The fact of the matter is pinnacle can be used a number of ways.
Don't speak to me like I'm a dumb*ss because I don't agree with your stance on international football.
If you're speaking about pinnacle in terms of technicality well yes you've got it there but what other arguments do you have?
Crowds, ratings, playing quality, intensity can all be taken into account as well.
Just because you have decided for yourself the criteria of 'pinnacle' doesn't mean it is.
And they say that because it's the right thing to say but f**k, players eyes light up when they speak about their state, when they win a series, when they talk about it - It's as clear as day mate.
And I don't mean to insult other countries but the fact of the matter is - SOO sells out stadiums, has massive ratings, has an international viewing and is a massive representative game for the sport.
If you want to argue til you're black and blue about a technicality then go ahead - But only hardcore Int RL fans would agree.
And it's unrealistic.
How is it a technicality? Test football is the highest form. A pinnacle is the highest point of something is it not? Please tell me how representing Australia is below representing New South Wales? Because of TV ratings?? Please.
An Australian rep jersey is the highest rep honour an Australian can get. NSW and QLD players compete for green and gold jerseys. Australian players don't compete for blue and maroon jerseys. 34 Australian players play Origin. 17 play for Australia. How is that not the pinnacle? The Australian team includes the BEST of the 34 Origin players. How then, is Origin a higher form? It is not.
If we wanted to talk about ratings and fans and all that I could easily say the Grand Final or the Challenge Cup Final is the pinnacle of the game. A player would say a premiership with his team mates is the pinnacle of the game.
78,000 attended the Challenge Cup final last year, 42,000 the test match at Wembley. Does that mean that playing in the Cup final is a higher honour than an England jersey? Because of attendance??
And I can easily say playing quality of tests often equals or surpasses that of Origin matches. Intensity doesn't mean anything. A club game can have more intensity than a test or Origin.
It's the right thing to say because it's right. You just proved to yourself that a test jersey is the highest honour. Who cares if players eyes light up? I can tell you Paul Gallen holds his Australian series wins higher than his Origin series wins...
'Only hardcore Int RL fans will agree' Huh? All English, NZ, French etc fans think Origin is the highest form of the game? Bullshit. Only fans who don't care about the game outside of NSW and QLD will agree with you.