Why is representing your country so devalued in RL?

[Perth Red]

Is it due to the physical nature of our game meaning by season end players are drained? Is it the ltd geographical mentality nature of our sport meaning the biggest game in the code is between just two states? Is it the lack of genuine competition at an international level? Whilst other codes have no problem getting 60k crowds to their national sides games we struggle to top 20k in our heartland.

In a week that the legendary kangaroo mal meninga suggested the 4 nations this year should have been scrapped, and on the back of the decision by the NRL to pull the Kangaroos out of international competition next year I found this article interesting. I think this fact just about sums up our ltd ambition for our game on the world stage.

Wallaby Adam Ashley-Cooper made his international debut in 2005 and played his 100th Test last Saturday. To put that in context, an Australian Rugby League player would have had to play in every Australian Test since the third match of the 1992 Ashes Series to reach 100 Tests. That team was captained by Mal Meninga, who hasn’t strapped on his boots in two decades.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/oct/24/rugby-league-international-failure-spectacular

 

[WaznTheGreat]

I wish State of Origin would die and we had more International games instead,SOO is a small man syndrome concept for rednecks,International games are far more enjoyable.

 

[NrlCoach]

because rugby league has too many selfish people always running the game

 

[AlwaysGreen]

I reckon Perth Red could represent his country in whinging.

f**k me you're a pessimistic f**ker.

 

[BODISGOD]

Sad this is moved to the international section away from the busy NRL one. Technically correct but kind of proves the point.

 

[roughyedspud]

state of origin devalues international RL... simple

 

[miguel de cervantes]

a bit of all that, but mostly the game is too NRL/ESL club centric, probably because there was a lack of foresight and more short term money to be made that way. Will take a big effort to turn that around.

 

[roughyedspud]

having the odd fijian,tongan,samoan,scotsman etc,and it is only the odd one,turning out for the odd origin game and then being able to represent his 2nd tier nation,if he wishes too,would be huge PR for that 2nd tier nation as well as being a great development tool...

but no...the ARLC would rather lock in players who'll never rep for australia just on the off chance they might get the odd origin cap...

 

[hutch]

Some good points on here.

For what it's worth, I remember in the early 2000's when 99% of rugby league supporters simply didnt care about international rugby league. Aus v gb got 12k in Brisbane, the best we could hope for in Sydney was 20k, the island nations only ever played at world cups and France would be lucky to get 3k to a game. Journos smashed the sport even more, more players pulled out of games and nobody was there to defend it. We have come a long, long way since then but have so no much more room to grow. There are more passionate international fans than before, but there are still plenty of knockers who claim to be rugby league fans.

 

[siv]

Lots of basuc issues

A rule that means players can drop playing for their country after representing then at a U18 or U20 level

Not needing to sit out 2 years before changing alegances

Not playing regular Pacific test matches

Playing the BZ test before SOI

 

[siv]

Playing the Australia v NZ game before SOO

And finally the ARLC not supporting the RLIF

they should agree with RLIF and establish international RL dedicated representative weekends

3 in season during SOO

6 in Oct Nov for the International Season

With club agreements and player contracts that stipulate their availability unless injured or suspended

 

[LordLeague]

Playing the Australia v NZ game before SOO

And finally the ARLC not supporting the RLIF

they should agree with RLIF and establish international RL dedicated representative weekends

3 in season during SOO

6 in Oct Nov for the International Season

With club agreements and player contracts that stipulate their availability unless injured or suspended

Agree.

However, I don't agree that initial assessment by Perth Red. Seems people forget that we just had the most successful RLWC ever with some huge crowds.

Secondly, being from SYdney, I always take offence to people claiming Sydney fans don't care about internationals. They certainly do BUT THEY MUST HAVE MEANING! That mid-season garbage they dish out, what was it marketed as this year? Was it even a Bill Kelly Cup match..who knows? SO much for engaging the public and 26K still showed up!

Suncorp will have close to 50k there tonight and should beat the Wallaby's v All Blacks crowd from last weekend. WOW! Not to mention the 14k that watched the Wallabies a few weeks back. Just shows League's unlocked international potential, especially when it is bagged in the media like no other sport and still manages to get stronger....albeit slowly.

It's not all doom and gloom folks, but more needs to be done.

LordLeague

 

[Lockyer4President!]

In RL's biggest market the chief RL writers go out of their way to trash talk RL. Can you imagine a Canadian journo doing that about Ice Hockey or US baseball/basketball journos doing that for the Dream Team, etc?

It's nuts and it's no wonder why fans become disillusioned when that shit is fed out to every other paper in the country...

 

[Usain Bolt]

State before country, most Aussies would rather win origin than the 4 Nations.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

State before country, most Aussies would rather win origin than the 4 Nations.

Asked them all have you?

 

[docbrown]

Because it appears (and is) thoroughly disorganized at most levels.

As long as its treated as an afterthought by the NRL/coaches/players etc, it will be treated as an afterthought by the press and the fans.

It needs money + resources + time.

 

[MrAnonymous]

If you weren't a rugby league fan you would have no f**king clue there is an Australia game this weekend.
The lack of press this competition has got is f**king sad. Makes me f**king mad. Nein merkins.

 

[Bronco Rob]

As someone said before I think the wheel is turning, the Kangaroos have been so dominant over the last couple of decades that no-one really cared. I think the gap is starting to close with NZ and England becoming more competitive and the new Origin eligibility rules will have a bit of an effect.

If this 4 Nations is competitive then it may re-energise fans love of the International games but it doesn't help when you have moronic RL media bag the worth of the games yet then wonder why we lose the likes of Sam Burgess, SBW and Jarrad Hayne.

I still think the best game I've seen over my time is the 2013 WC semi final between England and NZ, absolute cracker of a game, shame it wasn't the final.

If you weren't a rugby league fan you would have no f**king clue there is an Australia game this weekend.
The lack of press this competition has got is f**king sad. Makes me f**king mad. Nein merkins.

I disagree, the ads have been rampant on TV over the last couple of weeks and well and truly more than previous years. Channel 9 sports news locally here in Brisbane have had the 4 Nations as lead sports story just about every night. My receptionist and her partner are not RL fans, they are going to the game tonight because of the cheap tickets, at least the hierarchy are doing something but yes some elements of the media are still absent in their promotion of the games.

 

[clarency]

Sad this is moved to the international section away from the busy NRL one. Technically correct but kind of proves the point.

And yet they seem happy to have the international match day threads in the nrl sub.

God forbid they have to come over here...

 

[siv]

State before country, most Aussies would rather win origin than the 4 Nations.

That's a old Qld SOO attitude

Which didn't exist before 1980 after 40 years of NSW domination

NSW developed a similar attitude after 8 years of QLD domination

But the media plays a major part in this with the SOO saturation

If the media gave International RK the coverage it used to have in the 1975 World Series you would see the change in attitude

But it needs to be sustained over 10 years