www.skysports.com/rugby-league/n ... therington Apologies but can`t seem to copy the shortcut link from the Wigan site. Basically it says Storm may not be prepared to travel to Leeds for the game. They already have a testimonial arranged with NQC back end of Feb. GH says Leeds would be prepared to go over there even though we have already booked ER. Thoughts?

www.skysports.com/rugby-league/n ... therington Apologies but can`t seem to copy the shortcut link from the Wigan site. Basically it says Storm may not be prepared to travel to Leeds for the game. They already have a testimonial arranged with NQC back end of Feb. GH says Leeds would be prepared to go over there even though we have already booked ER. Thoughts?

I know garys got pound signs in his eyes but id rather not bother.
Melbourne have tarnished what little credibility the trophy had with there current stance. If theyd rather play a friendly then fair enough, but id rather not drag the squad half way round the world at the start of the season to play a team that cant be d with it.

I agree and it seems to hamper the season of teams that are involved too

If the NRL Champions aren't bothered then 100% agree.

I agree. Why bother screwing up our season?
Then again we only start playing in September so would get the jet lag well and truly out of the way!
On the other hand does that mean Wigan retain the trophy indefinitely?

Yeah not really fussed if we play it. It was nice to win it for the first time and nice to win it at Headingley in 2012 but it's not really something I'm bothered about winning again because the roll call of excuses come out when the Aussies do lose to such an extent that it loses a lot of its meaning and hampers your chances of winning the domestic trophies.

Looking like Australia on 3rd March 2018. Will probably mean we miss RD3. That weekend may be a free weekend in the Super League calander as it normal is when the WCS gets played.

Seen on the VT the usual argument about playing the WCC a week or two after the GF's so that it's the same 17's on show.

Melbourne have 15 of their 17 playing in the WC and does anybody think for one second that Smith, Cronk and Slater will risk getting injured before their final WC to play this game? I very much doubt it, you'd be lucky to see half of any NRL teams GF 17.

This year is a bit unusual with it being the WC; however, your point is valid and not just to the Aussie teams.

If we are going to have a WCC, under normal circumstances, it would be better played a couple of weeks after the respective domestic competitions have finished.

On the whole, I personally no longer see any merit in the WCC, not least for the reasons you have already stated.

Nope. If we want it, let's go back to the tested way and give it another go. Take three weeks out of the season, top eight from each competition split into four groups of four. Three matches each group played over first 10 days, top teams from each group in semi finals weekend after, and the winners play the final week after.

They could even play one of matches like a magic weekend, four games one day, four the day after, to save us having to have the silly extra match in our competition. And we all get to see the top players in action.

It could and probably would be worse than before.

No thanks.

That we might lose would be the worst reason not to play it.

The challenged should be welcomed.

3 matches in only 10 days, two of them against NRL opposition. Talk about setting SL clubs up for a battering. We've seen how the quality drops more when teams are forced into short turnarounds.

It is a nice idea but, let's be honest, no UK team could come close to being competitive. We simply do not have the intensity on a weekly basis and playing multiple games in a short turn around would leave us with some cricket scores in the against column.

Spot on, and maybe our top two or three teams MIGHT do respectably but looking at the Top 8 from this season do you think Wakey, Salford and Hudds are going to be able to hang with NRL teams twice in just over a week?