In my opinion one of the problems that Rugby League has is that it doesn't have enough opportunities for the best players in the world to face each other.
Ideally what I would like to see is both the NRL and Super League Seasons shortened and an end of year Super Rugby League competition take place.
Kind like UAFA or something but a little different.
The teams to be included are
Top 3 teams from the NRL for that year
Top 3 teams from Super League for that year.
1 Pacific Nations All Star team ( NRL and Super league players not in top 3 teams who qualify to play for 2nd tier nations such as . (Fiji, Samoa, Tonga,PNG,Cook Islands)
1 NRL Allstar team ( Consisting of the best players from the NRL who are not in the top three NRL teams and who have not been selected or have chosen not to play for Pacific Nations Allstars
1 Super League All star team (Consisting of the best players from the SL who are not in the top three SL teams and who have not been selected or have chosen not to play for Pacific Nations Allstars.
I think this could give top players more money incentives to stay in the game and compete some really good sides.
Replies
Thats a good idea too. I think in the globalised world sporting codes need to focus on pitting the best players around the world against each other. I'm not exactly sure on what the perfect model would be but at this stage all I know is that the classic NRL, state of origin four nations does not allow all of the best players in the world a go.
I like the idea of putting teams in groups and the best players from each group are put in one team.
I think that would really attract top flight players to the game. It means that the NRL and SL seasons would need to be shorter but I think 20 rounds of NRL and then 6 to 8 rounds of "World Rugby League Series" sounds like a fantastic setup
It would also increase the earning capacity for top flight players and keep them in the game.
The long term vision has to be to get the very best rugby / rugby league talent to play each other. Rugby league going it alone as we are will always have that missing piece of high-profile International games. Yet our best players are probably the best in the world in either code. It may take a Rupert Murdoch to bankroll an International Rugby Competition with the very best players from around the world in either code. Otherwise we will continue to lose our very best to the bigger stage that International Rugby can provide.