Brisbane will play the WCC at Suncorp...

[Ricardihno]

I'm sure Wigan beat Brisbane in their own back yard not so long ago to win the WCC llmao.

I certainly hope the Aussie clubs don't chicken out again from the prospect of being beaten on Aussie soil, and give an English team the CHANCE of a win.

Usually they are too scared to hold in Australia.

Im sure the Aussie Teams arent scared of playing Pom teams in Australia.

We all know what happened when the pom teams came over in 97.

The Pom wins are in RED...like not even 10% of games won...played mid season when ALL teams are fit game hardened too.

Look at Round 5 St Helens vs Auckland who didn't even qualify for the Super League Semis that year haha..70-6..wow..is that St Helens worst ever defeat?

1997 Visa World Club Challenge Fixtures in Australia and GB

Round 1: Brisbane 42 beat London Broncos 22. Auckland 42 beat St Helens 14. North Queensland 42 beat Leeds Rhinos 20. Canberra 70 beat Halifax Blue Sox 6. Adelaide Rams 50 beat Salford Reds 8. Cronulla 40 beat Warrington Wolves 12. Perth 24 beat Castleford Tigers 16. Hunter Mariners 28 beat Paris St Germain 12. Wigan Warriors 22 beat Canterbury 18. Penrith 20 beat Bradford Bulls 16. Byes: Oldham Bears, Sheffield Eagles.

Round 2: Adelaide Rams 34 beat Leeds Rhinos 8. Hunter Mariners 42 beat Castleford Tigers 12. North Queensland 54 beat Oldham Bears 16. Auckland 20 beat Bradford Bulls 16. Canterbury 58 beat Halifax Blue Sox 6. Canberra 66 beat London Broncos 20. Penrith 52 beat Warrington Wolves 22. Sheffield Eagles 26 beat Perth 22. Brisbane 34 beat Wigan Warriors 0. Cronulla 48 beat St Helens 8. Byes: Paris St Germain, Salford Reds.

Round 3: Adelaide Rams 42 beat Oldham Bears 14. Hunter Mariners 40 beat Sheffield Eagles 4. Cronulla 30 beat Bradford Bulls 10. North Queensland 44 beat Salford Reds 8. Paris St Germain 24 beat Perth 0. Canberra 56 beat Wigan Warriors 22. Brisbane 76 beat Halifax Blue Sox 0. Penrith 50 beat St Helens 30. Canterbury 34 beat London Broncos 18. Auckland 56 beat Warrington Wolves 28. Byes: Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos.

Round 4: Penrith 48 beat Warrington Wolves 12. Leeds Rhinos 22 beat Adelaide Rams 14. Oldham Bears 20 beat North Queensland 16. Perth 48 beat Sheffield Eagles 12. Auckland 64 beat Bradford Bulls 14. Hunter Mariners 26 beat Castleford Tigers 8. Canterbury 40 beat Halifax Blue Sox 22. Brisbane 30 beat Wigan Warriors 4. Cronulla 28 beat St Helens 12. London Broncos 38 beat Canberra 18. Byes: Paris St Germain, Salford Reds.

Round 5: Auckland 70 beat St Helens 6. Adelaide Rams 18 beat Oldham Bears 2. Cronulla 44 beat Warrington Wolves 0. Hunter Mariners 32 beat Paris St Germain 0. Perth 24 beat Castleford Tigers 14. North Queensland 24 beat Salford Reds 14. Canberra 42 beat Halifax Blue Sox 12. Brisbane 34 beat London Broncos 16. Penrith 54 beat Bradford Bulls 14. Wigan Warriors 31 beat Canterbury 24. Byes: Leeds Rhinos, Sheffield Eagles.

Round 6: Perth 30 beat Paris St Germain 12. Canterbury 44 beat London Broncos 22. Cronulla 40 beat Bradford Bulls 12. Hunter Mariners 58 beat Sheffield Eagles 12. Auckland 16 beat Warrington Wolves 4. Canberra 50 beat Wigan Warriors 10. North Queensland 48 beat Leeds Rhinos 14. Salford Reds 14 beat Adelaide Rams 12. Penrith 32 beat St Helens 26. Brisbane 54 beat Halifax Blue Sox 10. Byes: Castleford Tigers, Oldham Bears.

0Playoff: St Helens 42 beat Paris St Germain 4.Quarterfinals: Auckland 62 beat Bradford Bulls 14. Hunter Mariners 22 beat Wigan Warriors 18. Brisbane 66 beat St Helens 12. Cronulla 40 beat London Broncos 16.

Semifinals: Brisbane 36 beat Auckland 12. Hunter Mariners 22 beat Cronulla 18.

Grand Final: Brisbane 36 beat Hunter Mariners 12

 

[lockyno1]

That St Helens side was good as well apparently.

 

[Ricardihno]

That St Helens side was good as well apparently.

Check out the score that day...both teams at full strength, no pre season blah blah excuses...Brisbane 66 St Helens 12...says it all really...seems like I'm coming across as a biased Aussie..but thats what your lookin at if the game WAS taken seriously and played either mid season or after the GF.



Quarterfinals:

Auckland 62 beat Bradford Bulls 14.

Hunter Mariners 22 beat Wigan Warriors 18.

Brisbane 66 beat St Helens 12.

Cronulla 40 beat London Broncos 16.

 

[lockyno1]

Well they scored 12 points I guess that is a positive!

 

[Ricardihno]

St Helens were the Champions of the Previous Season in 96 too.

 

[lockyno1]

I know! ROFL!

 

[Perth Red]

97 was the first year all but one of the sides was full time professional. The NRL had a decade head start A conveniant oversight!

 

[Ricardihno]

The 97 Tournament was the reason why most Aussies don't take the WCC Concept Seriously...that really did it for me...I do watch the games every year..just to see how close the Australian Reserve Grade Team gets to the ESL Champions.

 

[lockyno1]

The 97 Tournament was the reason why most Aussies don't take the WCC Concept Seriously...that really did it for me...I do watch the games every year..just to see how close the Australian Reserve Grade Team gets to the ESL Champions.

I have the exact same feeling every year!:lol:

 

[East Coast Tiger]

This year's Wests Tigers team was exactly the same as the one that played in the grand final except for Marshall and Halatau. The Australian teams have always been as strong as they possibily could be. Reserve grade teams? You blokes are f**king kidding yourselves because you can't come to grips with the fact that the Australian teams usually get beaten. They get beaten because they are totally outplayed on the night and only then do the "fans" come out with all the excuses under the sun and claim it was only a trial game and they never took it seriously anyway. It seems the Broncos fans are just getting in early this year.

 

[Quidgybo]

I have the exact same feeling every year!

So how will you know when their best club really is better than ours if you don't take it seriously based on one bad year a decade ago (and counting)? The world isn't a static place, how can you say their best club (note, I didn't say their entire competition top to bottom) isn't as good or better now?

Leigh.

 

[lockyno1]

So how will you know when their best club really is better than ours if you don't take it seriously based on one bad year a decade ago (and counting)? The world isn't a static place, how can you say their best club (note, I didn't say their entire competition top to bottom) isn't as good or better now?

Leigh.

England sides are crap travellers. Some things don't change!:lol:

 

[Quidgybo]

Wigan wasn't in 1994.

Leigh.

 

[lockyno1]

And how were all of them in 97'....yep one year where Wigan won, the next time they come out and get thumped by 50!

 

[Quidgybo]

So obviously things *do* change. But you'll never know when it happens again because you seem happy to live in an eternal 1997 fantasy. Meanwhile some of us wouldn't mind finding out who the best team is *this* year (and next year and so forth). And finding out by a fair fight on the field, not by some arrogant assumption that it must still be us.

Leigh.

 

[lockyno1]

Mate, play our premiers in our season and we would put a cricket score on them! Remember they have lost their only good player as well as Lyon is gone! Relying on Sean Long...good luck!

 

[Quidgybo]

Mate, play our premiers in our season and we would put a cricket score on them!

Perhaps, perhaps not. I'd like to find out but if you lot don't take it seriously and treat it as a "waste" then we'll never know. And even if they did put on a cricket score this year it'd mean not a thing to whether we still have the strongest club next year or five years from now. I'd like to know the answer then as well, not arrogantly assume it based on past glories.

Leigh.

 

[lockyno1]

I could not care less to be honest. As long as SOO and tests are around I am happy!

 

[Quidgybo]

And there's the crux of the matter. For something you claim not to care about, you're spending an awful lot of time arguing against it. If you don't care why not leave us to our delusions? I think you secretly do care but just can't face the fact that your country won't have the best club in the world forever. And you desparately want to stop it ever being proved.

Leigh

 

[lockyno1]

The game will always be a trial game.