Pacific Championships 2024

[titoelcolombiano]

That’s all well and good and it’s admittedly impressive effort..

The final of last year’s Championship was in front of less than 20,000 spectators and rated abysmally because of a distinct lack of ARLC marketing and promotion.

The ARLC enforces NRL rules and refuses to use neutral Referees. Last night on Foxtel (Probably Voss but I was only half watching) mentioned a player as a ‘Kiwi International.’ No way you would hear that on 9..

I just think more effort should go into the little things that give the appearance of a genuine International competition. I still find it incomprehensible that the ANZAC day match isn’t Australia vs NZ

It really is an afterthought IMHO..

Completely agree. If the international window is now locked in every year at the end of the season, then lets give it a bit of a marketing budget AND announce the details nice and early as part of the NRL draw announcement.

If we want the international game to be respected, the game has to show it respect first

 

[titoelcolombiano]

The ARLC enforces NRL rules and refuses to use neutral Referees. Last night on Foxtel (Probably Voss but I was only half watching) mentioned a player as a ‘Kiwi International.’ No way you would hear that on 9..

This is a great point. One of the things that shits me the most is how players like Sam Burgess and Joey Manu (as two of many examples) are commented on... they've done everything in the game... meaning won a premiership.

Have they though? I must have missed those two players winning the world cup with their respective nations. Those that make comments like this are completely ignorant to the fact that for non Australian players a world cup win is probably a genuinely difficult and prestigious goal to achieve considering the Kangaroos' dominance at World Cup level

 

[taste2taste]

This is a great point. One of the things that shits me the most is how players like Sam Burgess and Joey Manu (as two of many examples) are commented on... they've done everything in the game... meaning won a premiership.

Have they though? I must have missed those two players winning the world cup with their respective nations. Those that make comments like this are completely ignorant to the fact that for non Australian players a world cup win is probably a genuinely difficult and prestigious goal to achieve considering the Kangaroos' dominance at World Cup level

At least, for the most part they've stopped referring to Origion as the best V the best ( although Gus did say it on 100% footy )

There's at least half a dozen kiwis and a couple of poms who would walk straight into an Origion side if eligible.

 

[taste2taste]

Is the pacific championship happening this year ?

Has there been any official announcement?

 

[Coastbloke]

Is the pacific championship happening this year ?

Has there been any official announcement?

Nothing confirmed as yet but considered a definite go..

It’s frustrating nothing is being mentioned considering the rugby league chattering classes will start talking about 2025 SOO after the full time siren in 2024 game 3, but unfortunately that’s how International Rugby League is treated in this country…

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Nothing confirmed as yet but considered a definite go..

It’s frustrating nothing is being mentioned considering the rugby league chattering classes will start talking about 2025 SOO after the full time siren in 2024 game 3, but unfortunately that’s how International Rugby League is treated in this country…

Yep, dates and venues really need to be announced as part of the NRL draw and a marketing budget given to the tournament

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Nothing confirmed as yet but considered a definite go..

It’s frustrating nothing is being mentioned considering the rugby league chattering classes will start talking about 2025 SOO after the full time siren in 2024 game 3, but unfortunately that’s how International Rugby League is treated in this country…

Yeah the current NZ side would more than hold their own against the Origin sides.

 

[Coastbloke]

It’s essential that the Kangaroos play a Test - preferably NZ - in Sydney this year. Either Allianz or Combank..

With the English touring next year and most probably 3 Tests at Suncorp, AAMI and a Sydney venue the game needs to somehow elevate a Test to a status with reasonable crowd expectations.

If Yawnion can get 35,000 against Wales so should we. I’ll explode if their match against Georgia out-crowds a Kangaroo-NZ match..

 

[taste2taste]

If Yawnion can get 35,000 against Wales so should we. I’ll explode if their match against Georgia out-crowds a Kangaroo-NZ matmatch

I rekon you'll be exploding

Union fans turn out in droves to watch the national team and unfortunately 99.9% of league fans wouldn't bother crossing the road to watch an international.

 

[Coastbloke]

I rekon you'll be exploding

Union fans turn out in droves to watch the national team and unfortunately 99.9% of league fans wouldn't bother crossing the road to watch an international.

it’ll be like that 80s movie Scanners where their heads explode lol

 

[Billythekid]

It’s a shame because RL is booming in Australia and NZ right now but the international game is being left behind.

 

[Brian potter]

It’s essential that the Kangaroos play a Test - preferably NZ - in Sydney this year. Either Allianz or Combank..

With the English touring next year and most probably 3 Tests at Suncorp, AAMI and a Sydney venue the game needs to somehow elevate a Test to a status with reasonable crowd expectations.

If Yawnion can get 35,000 against Wales so should we. I’ll explode if their match against Georgia out-crowds a Kangaroo-NZ match..

Australia needs to be playing the kiwis in either Auckland or even Hamilton.

RL is currently booming in New Zealand and we need to take full advantage of this and expose the new zealand public to the kiwis especially when the kiwis are probably favourites.

 

[Coastbloke]

So today’s announcement means the NRL know what they are doing in March 2025 right down to the teams, but no clue about October 2024 after the GF..

 

[taste2taste]

In order of priority

1 NRL
2 SOO
3 WNRL







4 International League

 

[MKCS]

It’s a shame because RL is booming in Australia and NZ right now but the international game is being left behind.

They seem to go hot and cold with it. I remember in 2019 they had a bunch of internationals as part of rep round including minnow nations, end of year tests came around where Tonga managed to topple the Australians, we had the World Cup Nines, that was all really positive steps forward and was a lot of fun.

Rep round now doesn't seem to exist anymore as we haven't seen it in the past 2 years, the Rugby League World Cup Nines was meant to happen last year and it didn't, are Australia and New Zealand even scheduled to play games this year or will it just be England Vs Samoa and the PM XIII Vs PNG games?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

They seem to go hot and cold with it. I remember in 2019 they had a bunch of internationals as part of rep round including minnow nations, end of year tests came around where Tonga managed to topple the Australians, we had the World Cup Nines, that was all really positive steps forward and was a lot of fun.

Rep round now doesn't seem to exist anymore as we haven't seen it in the past 2 years, the Rugby League World Cup Nines was meant to happen last year and it didn't, are Australia and New Zealand even scheduled to play games this year or will it just be England Vs Samoa and the PM XIII Vs PNG games?

Apart from the Covid years we've had a very consistent run of International tournaments since 2016

2016 4 Nations
2017 WC
2018 Oceania Cup
2019 Oceania Cup / Lions Tour NZ
2020 & 2021 Covid
2022 WC
2023 Pacific Cup / Tonga tour England
2024 Pacific Cup / Samoa tour England

We now have Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands playing multiple tests every year and we even now have Samoa and Tonga touring England. We don't have Australia simply sitting out altogether anymore. We would have killed for all that as recent as a decade ago.

There are only two missing pieces currently....

1. Marketing - get the international draw out nice and early and promote it

2. Bring back the Four Nations as the flagship international tournament to drive revenue and sponsorship and ensure the big 3 face off every year. Australia hasn't played England since 2017 FFS

 

[Coastbloke]

Just watching the carry on on Nine News re SOO3..

If only the ARLC and Nine made the same effort for the International game..

Surely they’ll make an effort for England touring next year..??

 

[Coastbloke]

Grand Final night 2 months from today. We still don’t know what’s happening 2 weeks after that. But the ARLC really really cares for the International game..

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Grand Final night 2 months from today. We still don’t know what’s happening 2 weeks after that. But the ARLC really really cares for the International game..

No dates, no stadiums, no nothing... it's weird, we know it's happening but it's not actually scheduled to happen yet with about 10 or 11 weeks until it should be kicking off.

 

[MRN]

Grand Final night 2 months from today. We still don’t know what’s happening 2 weeks after that. But the ARLC really really cares for the International game..

No dates, no stadiums, no nothing... it's weird, we know it's happening but it's not actually scheduled to happen yet with about 10 or 11 weeks until it should be kicking off.

Nothing was announced last year until mid August. The 16th to be precise. So I wouldn't expect it any earlier this year.