Not quite. There were some years with separate Yorkshire and Lancashire Leagues and some years with play-offs but never a play-off between Yorkshire and Lancashire champions.

Your forgetting VRL, NTRL, WARL and others

Can only think of 2 players from the South Island. So that won't be it.
Be more along the lines of Auckland vs the Rest

nz maori have played tests against australia since 1909

we had a game between the aboriginal all stars vs nrl all stars

Cracking ideas allround imo

Remind me again of the ORIGINAL inhabitants of Australia & New Zealand (or what they called the countries) and take it from there.

A two conference system system would imply that maybe they are considering adding 4 teams like in 1994 rather than just 2. Two conferences of 10 teams is a lot more workable than 9 team leagues. There are enough good candidates.

I have to say that 2 conferences is the way to go in Australia and over here.

only adding 2 teams. the conference thing will be more down the track but i like it

more sydney derbies, for queensland derbies. crowds and tv ratings will boom

I think the issue is more about the other team rather than the Maoris. What would you call them? The All Whites?!

The residents? haha I can understand Maori vs all stars maybe I dunno

conferences are A) not necessary for at least 10 years and B) a poor outcome for non sydney teams (in terms of travel and TV exposure)

A better idea would be a 22 team league. Play each other once with an extended playoff.

Really?

I am aware that Gibson had many influences from the NFL including coaching technique from Vince Lombardi and others

But I wasn’t aware that the bomb was a tactic in NFL – I have seen many punts in American football to gain territory but I have never seen a bomb as an attacking weapon

Also, I would have thought that the tactic of kicking the ball high in the air and trying to catch it for your own advantage would have existing in Rugby League well before the 1970’s

You learn something new every day don’t you!