Some practical suggestions

[roopy]

We all know that international standards must lift by a huge degree for us to ever have a 'decent' World Cup.

A couple of things I think might help are;

1/ a $20,000 salary cap exemption for any players who qualify to play for an international team other than the big three. If that meant the Brisbane broncos could win the title by spending $200,000 dollars over their salary cap and buying the entire Russian team and turning 4 or 5 of them into firstgraders - good. The only way we can get guys up to international standard in a hurry is for them to train and play with the pro clubs.

2/ a month long training camp before the next World cup where we give the squads from the emerging countries every bit of help we can, including all the best training and coaching we can organise. We could put them all up in a big army camp or something and have combined fitness routines and coaching clinics with the best people we can find. This will have the benefit spreading all the best techniques to the emerging nations as well, because all the guys would take their new knowledge home with them.

Anyone else got any practical ideas? (or is that a silly question).

 

[Unknown Pleasures]

I think just have emerging nations playing as many international games as possible.
They have started that with the European Nations Cup, but we need more and even though it might result in big scorelines, we need the big three to play developing nations because they can only improve by playing the best.


I think the salary cap exemption idea is a great one, I would to see more international players in the NRL.

I also think in the long term we need more junior teams touring Australia, such as Pacific Island nations or European countries.

 

[ibeme]

1/ a $20,000 salary cap exemption for any players who qualify to play for an international team other than the big three. If that meant the Brisbane broncos could win the title by spending $200,000 dollars over their salary cap and buying the entire Russian team and turning 4 or 5 of them into firstgraders - good. The only way we can get guys up to international standard in a hurry is for them to train and play with the pro clubs.

I think this is a great idea. It think it should be extended to junior rugby union talent also, if it's not already

2/ a month long training camp before the next World cup where we give the squads from the emerging countries every bit of help we can, including all the best training and coaching we can organise. We could put them all up in a big army camp or something and have combined fitness routines and coaching clinics with the best people we can find. This will have the benefit spreading all the best techniques to the emerging nations as well, because all the guys would take their new knowledge home with them.

I like the idea. I also had a similar idea where it would be promoted as a carnival of sorts, and the regional centre/s in which it's held becomes everything league for the duration. The only problem is that it requires players for the duration of the training camp and the duration of the world cup. Semi-professional players might not be able to do this in one hit. Maybe putting the training camp/carnival on a couple of years prior to the world cup will allow coaches to also develop their skills, so both players and coaches can take what they've learnt and build on it (help them to help themselves) for the world cup. The immediate increase in skill and ability would improve representative league which would also icrease it's profile before the big world cup.

 

[Mr Angry]

2/ a month long training camp before the next World cup where we give the squads from the emerging countries every bit of help we can, including all the best training and coaching we can organise. We could put them all up in a big army camp or something and have combined fitness routines and coaching clinics with the best people we can find. This will have the benefit spreading all the best techniques to the emerging nations as well, because all the guys would take their new knowledge home with them.

Anyone else got any practical ideas? (or is that a silly question).

Quality ideas again roopy =D>

How about each club 'adopts a country' during the duration of the event. They can train with, pass on knowledge, and get a bunch of de facto supporters.

eg The Sharks 'adopt' Russia. The Russians stay near Shark park, train with the Sharks etc. Then Sharks supporters 'adopt' the russians and cheer them on when they play.

 

[ball boy]

2/ a month long training camp before the next World cup where we give the squads from the emerging countries every bit of help we can, including all the best training and coaching we can organise. We could put them all up in a big army camp or something and have combined fitness routines and coaching clinics with the best people we can find. This will have the benefit spreading all the best techniques to the emerging nations as well, because all the guys would take their new knowledge home with them.

Anyone else got any practical ideas? (or is that a silly question).

Quality ideas again roopy =D>

How about each club 'adopts a country' during the duration of the event. They can train with, pass on knowledge, and get a bunch of de facto supporters.

eg The Sharks 'adopt' Russia. The Russians stay near Shark park, train with the Sharks etc. Then Sharks supporters 'adopt' the russians and cheer them on when they play.

well that cant be good for russia :lol: . But it is still a great idea

 

[griff]

We all know that international standards must lift by a huge degree for us to ever have a 'decent' World Cup.

A couple of things I think might help are;

1/ a $20,000 salary cap exemption for any players who qualify to play for an international team other than the big three. If that meant the Brisbane broncos could win the title by spending $200,000 dollars over their salary cap and buying the entire Russian team and turning 4 or 5 of them into firstgraders - good. The only way we can get guys up to international standard in a hurry is for them to train and play with the pro clubs.

This is an excellent idea.

I have been thinking of something similar along these lines.

Any money spent on player/players who are not eligible for GB, Australia or New Zealand, up to a maximum of $250,000 per club, will entitle the club to a corresponding salary cap exemption.

eg the Broncos sign up a South African RU winger on $100,000 a year. He would not count in the 3.25m salary cap, and the Broncos would then be allowed to spend up to 3.35m on their other players.

 

[Eskimo Sharkie]

Any money spent on player/players who are not eligible for GB, Australia or New Zealand, up to a maximum of $250,000 per club, will entitle the club to a corresponding salary cap exemption.

eg the Broncos sign up a South African RU winger on $100,000 a year. He would not count in the 3.25m salary cap, and the Broncos would then be allowed to spend up to 3.35m on their other players.

It wouldn't work for a number of reasons. Two that immediately come to mind are:

- it would favour the richer clubs and then give them a bigger salary cap to play with, widening the gap between the richer and poorer clubs; and
- it would encourage clubs to focus on poaching talent from other codes and other countries at the expense of junior development.

To develop the game in these emerging countries, I think you need to have three main elements in place:

1. Exposure. Ensure that the game is seen internationally by as broad an audience as possible. This can occur on a number of levels: a World Cup that is well organised and played along the lines of its intercode rivals (I'm talking about rugby union and soccer here where qualification matches can be played in the lead up to a finals series held in the one country, not the ad hoc series of internationals that has occurred in the past), cross code linkages (working together with other football codes instead of against them - I've put suggestions in other posts and won't repeat those here), more expansive representative tours, playing some competition matches in emerging countries (Australia and New Zealand teams playing the occasional match in Pacific Island nations, South Africa and Asia; English teams playing in Europe, the Americas and northern Africa);

2. Money. Either the NRL or companies with interests in these emerging league countries providing funding to develop the game and this needs to occur on a number of levels. Getting kids interested in the game is as important as having a professional national league competition; and

3. Infrastructure. This could include junior development programs, stadiums, the structure of local competitions and linkages with either the NRL or ESL. Any expansion of either should be along the lines of New Zealand's inclusion in the NRL. As an example, a Pacific Islands team that would play home matches in say PNG, Samoa and Tonga, but players could come from anywhere. Home and away matches could be played in blocks of 3-4 match sequences to reduce travel. Teams could also be based in South Africa and Japan and, ideally, done in conjunction with rationalisation of the existing NRL competition. The ESL would go the same way, with a teams from the USA, France, Eastern Europe and Mediterranean as possibilities. Matches in traditional non-league countries could be played in soccer stadiums, possibly as curtain raisers to soccer matches and this is why I see the cross code linkages as so important in the developing countries.

All three areas need to be developed in conjunction and over many years. The problem is that there are too many factional interests that influence and control the game, both here and in England, seeking to preserve their own little patch instead of thinking forward and outward. It is difficult to imagine an NRL side based in Japan or South Africa being admitted ahead of one based on the Central Coast, or the ESL doing so with one based in France or the US. Or, God forbid, the respective competitions being rationalised to make way for these overseas-based teams, but I think if the administration of our game wants to be fair dinkum about international expansion, these are the lines that they need to start thinking down.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

 

[ChiaPete]

I think the best immediate action is to get a Pacific Islands Rep team together. Competitive Internationals in the Pacific Islands would do marvels for our game. But a Rep team would only work IF the individual Island Nations aren't ignored and are developed at the same time.

It would be awesome to see International Rugby League playing before soccer matches however I doubt we'd find co-operation such as that from soccer.

Pete
GO BULLDOGS

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

i think its a good idea,but i wouldnt let any club have more than 1 player from a emerging country.we dont want to take there own club comps down.i like the idea of an nrl club looking after a nation and helping them anyway possible,but not take too many of there home grown talent.

the other idea about a camp for these new countries is a top idea,and mabe we should look at that more,maybe every yr when the 7s are on we could do something like this the teams will be here so we should give it a go.

 

[roopy]

I think the best immediate action is to get a Pacific Islands Rep team together. Competitive Internationals in the Pacific Islands would do marvels for our game. But a Rep team would only work IF the individual Island Nations aren't ignored and are developed at the same time.

It would be awesome to see International Rugby League playing before soccer matches however I doubt we'd find co-operation such as that from soccer.

Pete
GO BULLDOGS

A pacific Islands rep team is another great idea. Former Manly and NZ coach Graham Lowe is one high profile guy who has called for this, and Rugby Union are also talking about it for their code.
A team that had the very best from PNG like Bai, Lam etc and players like Hopate, Utai, Vainikola etcetc etc would be another instantly competitive international side that we could throw in with the tri nations and we would have PNG, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and perhaps even Cook Islands and New Caledonia all able to follow them as 'their' rep team.

The next 'tri nations' could be a four team comp - even next years could be upgraded to four teams - and I'd say the PIs team would be the most exciting in the comp.

 

[dimitri]

i agree

i reckon they would get a lot of support

even in australia where we love an underdog

 

[roopy]

i agree

i reckon they would get a lot of support

even in australia where we love an underdog

It wouldn't be just the underdog thing, they also play the game in the most entertaining way.

When I was playing we used to call trying to run over the top of another player the 'Maori sidestep' but it should be called the PI sidestep, because those boys all only know one way to run, straight and hard.

Just about every player in the team would run like a back and hit like a forward.

 

[dimitri]

i totally forgot about that

yes that is very true



the samoan union team got a lot of support for the way they played against england

 

[roopy]

Another practical suggestion (I think it is anyway).

I live in Newcastle.

Newcastle regularly holds sporting events like the seniors games and tournaments for minor sports, and the people of Newcastle get behind them in a big way, because we love an event in Newcastle.

The other thing we love in Newcastle is Rugby League.

The local paper - the Newcastle Herald is the biggest regional paper in Aus and its sports section can be 8 pages of nothing but League in the season, and every radio station in town talks League nearly every day.

With the Usa team coming to Australia in the next preseason and us having the Greek, Italian and Lebanon sides all based in Sydney it could easily and cheaply be arranged for an emerging nations tournament with 8 sides to be held in Newcastle during the preseason. Four sides would take four phone calls, and another four such as New Caledonia, Tonga, Cook Islands and maybe Fiji wouldn't take more than a week to arrange.

The teams could be billeted with Newcastle club sides, and all the publicity needed would come very easily in Newcastle.

This comp could also be sold to SBS as an Australian cultural thing - and maybe an aboriginal side instead of one of the pacific sides would make it easier to sell. SBS already does an aboriginal league broadcast every so often.

The comp could be knockout, but with losers playing off as well, so we end up with all teams playing three games over two weeks and end up with international ratings from 1 to 8 for the teams, which would be handy for working out standings.

This would get top support in Newcastle, and you could probably even get some of the rich Leagues clubs in town to sponser it.

 

[dimitri]

i totally agree


when the RLWC is held in australia there will have to be plenty of games in newcastle

i have no hesitation that most the games will sell out

 

[bender]

i agree

i reckon they would get a lot of support

even in australia where we love an underdog

It wouldn't be just the underdog thing, they also play the game in the most entertaining way.

When I was playing we used to call trying to run over the top of another player the 'Maori sidestep' but it should be called the PI sidestep, because those boys all only know one way to run, straight and hard.

Just about every player in the team would run like a back and hit like a forward.

I am not so sure they would be underdogs at all, their side would look something like this:

1. Richie Barnett
2. Marcus Bai (PNG)
3. Semi Tadulala (Fij)
4. Willie Talau (Tonga)
5. Lesley Vanikolo (Tonga)
6. Jim Dymock (Tonga)
7. Adrian Lam (PNG)
13. David Solomona (W Samoa)
12 Gordon Tallis (Tonga)
11. Willie Mason (Tonga)
10. Petero Civonoceva (Fiji)
9 Monty Betham (West Samoa)
8. Joe Vagana (West Samoa)

I think a quad series is a must as it is 100 times better than a tri series for credibility. The only question should really be whether to use a pacific islands team or a world Team. Both would be competive and present a further challenge for the aussies.