It needs to be every year. It just wouldn’t work otherwise. It needs the continuity. Every 5 years it is too easily forgotten about and we would spend for too much time, effort and money trying to regain the ground lost over the previous 5 years. It also loses some of its legitimacy as it doesn’t have that ‘lineal’ champion as those 8 teams are look pretty arbitrary when there were 4 years the same 8 didn’t play. If it is to be done with any real commitment it needs to be done every year and be our champions league.

With regards to internationals, I see no reason they cant be played straight after. It gives nice continuity in my opinion as well as a bit of an added storyline (imagine a few of the leeds players and Manly players going at it in the final, a week later They are lining up against each other as England and Australia players. Conversely (and it is much more likely with England) Say Wigan play Canterbury Graham and O’loughlin have a bit of a pop. A week Later they are lining up with each other)

With regards to player burn out which is always a consideration in these types of conversations, I think there is a good and easy answer to it. Clubs can play as many games as they want, it’s the players who get burnt out. So we limit the amount of games a player can play. If we have a 29 game regular season. Each player can play a maximum of 24 league games, and a total of 40 club games at most in a year including cups, play-offs and WCC. We would need a higher cap and bigger squads but more teams, playing more games and an added issue for the coaches to deal with as well as an added level of uncertainty in results.

thats not a bad idea, after all the players get paid alot for playing rugby, 40 games or so a year isnt too much!

I'd stick to the current format of a one-off game between SL champions and NRL champions in the interim years, alternating between the UK and Aus. I'd also like this moved to the end of the season so it is played with the actual title winning squads, and doesn't interfere with the regular season. An extended competition would be a much more special event if it was played every 5 years, annually would eventually kill the interest IMO. The next 10 years could look something like:

2014 – 4 Nations (Southern Hemisphere)
2015 – GB Tour Australia
2016 – NZ Tour GB
2017 – World Cup (SH)
2018 – 8 Team WCC (NH)
2019 – 4 Nations (NH)
2020 – GB Tour NZ
2021 – Australia Tour GB
2022 – World Cup (NH)
2023 – 8 Team WCC (SH)

Keeping the end of season tournaments fresh. The main issue is giving the teams not involved in the tours competitve games. It could be 2 4N per cycle rather than 2 tours to overcome this.

Not really sure how back-to-back competitions give continuity? If anything I'd say it's the opposite, as the international squad can't get together until a lot later and would go in to the competition under prepared. Having limits on how many games players can play is a complete non-starter. It's up to the coaching staff, doctors/physios and the players themselves to decide who is fit and when they can play, not some arbitrary rule that is is enforced by the governing body.

international squads could for the most part get together at roughly the same time. It is only the international players playing in the final who would have less than two weeks.

There is no reason we can't enforce a limit. Players argue they play too many games, clubs argue they need games for financial reasons. There is only one solution. Clubs play more games, players play less. To protect the players from pressure to play too many games from their club. Make it a rule and the players and the decision is neither the players nor the clubs. They are protected.

Sydney 22
Wigan 6

It'd be fantastic if Wigan could win though, I'll also have the disinfectant ready for the final whistle when I'll stop being a Wiganer.



I shall, in the finest Wigan tradition, continue to eat pies though.

Don't forget to stop watching and walk out of the room 10 minutes from the end

No I'd be worried about becoming too much like a Wiganer, I'd be finding myself curiously drawn to rosettes and huge flags, I might never mind my way back. Like an undercover cop in the mob who ends up becoming one of them. Or like Danny Dyer or Ray Winstone, they've been playing complete pillocks for so long they've become one.

www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... &type=news Looks to be a big following going down for the game from Wigan.

www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... &type=news Looks to be a big following going down for the game from Wigan.

700 tickets sold in the Wigan section does not = 700 travelling from WIgan. Mate of mine is flying over from Auckland in a group of ex-pat wigganers.....I'd hazard a guess that there are a few wiganners living in Australia that will be keen to attend too.

. seriously? they reckon over 1k of wigan supporters will be there in sydney and you still try to find a way to put a negative spin on it.

Seriously, you believe nearly 1000 are travelling over? Spin is the art of implying something but not actually saying it......re-read that release and tell me where it says the 700 seats sold......and rember, they are only available from one place, were actually sold to people in Wigan?

Yet why would anyone but Wigan fans buy seats in the Wigan section? What does it matter where they are coming from?

i sincerely hope that wigan smash em big time and come back with the cup

i will then start disliking them yet again

it doesn't. I simply corrected the poster that said....



Positive news that Wigan will have a decent size and no doubt vocal support at the game. Let's hope the citizens of Sydney get behind the game and attend in big numbers.

look even if 400 wigan fans travel thats still a massive achievement and those fans who do travel deserve a pat on the back, i wish i could go but 4 grand for 2 people is a lot of money for a weeks holiday.

they believe 1000 tickets will be sold for the wigan end I don't believe for a second 600-700 wigan fans live in sydney.

Going 12,000 miles, paying a minimum of 2-3k each (including spending money) to watch a game we're more then likely going to get well beaten in......If 20 people made the effort to go that would have been a fair following. At a guess at least 500 will go from these shores and that's about 498 more then St George brought to our place a few years back.

Top effort.

No you don't get it. Gutters knows someone who doesn't live in Wigan that's bought a seat in the Wigan section. Therefore rugby league is a shambles and needs to be mocked at every opportunity.

Show me anyone that has said nearly 1000 (or even 700) will be [itravelling over from Wigan[/i. I'll help you out, they haven't.

as fails go, that's pretty complete.........





Where did I mock RL in this thread?

I said that the 700 tickets were highly unlikely to mean that:


Hope that clears that up for you of an insecure nature

I hope Wigan hammer them.

Dislike Wigan. Hate the Aussies.

"A big following going down from Wigan" is not the same as saying nearly 1000 (or even 700) will be travelling over. Twisting people's words again gutters?

FWIW, you must have missed the memo that said tickets for the Wigan section have only been available to Wigan Season Ticket holders up until this morning when they go on general release. But hey, you know a few guys from Auckland going to the game, so the 700 must all be ex-pats scrounging their UK mate's membership passwords



[url=http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=276Exclusive Buying Window for Sydney Roosters and Wigan Warriors Members[/url

Got two tickets today, can't wait!

Thinking Roosters will eventually run away with it, but won't be easy. Super Sammy Moa leading the way for the Roosters' pack

!

Well done Wiganers.

Can't remember the last time i was cheering for your lot, probably the last time you went down under actually. Let's hope for a similar result.

I'm moving to Sydney in Feb and hopefully will catch the game. Haven't bought a ticket yet (hoping for a freebie

) - any idea of how many are sold altogether? Fair play to the Wigan fans for their big sales so far!

Hoping for a freebie, lol, you can get tickets for as little as $18!!!! Where you moving to?