how good was it when....

[Hanscholo]

It was great to see big soccer stadiums packed out. That was a golden era for GB RL. When we look back in years to come, some of the following players will be looked upon as legends:

Drummond
Golding
Lydon
Hanley
Offiah
Schofield
Edwards
Ward
Goodway
Robinson

Despite all of those great players they still never managed to beat the Aussies in a series.

It was a great era for RL all round. The three tests from the Kangaroo tour i can recall seeing were fkn amazing games, end to end with intense finishes and amazing quality. Wembly, Leeds and Old Traford. With the show stoping finish of all time to Mal Meninga. Still one of the best RL games i can ever recall seeing.

 

[griff]

I don't think playing Aus and NZ on too regular an occasion helps

that's very true. Back in the international golden era of the early 90s, Australia would only go to GB every 4 years. Because it happened so rarely, there was tremendous anticipation and pent up demand. Post SL, Australia started playing too many tests there: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005. Instead of only every four years, that's four years out of five, not even counting the world cup.

The other issue is that now the tests are essentially an after thought. I don't mean it in terms of when the tour is in the season, it is that it isn't seen as a big event anymore. Part of this is that the games are no longer on free to air television. The other part is the lack of lead up games against the big clubs.

A lot of people don't like the idea of countries playing clubs, but what matters is that it worked. The tour was a major historical event and people wanted to be part of it. You only need to look at the rugby union British Lions tours to see how successful these tours are if they are branded as an event.

Anyone involved in sports marketing always talks about the need to create an event. Rugby League hasn't done this since before SL.

A lot of people have grand plans about changing things to revitalise international rugby league, splitting up GB, a combined pacific islands side, etc etc. But is so much more simple than that. All they need to do get back to the glory days of the early 90s is to do what we did in the glory days of the early 90s. Kangaroo, Kiwi and Lions Tours and a World Cup every four years. Problem solved.

 

[Knight87]

i think we can rule out old trafford for any game,alex ferguson has a sh*t fit when 1 game a season is played there, the SL grand final.....we've got f**ks chance of playing another game there a few weeks later..

we'll have to stick to places like wembley,Coms or elland road..

What do you mean Alex Ferguson has a sh*t fit when 1 game a season is played there? It's not like he owns the ground or anything like that. I'm sure an England vs Australia match there would draw a big crowd, not to mention that the capacity is a lot larger than it was the last time the Poms and Australia played there in 1994 (approx 44,000 in '94, now it is about 76,000). Who cares about Sir Alex. I also read somewhere that they're planning to increase the capacity of Old Trafford again to 96,000, which would make its capacity larger than Wembley. Any truth to this rumour, roughyedspud?

 

[The Clan]

It was great to see big soccer stadiums packed out. That was a golden era for GB RL. When we look back in years to come, some of the following players will be looked upon as legends:

Drummond
Golding
Lydon
Hanley
Offiah
Schofield
Edwards
Ward
Goodway
Robinson

Despite all of those great players they still never managed to beat the Aussies in a series.

Meninga
Miles
Lewis
Langer
Walters
Fitler
Daley
Clyde
Harragon
Sironen
Lazarus

Might explain why GB, good as some of the players were, could'nt win 2 from 3 Test matches during that time

 

[roughyedspud]

What do you mean Alex Ferguson has a sh*t fit when 1 game a season is played there? It's not like he owns the ground or anything like that. I'm sure an England vs Australia match there would draw a big crowd, not to mention that the capacity is a lot larger than it was the last time the Poms and Australia played there in 1994 (approx 44,000 in '94, now it is about 76,000). Who cares about Sir Alex. I also read somewhere that they're planning to increase the capacity of Old Trafford again to 96,000, which would make its capacity larger than Wembley. Any truth to this rumour, roughyedspud?

who cares what alex ferguson thinks?

just think about that question you just asked...just for a minute :lol:


that is the grand plan of old trafford.....but it's along way away and given how much they cocked up the new quadrants i'm guessing they have to look for a new architect..