Fiji Offered Two Games

[mikeob]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/75482079/fiji-offered-two-games-at-2017-rugby-league-world-cup

Two games at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup are likely to be held in Fiji.

The Fiji Times reported RLWC CEO Michael Brown has written to his counterpart, Timoci Naleba, at Fiji Rugby League offering them two games to host at the next tournament.

 

[CC_Roosters]

So how many games id australia going to get? Getting very blurred as to who is the principle host and i think the organisers are concerned about what backing the apathetic aussie public will give the event. The way its looking right now with 3 games in png and 2 in fiji that leaves 16 for aus/nz so at best we could say 8 games each, i think its going to be a very hard sell here tbh

On a side note i beleive this should have been an NZ only hosted event from the start.

 

[Pommy]

So how many games id australia going to get? Getting very blurred as to who is the principle host and i think the organisers are concerned about what backing the apathetic aussie public will give the event. The way its looking right now with 3 games in png and 2 in fiji that leaves 16 for aus/nz so at best we could say 8 games each, i think its going to be a very hard sell here tbh

On a side note i beleive this should have been an NZ only hosted event from the start.

4 hosts is just too much in my opinion. I understood the fact they wanted to play games in PNG but I think it's going to be too thin on the ground.

 

[yakstorm]

Personally I see no issue. Provided from a fiscal perspective we aren't leaving ourselves exposed is there really that much of a difference between playing a game in Suva than say in Perth?

Relative to RL heartlands on the east coast distance is roughly the same. Timezone wise, it's inline with NZ.

Now in terms of crowds, it is going to look better having 19,000 in ANZ Stadium in Suva than even the same at Parramatta or Penrith (which we would be pushing to draw). Firstly as it helps show that League is popular outside of Australia or New Zealand and secondly its going to bring some different colour to the event locals in Australia won't.

If we are worried about too many hosts we shouldn't be. RU has had multiple tournaments with 3 or 4 hosts (99 and 07 come to mind) and if nothing else it gives us another point of difference to other sports that we are prepared to take games to countries that would never have a chance of hosting a World Cup game in any other sport.

 

[parrawentyfan]

I don't have a problem with it but at this rate they could have held it as a NZ + Pacific World Cup. That would be cool. NZ with most matches obviously with PNG and Fiji cohosts. You would still get big crowds for the big 3 in Auckland, Wellington and one or two other cities.

 

[Misanthrope]

Really not sure how having multiple hosts is going to be a bad thing.

I'd rather see a large, interested crowd at a Fiji game than a sub 10,000 one at a suburban ground where people don't really have any interest in the outcome.

 

[deluded pom?]

As others have said previously, if Fiji are capable and willing to host games then it can only be good for the game there. Has a WC in any sport ever been played in Fiji? It will be a massive event for them and fantastic exposure for RL. Even a small financial loss would be acceptable in my eyes as the positives will greatly outweigh the negatives. Many of us on the forum have questioned why the PI games are played in western Sydney as opposed to the islands themselves. This is our chance to see our wishes become reality. Bring it on.

 

[Last Week]

I'm sure it will be possible. The list world cup was set up to be profitable before a ball was even kicked with the towns hosting matches, TV rights, etc etc. I'm sure this cup will be the same. So even if the matches in Fiji and PNG are held at a loss, the matches in NZ and Especially Australia should make up for it.

 

[CC_Roosters]

I dont really have a problem with the games in fiji, its just i struggle to grasp the idea of 4 hosts for the australia and new zealand world cup. A situation where it was just the new zealand world cup with co hosts fiji or the Australian world cup with png as co hosts would get more traction in both major countries.

 

[Misanthrope]

Why not just call it what it essentially is - a World Cup hosted in four Pacific nations?

The Asian Cup had a four way hosted tournament back in 2007.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

The last wc had games in four countries. 2000 had games in five.

If there's 20-odd venues it doesn't matter whether they're in one country or four as long as the travel isn't unfairly torturous. No team should be asked to go from Moresby to Perth to Suva to Townsville or Christchurch, but realistically that won't happen anyway. If anything, cutting games in Sydney and other usual venues to one each might help make them bigger.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

These island games are more or less guaranteed to be televisual successes early in the tournament - that's the sort of publicity you need to help flog remaining tickets to the later games.

 

[axe&smash&crush]

It's sounds like a great idea. One match would be fine. I couldn't imagine an oz or nz rugby union World Cup ever doing it, so do it.

 

[Emu01]

I think it's a good idea, but let's still keep the majority of games in Australia and Nz..The crowds in 2008 were good.Im thinking it's going to be a huge success in 2017.

 

[mikeob]

I think it's a good idea, but let's still keep the majority of games in Australia and Nz..The crowds in 2008 were good.Im thinking it's going to be a huge success in 2017.

I think you are right. In the past any promoting and some of the organising of the rlwc has been as an after thought to the NRL season. Here we are two years from the start of the competition and we have experienced personnel in charge and doing a good job for the past several months.