The double header of Pacific Tests featuring Fiji v PNG and Tonga v Samoa was quality rugby league entertainment, and kudos to the players and Fox Sports for bringing it to the people.
Read the Fiji v PNG catch up from our friends at Nothing But League here.
It was so enjoyable, and given no real allegiance to any other (aside from a love of PNG rugby league in general) it was a pleasure to watch the games from some point of neutrality. It also allowed one to think about how to transfer some of this feel good factor to the week to week NRL.
The Gurgler tries from time to time to tell the NRL how to do things better, like our wildly fanciful attempt at re-doing the NRL draw for the future, but the suggestions we think may have legs, and be less of an intrusion to Channel 9 and their dominance of rugby league.
STAND ALONE ORIGIN with ADDED PACIFIC ISLAND TOURNAMENT
Those who saw the tests last night may well wonder why this only happens once a year, and why we only ever see the same clashes. Surely a round robin featuring all teams playing each other once and then a final would go down a treat for rugby league fans.
Yes, you would need four rounds to do so, but if you had a stand alone State of Origin like the contest deserves, and to be honest so does the rest of the NRL competition instead of the truncated rounds, shortened, star player missing, underwhelming mid season rounds thanks to Origin. Why have a premium rugby league if you run the comp into the ground whilst it takes centre stage, alas, that’s a rant for another time.
So, given the ratings are usually very high on a Sunday, it is a perfect storm for Channel 9 to play the origin on a Sunday night after the usual one hour news service. This would mean with a coverage kick off at 7pm, we might be a chance to see the real kick off by 8pm. Whilst Channel 9 will tell you about how great the ratings are on a Wednesday, and that they weren’t so good last time when it featured on a Sunday, the world is a slightly poorer place now, and people are more likely to stay at home on a Sunday night and it’s not a workday on the day of the game, so in fact the ratings may go up. The punters will have the same hangover dilemma be it on a Sunday or Wednesday.
This would leave the Friday night open for the second and third round robin stages of the Pacific Tests, and the deciding final on the Friday before the third origin. You would still have the first round of Pacific Tests where it currently lives – International break weekend. The two games can be shared by Channel 9 and Fox, so everyone wins. As long as Rad Hadley is not the lead commentator for Nine.
Just a thought though, and like most decision in rugby league, it will depend on how it affects the Channel 9 news.
TEAM ENTRANCES
Just as the week before in the Anzac Day rounds, why can’t both teams run out on the field at the same time. Instead of the usual booing of the opposition and the sponsor infested mascot led entrance of the home side, why not have both sides running out at the same time, surely you would get the entire stadium of applause and cheers rather than the back and forth of boo and cheer.
It doesn’t hurt the atmosphere of a competition of the size, power and money of the English Premier League.
PRE GAME SHOW
For different reasons, how good was the haka showdown between Tonga and Samoa, and the sight of the Fijians singing before kick off? And, unlike some pre game shows it is genuine thing, linked to their heartland, not a commercial endorsement or alliance.
Despite the calls to remain in their places for the hakas by the powers that be, what a sight to see the two opposing sides creeping toward each other. The passion was palpable and got one really in the mood for the football.
It is probably only something that works with the Pacific nations including New Zealand, but the call for the Aussies to do something similar to the Indigenous All Stars would look spectacular if taken seriously.
Although a long shot, what a sight if all 16 NRL teams have some kind of pre game tribal dance, or performance linked to their origins every week. Although one wonders what kind of display each club could come up with, sounds like a good crapothetical for a later day. But that might be too much of a good thing.
CONCLUSION
The above will likely be read only by a handful of people who may not feel the same way, but it is at least an alternative to the current NRL season, which in the next few weeks will enter it’s period of middle child syndrome. It will also give the both origin and NRL the billing it deserves, and shines a brighter light on the emerging Pacific nations who may thrive themselves instead of being cherry picked for higher Australian honours.
