charge]

Thanks Charge, knew something was different about London game this year.... Am heading down there to check it out, but it's GB v NZ played there first though, isn't it?

Woops, yes it's GB vs NZ at Loftus Road.

 

[ozboy]

Why would you play Aus and GB games at the JJB and Galpharm infront of 20/25 thousand people when you could get upwards of 35 thousand at many of the much larger soccer stadiums up north or even in London ??

 

[bartman]

Because, just quietly, league isn't very well supported in London? You can fill say Wembley for a Challenge Cup Final, but most of that is people travelling down from other areas. Unless you already live in London, chances are as a league fan you'd prefer not to travel there...

The Broncos struggled to attract 3-5,000 league fans in London each week, while clubs in lower divisions in the traditional north pull bigger home crowds that that! So if you were wanting to make sure you got a decent crowd for any particular league rep game, you'd be better off booking it in the traditional areas from a purely business point of view.

If the Broncos/Harlequins can build their following and interest in league in general in London over the next few years, then sure, schedule a bigger tri-nations game there in a bigger venue. I'm going down for the game in London this year anyway, but I can see them getting just the same crowd down there for GB v NZ as they would for GB v Aus in the current climate.

In terms of using larger soccer stadiums up north, Newcastle and Middlesborough aren't really big league areas, and neither are Liverpool and Everton to my knowlegde? The final is played at Elland Rd (Leeds United), which only really leaves the Manchester grounds... But until they're turning hordes of fans away from these regular tri-nations games, why not play them at regular league stadiums, and give the home club supporters the chance to enjoy seeing international footy in their local area?

 

[ozboy]

Just seems weird that the RFL seem to be going backwards by going from the almost 40 thousand at the COM last year to the max 25 thousand this year at the JJB and Galpharm.

It would be a risk, but taking a GB and Aus game to London might just be what the code needed up there. I would have thought 35 thousand could have been achievable.

 

[ali]

They tried hard but couldn't get the COM this year. Probably a good thing, as I am beginning to think this years series may be a little less successful that last years going by the injuries and withdrawals to NZ and GB. We could really do with a GB win. Or more likely, a full strength NZ to show up in 2006 to reinvigorate the tournament.