I think it's more down to the fact that GB haven't been competitive with Australia during pretty much everybody's lifetime. I'm sure if we rattled off a couple of test series in a row (agree about preferring that to Tri-Nations) the international game would peak a bit more.

That said, Saints v Wigan generates more passion at a neighbours level than England v Australia because there's a closer identity with self in those games i.e. it feels like "ours" whereas every Tom, Dick and Harry can ride the coattails of success for internationals (as is often seen with football fans too). I'm sure that sense of identity and beating a local rival, some of whose supporters you may even work with, carries greater sway for the average RL fan than the challenge of an opponent from the other side of the world who you rarely come into contact with.

I disagree, i'd love nothing more than to stick one over the aussies. I'd have wire playing in the Chp if we could give the aussies a few good pastings and see their smug faces wiped clean

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6399211464 According to the poll at the end of this article, 80% do not want players to be allowed to play origin unless they sign up to play for Austrailia. Although the question in the poll is biased. Its the exact opposite to the British RL flatcapper who doesnt want Chase, Widdop, Widdop, Read, Brough etc to sign up to play for England.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6399211464 According to the poll at the end of this article, 80% do not want players to be allowed to play origin unless they sign up to play for Austrailia. Although the question in the poll is biased. Its the exact opposite to the British RL flatcapper who doesnt want Chase, Widdop, Widdop, Read, Brough etc to sign up to play for England.

State of Origin gives us a fantastic blueprint for taking the international game forward and making it more valuable.

If internationals were played under "Origin rules", if the refereeing of facials, high tackles, biff and the like was as lax in international games as it is Origin there would be much more interest, especially from fair-weather fans and non-fans who might not otherwise be interested in League.

Is it coincidence that in the last 10 years especially Origin has been taken to new heights? I don't reckon so. Origin is getting more popular because the stuff that's been removed from League, the sanatisation of the game, hasn't been applied to Origin.

Bring back the tri-nations and referee it under Origin rules. It'll take maybe 5 years but you'd soon fill stadiums and significantly increase tv viewership if you give people the unregulated biff, niggle and hatred.

On the other hand, think of the children!

rancid makes a bloody good point. Everyone seemingly raves about Origin, but turns a blind eye to the plain fact that it isn't the same game that we watch week in week out. As people the world over do seem to love that version of league, how come it exists without demur, rather with glowing approval, yet anyone wanting to play the same game in our normal comps would be shot down in flames?

You and me too but I reckon most people's priorities are with their local team.



Perhaps that's more a question of culture and civilisation than it is of RL identity. You only have to go back a year or two to read about the horrendous culture that's bred around the NRL and its players to get some idea of that.

What horrendous culture? The culture in the NRL is the same as in every professional sport

Did you used to go to the proper Int's back in the 90's when we could raw 60k to Wembley for test matches? You can;t tell me there wasn;t passion and feeling in the fans for those games.

I'm not paparazzi follower but the stories emanating from Australia over the past decade of things like gang rape, Greg Bird, Matty Johns don't appear to be as prevalent amongst UK players. I'm not saying they're angels over here because they're not but it is the national sport in Australia and thus there will be a connection to society because that's how these things work.



I never said there wasn't any feeling or passion in them because there still is now but you know, as well as I do, that the feeling and passion is stronger when you're watching your team versus your closest rivals. More people travel to France to watch their own team than do to watch England when they play there.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6404910925

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6404910925

The only difference in culture is that League there is high profile, it isn't here.

As for the 2 incidents you reference, one was a gangbang, which is not rape and whether you agree with the concept of a gangbang or not they happen in all professional sports and life. The incident with Bird is also sketchy. I believe he was found innocent and the media misreported it, but I can't say because I didn't follow it

There are finally signs that people within the Australian RL community are starting to take this issue a bit more seriously. The Sam Kasiano 'case' could be one which makes everybody stop and think, because many people are uncomfortable that a guy who moved to Australia at 16, and has previously committed in writing to playing for NZ, may be considered for Origin and therefore lost to NZ.

There are no easy solutions to the problem though. Removing money from the equation (which John Grant has signalled could be made possible by increasing payments for internationals) will help a little, but won't stop young players being swayed by a phone call from a desperate Ricky Stuart during an Origin campaign on the promise of immediate selection.

Mark geyer was giving it to Ricky Stuart on tv the other night. He was basically calling them mercenaries and only wanting to play origin for the money and cheapening the whole thing. It was very amusing!

Ps it is easy. Ether
A) soo isn't linked to playing for Australia so any nationality can play
B) you declare your allegiance to the country you want to represent at 18 and you can not change for 5 years. At 23 you get a chance to change if you are a citizen of your new choice and that is it for your career.

Not hard really.

Why five years? Why not three? Ten? Fifteen?