Don't forget, this is essentially a pre-season game given the later start to the NRL season. There's absolutely no reason for them to rush players back from off-season surgery and jeopardise their potential to be ready for when the real games start.

If Leeds were in the same position they would be doing exactly the same thing, so can we drop the mock outrage?

Typical Aussie media stuff this
From the SportingLife article
[iMelbourne Storm will be severely under-strength for the Gillette World Club Challenge against Leeds Rhinos at Elland Road on February 28.[/i
Will they balls be severely under strength. They'll still have the core of their team with Slater, Smith etc.

[iThe Australian champions have four players undergoing close-season surgery while the late arrival of eight internationals also threatens to seriously disrupt their preparations for the 2010 campaign.[/i
We have 3 players who have had surgery (JJB, Senior and Kirke) and have Buderus, Delaney, Ali and Eastwood recovering from injuries. As for the international thing, thats just rubbish.

Are sporting life "Aussie media"?

Quote: Tony Soprano "Are sporting life "Aussie media"?'" Probably not, but I was meaning its obviously a press release from Melbourne themselves as the story is the same on several websites, SkySports for one. www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 90,00.html

Quote: Tony Soprano "Are sporting life "Aussie media"?'" Probably not, but I was meaning its obviously a press release from Melbourne themselves as the story is the same on several websites, SkySports for one. www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 90,00.html

The only players that really matter in terms of my interest are Smith and Inglis. If they come over they'll be very hard to beat.

And?

All of the above are likely to be available for the start of the SL and the World Club Challenge, so that's not newsworthy even on a slow day for the YEP.

If the WCC wasn't so massively weighted in favour of SL sides to give them a chance of even being competitive, this wouldn't be an issue. As it is, the timing and venue dictate that NRL sides will be under-prepared and will be missing players who have targetted the start of the NRL season when planning their recovery.

If you don't want the Aussies to have excuses for the WCC, lobby the NRL, RFL and RLIF to take it off our doorstep and play it on neutral territory in the middle of the season.

And if Melbourne are "severely" under strength having 4 players out, only 2 of which are remotely important then we are severely under strength too. Melbourne have the same amount of time to prepare for the WCC as we have. If Melbourne give the WCC a lower priority than the start of the NRL season then thats their problem but why come out with some utter bo11ocks about being severely under strength. And its amazing how the WCC wasnt such a low priority, meaningless game when Manly won it this year. The location is in England because the Aussies daren't play it in Australia in case they happen to lose, they still haven't got over Wigan beating Brisbane yet.
And surely the vastly superior NRL supermen will have no trouble overcoming such minor issues and still beat the inferior substandard teams of the Super League as they have consistently done over the last few years.

If you seriously believe no Aussie side wants to host it in case they get beat you're deluded. The reason they don't want to host it is because they know they won't get a crowd to watch a one-sided mismatch. The revenue generated by milking 30,000 UK fans more than covers the additional expense of coming over here to play it.

Again, you seem to be missing the point. Melbourne will be severely depleted from the team that won the 2009 NRL Grand Final by the time the WCC comes around. They will be missing 4 players who are recovering from surgery, plus a further 4(?) who have moved on to new clubs over the close season. Barring any injuries in the opening rounds of SL Leeds will be heading into the game missing just Lee Smith from the 2009 GF side. You can hardly call that "under strength".

What makes you think Manly in 2009 approached the WCC in any different fashion from the Bulldogs or Melbourne before them? Who in the Melbourne camp has used the phrases "low key" or "meaningless" to describe the WCC anyway?

The 4 who are having surgery, 2 of them are at best fringe players, the likes of Pitts or Ambler at Leeds, so really they're missing 2 first choice players in Cronk and White.
As for the 4 or so who have moved on, thats up to the club and is totally and utterly under their control and shouldn't come into consideration when discussing whether a team is "under strength".


I dont call it under strength, I just dont class Melbourne as under strength either. As I said its a typical Aussie press release that happens before virtually every WCC or international game.

Bingo.

Who cares?

Is the problem there not just that it is played in two seperate seasons, rather than under strength? Most teams change personell each season, it will always happen as long as the WCC is played into a new season.

And you need to look at the comments the Melbourne Storm were making before this latest announcement. For a start they are already back in preseason training, with this game been the reason for that. They were back 10 days before our guys have gone back, and ours doesn't include any of our internationals, who will not be back until January. They are most definately taking this game seriously. And who is to say Leeds will not have injuries before the game is reached?

It's poor reporting. When I saw the headline I thought Inglis, Slater and Smith would be the ones missing.

But instead it's a list of 4 no marks which includes Ryan Tandy. The man who proves the NRL is not so far ahead. He was poor in NL1 yet is a regular in the 17 for the NRL premiers. Shocking.

Who's said that, have Melbourne said that?

I know the guy who looked after the Australian sides in 2005 2008 and 2009. He said the difference in attitude in 2009 was obvious. Manly were far more professional about the game even when they weren't 'working'.

if rumoured on the VT are to be believed, a article over in Aus has been published saying Inglis and Slater will be missing for the game.