St James' Park where we got better attendances than the Etihad? the Etihad being in Manchester where we also get 75k every year? (for a game which, by your logic, they can only start planning a week before )

of course, it is well known in rugby league that neutrals don't attend finals and big games.

I understand that one cup winner would be the challenge cup winners but which cup would the 2nd cup winners have won? The Aussies don't have a knockout cup.

Of course, sweetheart.

Who on earth has suggested it has? The CC gets nearly 90k and the GF nearly 75k. Only an idiot would suggest a comparison to the CC or GF as a barometer of success.

One thing i can tell you though is there were a hell of a lot fewer neutrals who watched the first GF in 98, than watched when it was replayed in 2015.

The '98 GF and ones after it have managed to fill (or pretty close to) Old Trafford. Whereas St James' Park will barely limp over 10k for a WCC game where the NRL champions leave half the GF team at home and treat it as a end of season holiday/ up.

I think it's absolutely fine the way it is!

Australian clubs do take it seriously and even Brisbane want to continue to play in the "meaningless" games whether there are points or trophies up for grabs or not and I'm sure there are a few other clubs who'd be happy to play, even the Wooden Spooners would provide a cracking game. St George players were very impressed with the Wire atmosphere when they came over and it was a decent game.

Why scrap it when teams are willing and enthusiastic to play in it? So what if Brisbane come over every year if they don't win the NRL GF? They're the biggest, best supported, most profitable club in this sport so if they're up for it then how much better can it be? Every single test cricket match bar the Ashes is "meaningless" there are no trophies up for grabs but the teams play each other without needing the meaning of a trophy to play for. The Yawnion Autumn internationals are just test matches, no trophies up for grabs yet they are big games. I can't wait for this "meaningless" Wire v Brisbane game and Brisbane's social media team seem to feel the same and there is not a bigger name in this sport.

I'm getting sick of fellow RL fans and their pessimism and constant calls to change things. We do NOT need to constantly change things, it's getting painful the calls for change all the time! Just stick with something for a few decades, leave it alone, stop the chopping and changing if everything all the time because THAT is what's the problem, not the things we have that are good and work.

I keep hearing/reading "scrap the Magic Weekend"...Why? It's brilliant! Leave it alone! "Scrap the WCC"...Why? It's brilliant! Leave it alone! "The other games in the WCS are meaningless"...So what? It's good! Leave it alone! "Scrap relegation", "bring relegation back", "oh, no, lets scrap relegation again", "expand the play-offs", "reduce the number of teams in the play-offs", "oh, hang on, what's this Super 8s stuff about it doesn't work"(after one year? Hahahaha, give over!), "top four doesn't work"...............just ing give over constantly calling for change! STICK WITH SOMETHING FOR MORE THAN A FEW YEARS!

The WCS has been really good. It shows that we need to bridge the gap between the comps as there is a widening gap, but so what? Keep it up! People laughed when Argentina joined the Tri-Nations in Yawnion and people moaned when a Japanese team joined Super Rugby, but it's worked after being stuck with! The WCC has been brilliant over the years and it's an absolute myth that the Aussies don't take it seriously. No, it isn't the most prestigious game to them but neither are the UEFA Super Cup or Club World Cup comps in Association Football but the likes of Barcelona and Bayern take it seriously, still, even if they are just exhibition games the season after the trophies are won to get into those comps.

Fellow Rugby League fans, stop your bleeding moaning and constant calls for change. It's tedious, absolutely ing tedious! Change isn't always good!

Just to pick up on your point about the Aussies taking it seriously.

Why is it that they didn't send over their 3 "true contenders" last season ?
So, not that seriously then

Yes, but, IF the NRL were fully on board, as the previous poster suggested, it would have been The NRL's 3 top contenders.

AS I said in my earlier post, we love seeing the Aussie club sides (or National side) playing over here and if the WCC was done differently, it could be a much bigger/better event.

They didn't.

You just completely made that bit up.

Eh ?
I know they didn't and that was the point.
THe previous poster had said thet the NRL were taking the World Club Series seriously, which, if they were, we would have seen some different clubs competing last year