we might not have to go there at all.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...wn-may-be-moved-to-sydney-20101021-16w1a.html
Dragons' jet-lag buster: showdown for crown may be moved to Sydney
Glenn Jackson
October 22, 2010
NRL officials have approached their northern hemisphere counterparts about playing the World Club Challenge in Sydney - lessening the impact of what had appeared a horror travel schedule for St George Illawarra before the defence of their premiership.
The NRL has held talks with officials from the Rugby Football League about shifting the traditional pre-season encounter, to be played against Super League premiers Wigan, and expect an answer within a matter of days.
Having the match played at either ANZ Stadium or the Sydney Football Stadium would allay the Dragons' fears of an early-season meltdown, having already pencilled in a trial in Perth and playing in Auckland and the Gold Coast in the early rounds of the premiership next year.
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The traditional Charity Shield against South Sydney - which had been scheduled for the same weekend as the World Club Challenge - had also been under threat as a result of the clash.
''There hasn't been a decision made yet, but there is some interest in playing it in Sydney,'' NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said.
''We've been talking to the RFL about that. They were reasonably well-advanced with plans to play it in the UK [at Bolton's Reebok Stadium on February 27]. We're still in negotiations.
''The Dragons are open to the idea. We've had some discussions with them. But until we can come to some arrangement with the English, there's not a deal done. We've spoken to them, they're considering it at the moment. We're waiting for them to get back to us.''
The decision will largely come down to whether the RFL sees merit in such a change.
The match is always a significant one on the English rugby league calendar, and was last played in Australia in 1994, before the advent of the NRL competition. It is largely seen as being more beneficial for the English sides, with some Australian premiers treating it as a trial rather than a match to decide the best club team in the world.
But the NRL sees the Dragons' historic win - for the first time in more than three decades - as a chance to grow the encounter in this country. The Dragons would no doubt attract a sizeable crowd, especially going up against a world-renowned club such as Wigan.
