I thought I'd made it clear that I see it like licensing. If another club was to raise the standard, say a Hull or South Sydney, then sure; bring them in. If we go off league position only, we could end up with a poorly performing club with a low fan base. The NRL teams in particular often crash from top 4 to last in a season.

Obviously the best way to do it is on the sporting field... but does it not defeat the purpose of a theoretically glamourous league to have a Manly or Cronulla or Huddersfield playing when they might, in each clubs case, have a diabolical "stadium" or low potential support base?

Willzay: Again, I thought I'd made it clear I intended for a reduction in the number of league games - something which should undoubtably happen anyway. The actual issue would be accommodating the clubs missing out on a few weekends of footy.

Re: Catalan and NZ. Both clubs are almost certain to be there or thereabouts longterm due to junior bases or finances. They're also the sort of clubs with the attacking culture to win one off games.

Different concept similar result I think. [i"The World Club Challenge, which had been contested occasionally since 1975, was expanded in 1997 to include all ten Australian Super League clubs competing against all twelve European clubs. The European teams were outclassed, winning only 8 of 83 matches, and suffering many heavy defeats. The competition was unpopular in Australia, and it lost $6,000,000 due to small crowds and heavy travel expenses. The Brisbane Broncos won the final defeating the Hunter Mariners 36-12 at Ericsson Stadium, Auckland."[/i en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_World ... ampionship

Different concept similar result I think. [i"The World Club Challenge, which had been contested occasionally since 1975, was expanded in 1997 to include all ten Australian Super League clubs competing against all twelve European clubs. The European teams were outclassed, winning only 8 of 83 matches, and suffering many heavy defeats. The competition was unpopular in Australia, and it lost $6,000,000 due to small crowds and heavy travel expenses. The Brisbane Broncos won the final defeating the Hunter Mariners 36-12 at Ericsson Stadium, Auckland."[/i en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_World ... ampionship

It's something that would need to build, and if it does could benefit both leagues immensely.
You've got to remember that outside of your little Australian bubble, not many Brits could name half the clubs in the NRL as well. This is a way to get those fans in the UK (and France) to know clubs in the NRL as well as build rivalries with some of them. That will transgress into more people watching the NRL, which in turn will lead to the NRL contract being worth more in Europe.

As a hardened RL fan, I like the the NRL. But I think it's pretty bad that as a hardened RL fan I don't particularly care much about it. It just doesn't affect me at all apart from knowing who wins the GF (because they play in the WCC). If I was mainly just a Hull fan rather than a RL fan, the NRL would have no interest at all to me and I know for a fact that there are many many people that think that way (definitely more than actually have an interest in it).

The NRL and Australia in general need to get out of their little bubble and look at the big world wide picture. I'd love to see Hull play a couple of Australian teams a year.

I prefer the idea come up with on the Oz board.

WCC to be a genuine game two weeks after respective GF's. Then NRL to play in the Challenge Cup. Knock out comp happens in each country and the final at Wembley is between the winner of the NRL v winner of ESL CC comps.

Interesting idea but you've lost me with the 'read the AUP' comment?

Thats fair enough, but my point is would most Australians love to see their team play Hull?
I do not think they would, especially if a team they barely know gets torn a new bum, would they feel like its a big scalp worth the effort?................... NO


Who wins the NRL Grand Final would not affect you as its not like your team is going to play them in the WCC in the foreseeable future (neither is my NRL team going to be there)

I do not think most Aussies have a high regard of the teams in SL and as such there would only be reasonable crowds at games where Wigan and perhaps Saints and Leeds are involved.
How would you sell an English team that is not well known where several of the big name players are ex NRL players that either achieved little in the NRL (ie George Carmont) or retired to England (ie Steve Menzies).

It may have plenty of enthusiasm in England as there is an aspiration to play and see the best, that is the opposite in Australia where it would be seen as similar to the exercise 12 years ago, a non event not worth the trouble or the space on the playing calendar.

I would rather see full tours brought back if there was spare time at the end of a season. Once two more teams are in the NRL there is likely to be less time.