As we gear up for State Of Origin one on Wednesday night I keep thinking about how lucky we are in Rugby League to have a series that gets so much attention, fills the biggest stadiums we can find, and one that always lives up to expectation.
State Of Origin games have thrilled us, made os cheer, made us angry, made us frustrated, made us cry….wait….I’m letting my New South Wales show a little too much here.
The point is, State Of Origin is an amazing series and we all love every minute of the contest.
So when will our elite Australian stars we watch run out on Wednesday night next get a chance to show their ability on the international stage?
After winning the World Cup last years, there have been no international games scheduled at all. No hint of who we might be playing. No plan to have any inbound or outbound tours over the next few years…nothing!
No doubt the implosion at International level thanks to the inept International Rugby League hasn’t helped things, but the NRL is big enough to set up and run its own race, and it has chosen not to.
Australia could easily play a three game series against New Zealand at seasons end, or chose to play New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga on consecutive weekends. Why has the NRL dragged its heels and not set something ups like that?
It’s not just Australia in this position of course. New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, no one had scheduled you play games going forward at all!
What happened?
Unlike other nations, Australia has the administration and the money to go out and set up their own series. So are they handcuffed by the International Rugby League at this point? What is the hold up?
Our elite players deserve a high stage to ascend to.
