So basically all this expansion has done is show that the NRL don't give a damn about it. Shocking organisation.

A pretty disappointing announcement. It basically says that 8 clubs couldn't be bothered with it.

If Canterbury had won the grand final we would have had 1,2, and 8 now we have 1,8, and 11. You get the feeling the only purpose of this tournament is to prove it doesn't work so we don't have to try it again. Having said that I will be going to all three games anyway.

1st (obligation)
8th
& 11th

The nrl treating us like the distant cousin in the family that everyone can't stand but invites to the family parties like bithdays and weddings and gets lumped on the table furthest away.

So how is this all going to work?

It looks like only 3 games will take place over the weekend in Feb, so who wins? Is it highest score? I can't find anything to suggest how it will operate other than "oooh its expanded" and effectively "isn't it exciting?"

Blah blah blah. Who cares whom they send over? Just beat the basterds and I guarantee they'll take it more seriously next season.

Friday 20th Feb - Warrington Wolves v St George-Illawara

Saturday 21st Feb - SL Grand Final Runners Up v Brisbane Broncos

Sunday 22nd Feb - SL Grand Final Winners v South Sydney Rabbitohs

And the winner is? Er...

You might have thought that the organisers would check that all of the top NRL clubs actually wanted to be involved before it was announced!

Welcome to the SL era - selling mostly crap since 1996.

So we have a fairly structured path as to who’s in it, whereas the Aussies have the Bunnies with a couple more thrown in .

They may as well have chucked the Sharkies in there, as we all know our top clubs can compete in the higher echelons of the NRL .

The winner of the game involving South Sydney are WCC winners. The format is the WCC (champions v champions) plus two friendlies. There may or may not be a further trophy for the competition that has the most winning teams out of the three matches for bragging rights but only the winner of the game involving Souths can be world club champions.

Apparently this isn't going to be the case. Even if Wigan lose the Grand Final then they are still playing on the Sunday, due to their landlord informing them that Championship side Wigan Athletic are at home on the Saturday.

The selecion criteria seems a bit of a farce, doesn't it?

Saying that, I'm still going to try get to the games, despite me being a Yorkshireman and "not being bothered".

All three of their clubs have some decent players that I don't get to the chance to see live very often.
Souths: Inglis, Luke, the Burgess twins - then ones I've never seen play like Walker, Reynolds, Johnstone.
Dragons: Widdop, Marshall, Dugan, Merrin, Nightingale, Morris.
Brisbane: Thaiday, Barba, Hodges, Parker, Gillette, Reed.

Ok, maybe not all of those players will play. Got to be better than watching some of the jokers running around at Wakefield/Widnes/Rovers.

The Brisbane vs St Helens game should be outstanding, especially if Luke Walsh is fit to play. Brisbane should win easily, but I expect St. Helens to put up a fight for 60 minutes before their fitness fails them. It will be interesting to see Darius Boyd back in Brisbane colors, along with whichever famous full back the maestro Wayne Bennett decides to play at five eighth.

St. George-Illawarra vs Warrington will be interesting because Gareth Widdop will be keen to impress the local fans, as will Michael Cooper. Benji Marshall will be out to prove that his omission from the Kiwi test team was a mistake.

Of course the Wigan vs South Sydney contest will be the big disappointment, because Wigan will have no answer to the Burgess brothers, Isaac Luke, Adam Reynolds, and especially Gregory Inglis. The likely presence of Russell Crowe at the game would have been one of many good reasons to hold the match at Wembley, but unfortunately Nigel Wood is too blinkered and risk averse to have even thought of that.