In the early years of Rugby League came moves for the code to amalgamate with Aussie Rules.
J.J.Giltinan, one of the league's founders and manager of the 1908-09 Kangaroos, first proposed the merger when he passed through Melbourne on his way back from the tour of Britain.
Five top league officials travelled to Melbourne in 1914 to confer with the rules hierarchy. After hours of discussions, a loose framework of rules for a new gamewas drawn up. The Melbournites agreed in principle to the inclusion of a cross bar on the goal posts and there was agreement on modification of leagues knock on and off side laws.
The outbreak of World War 1 brought all negotiations to a halt.
The amalgamation scheme was revived in 1933. NSW Rugby League secretary Horrie Miller conferred Con Hickey, secretary of the Australian National Football League. They agreed in principle that "the laws of the game of both codes might be open to improvement and that the present isolation and administration are not economically sound".
The two men proposed a single game which could be "just as common to the whole of Australia as the Laws of Cricket".
Plans were made for further conferences among experts on the codes but the talks did not eventuate. The two games remain seperate and distinct. This is from a book called,
Rugby league the greatest game of all by Malcolm Andrews
Cheers Retread
J.J.Giltinan, one of the league's founders and manager of the 1908-09 Kangaroos, first proposed the merger when he passed through Melbourne on his way back from the tour of Britain.
Five top league officials travelled to Melbourne in 1914 to confer with the rules hierarchy. After hours of discussions, a loose framework of rules for a new gamewas drawn up. The Melbournites agreed in principle to the inclusion of a cross bar on the goal posts and there was agreement on modification of leagues knock on and off side laws.
The outbreak of World War 1 brought all negotiations to a halt.
The amalgamation scheme was revived in 1933. NSW Rugby League secretary Horrie Miller conferred Con Hickey, secretary of the Australian National Football League. They agreed in principle that "the laws of the game of both codes might be open to improvement and that the present isolation and administration are not economically sound".
The two men proposed a single game which could be "just as common to the whole of Australia as the Laws of Cricket".
Plans were made for further conferences among experts on the codes but the talks did not eventuate. The two games remain seperate and distinct. This is from a book called,
Rugby league the greatest game of all by Malcolm Andrews
Cheers Retread
