We are talking about a FIFA World Cup, probably the biggest sporting event in the world and one taking place less than 18 months after England made it to the final of the Euros and will be considered one of the teams likely to win it. The build up in the press and media will likely begin as soon as the 2021/22 Premier League season ends and carry on through the first stages of the following football season. If we held our WC in 2022 we could win the thing and still struggle to make the back pages/main stories as nothing but the FIFA tournament will matter to the press and other media or to the public at large at that stage. It has to be this year for our WC or it won't happen at all.

Cant help but feel it won't go ahead this years notice on the bcc site the NRL clubs support the stance of postponement and even Dutton now seems to be wavering on it going ahead, i just hope the end comes quickly and it isn't dragged on its time for a yes or no.

It is absolutely what I would be doing. If this is about Covid as they like to claim and it obviously is (I’m taking the mick), I would say let’s play this thing in mid season in July, when we’ll be in our summer and the chances are that our Covid rates will be at their lowest and we can get this comp on with player safety right at the forefront of our minds. We don’t need to extend the seasons then and they can still get a good off season rest in at the end of 2022.

It’s a no brainer for the NRL top brass, well it is if we take them at face value regards their current concerns.

I wouldn't pay too much heed to that article as if it is them backing the ARLC. Obviously they agree with the decision as it was their idea to do it. With some of the stuff coming out of the NRL, ARLC and NZRL in the last few days if one of them told me I was on fire I'd seek a second opinion. The NRL are overtly pressuring players to do what the NRL want and turn down their nations if selected. I think Jon Dutton is preparing us for the possibility of the Aussie hierarchy's misinformation and implied threats to players outdoing the IRL's efforts to secure the players' participation in the RLWC.

This is nothing at all to do with Covid, it is the NRL attempting to throw their weight around and to gain control of international RL.

I wondered if I was missing something in this taking us closer to the edge but isn’t this the NRL clubs backing the decision the NRL clubs made last week? Basically the ARL and NZRL took their instruction from the NRL big wigs, let us stew for a week and as we threaten going over the top of them to invite Maori and Aboriginal teams in to the comp, they come back with a statement from all the clubs.

That July World Cup should solve it all anyway.

I just can't see anything happening, and that is a very depressing thought.

NRL games postponed this weekend, which will give them even more justification. They will probably try to extend their season to fit in the 3 (three) postponed games this weekend.

Reading that the England Cricket team are having serious thoughts about the Ashes over there. That would cause an absolute meltdown in their press

only due to the aussies not letting their families go with them like they always have done

That's exactly what it is, the NRL clubs are saying they agree with the decision that they got the ARLC to announce for them last week. They are are agreeing with themselves and using this statement to put further pressure on players whom had been putting their hands up to play for other national teams or as part of Indigenous/Maori teams.

The WC should absolutely not be moved as that would be giving them what they want. They will only weasel out of a delayed tournament anyway. They cannot be trusted.

I honestly don’t see the NRL wanting the players to tour here for the next 5+ years, so I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could throw them on putting it back to next year. One way or another we’ll probably need to work out a way of going over the top of them if internationals are to continue in this country in that period.

So RLWC21 has finally decided to postpone the competition until 2022. At least we know who runs global rugby league now. Even the UK government accepts defeat. Only one thing can make me feel remotely happy about this and that is to win the mens competition next year ….. if indeed it does go ahead. As an RL nation we have been embarrassed.