Should Australia have a challenge cup?

[Pommy]

So tonight is the challenge cup final and it had me thinking should Australia have a similar competition? People will argue the scale of Australia prevents such a thing but there is already the FAA cup which is a similar format and is in a sport which is not on the same level financial as RL in oz. Next season the distances involved in the challenge cup will span from southern France to Toronto as well.
The NRL sides don't need to play every round and could be seeded in the later stages as happens in other competitions of this type.

 

[Stagger Lee]

Think its a great idea - the FFA cup is proving a winner for the soccer code


Teams that don't make the 8 - could be seeded into the draw early.

later stages of the draw would be midweek and would allow coaches to play reserve / fringe first graders.

Scheduling would be a bitch to organise but getting St George / Souths / Roosters to play against country teams in a competitive game would seriously help fund country rugby league. Utilising SOO weekends and International weekends would be the go.


It would take a man of vision and backbone to drive through all the vested interests and I'm not sure Green turd is that man.

 

[Tigers1986]

Yes, we should. However, nobody in power at the NRL has the capacity to organise such a competition, nor would the players (who already whinge about burnout) get on board with it.

I like the idea about using SOO weekends for the NRL sides to take part. You have X qualifiers leading into SOO 1, when the bottom 8 from the previous year join the fray. SOO 2 sees the top 8 come in with superior seeding (round of 16), SOO 3 has your quarter finals, a rep round sees the semi finals, which means one extra game for two teams.

 

[seanoff]

nope.

FFA cup is pretty much a pre-season comp for the A League teams. and that fits because the state leagues in soccer are winter sports and the A league is a summer sport. so the A-League teams get a pre-season comp and the state league teams get a game possibly agianst a sort of A League side.

The NRL doesnt have this dichotomy.

also. too much already. who'd turn up. watch Melbourne 3rds against Brothers Cairns on a wed night in melbourne, crowd 4.

 

[siv]

Trick is to have a 32 team knockout

You play this as 2 preseason rounds

Then during SOO period you can play QF SF and Finals

Where 16 NRL teams plus Top 6 non NRL aligned QLD and NSW and NZ champion and Melensia(PNG v Fiji ) winner

 

[shaggs]

Why does it need nrl teams. ? Do it with all the park footy and lower grade comps.

 

[Rabbit toes]

Why does it need nrl teams. ? Do it with all the park footy and lower grade comps.

It would be great viewing watching NRL sides up against park footy and lower grades. There would be blowouts but also solid competition. Awesome opportunities for talents to give it a red hit go and potentially be picked up by a club.

 

[AWESOME PERSON]

No way! They already play too many games.

 

[CC_Roosters]

Why does it need nrl teams. ? Do it with all the park footy and lower grade comps.

Yep 100% agree. always wondered why the various state bodies didn't collaborate on a knock-out cup tournament. The FFA cup has regionalised preliminary rounds were associations like northern nsw, act determine which if their sides progress to the national stage of the competition and potential a-league opposition. so in comparison the Newcastle RL premier clubs would contest sudden death knockout matches to send say 2 teams to the competition proper. Alternatively you could treat it as a champions league style competition were the champions of the various a-grade leagues are entered into a knockout cup to get a national club champion. some prize and travel grants would be required make it a reality.

I attended the English challenge cup final in 2012 and it is right at the top of my rugby league experiences.

 

[DiegoNT]

Could work.
Move state of origin to stand alone weekends. Nrl clubs join in the round of 32
State of origin one- round of 32
State of origin two- round of 16
State of Origin three round of 8

That means there'd have to be semi and final to fit in before the nrl finals. Tricky but not impossible.
A big problem will be players dual registered to nrl and state cup teams. A way we could do it is the cup would be limited to nrl top 25 and youth comp players for the nrl sides, and all second tier players (outside of the top 25) play for their state cup teams. Maybe if an nrl team is knocked out, and their feeder team is still in then maybe they can be allowed to pick all available players.

In most domestic cup competitions top line teams use their depth player's untold the semis anyway

 

[shaggs]

It would be great viewing watching NRL sides up against park footy and lower grades. There would be blowouts but also solid competition. Awesome opportunities for talents to give it a red hit go and potentially be picked up by a club.

No chance an a grade side gets within 30 of an nrl side. There would be injuries galore.

Keep it for those without contracts.
Soccer is more friendly to these types of match ups. If the keeper has a good or bad day it can make a big difference.
The contact in league and the power/strength is to big a variable between pro and not.

 

[Frank Discussion]

Yes.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

No. Wouldn't work for so many reasons, even if you didn't include NRL sides and banned NRL contracted players. I just can't even begin to explain why it's a non-starter. It would be Richo blueprint type of idea.

 

[DiegoNT]

No chance an a grade side gets within 30 of an nrl side. There would be injuries galore.

Keep it for those without contracts.
Soccer is more friendly to these types of match ups. If the keeper has a good or bad day it can make a big difference.
The contact in league and the power/strength is to big a variable between pro and not.

Its very unlikely a complete amateur will play against pros. Most amatuers will be knocked out by the semi-pros, semi pros likely knocked out by the pros. European challenge cup doesn't have that problem and they have amatuer teams technically in the same comp that has the likes of frank Pritchard, Ashton Sims and sean o'loughlin

 

[WaznTheGreat]

Nope,i don't wanna watch plodders play

 

[Pommy]

No chance an a grade side gets within 30 of an nrl side. There would be injuries galore.

Keep it for those without contracts.
Soccer is more friendly to these types of match ups. If the keeper has a good or bad day it can make a big difference.
The contact in league and the power/strength is to big a variable between pro and not.

It already happens in League with the challenge cup.

No. Wouldn't work for so many reasons, even if you didn't include NRL sides and banned NRL contracted players. I just can't even begin to explain why it's a non-starter. It would be Richo blueprint type of idea.

It wouldn't work except it does and the proof is on TV tonight.

 

[dogz08]

Nope,i don't wanna watch plodders play

just need a match race between jarryd hayne, winx & usain bolt

 

[East Coast Tiger]

It wouldn't work except it does and the proof is on TV tonight.

Oh really? An Australian Challenge Cup on tonight? They kept that quiet.

 

[Perth Red]

20 teams 19 game regular season plus a challenge cup. You know it makes sense Todd. Maybe they could pay Richardson $600k to write a report on the idea?

 

[Pommy]

Oh really? An Australian Challenge Cup on tonight? They kept that quiet.

So why wouldn't it work in Australia? You say you can't begin to explain why it won't work. but it seems to work fine in league elsewhere.