: Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:27 am  

DILLIGAF wrote:

You think? I for one am still very passionate about being from Yorkshire and love every opportunity to get one over on Lancashire.

IMO they need to tap into a bit of that more, instead of just marketing it as a rep game. Actually build up the rivalry that is laying dormant at the moment.

The most important part of the game though is the fact it gets players used to rep footy. There's a big difference to playing with the same bunch of blokes every week, than there is when you get put with a select group of players and are expected to play with them.

I'm the same. But it's the Lancs & their b@astardised county that's the problem.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:31 am  

As a Yorkshireman living on the dark side, the Yorks-Lancs rivalry is still very much alive!

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:37 am  

Leaf wrote:

As a Yorkshireman living on the dark side, the Yorks-Lancs rivalry is still very much alive!

But they have very little apetite for the roses RL. Perhaps because they usually got a stuffing.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:30 pm  

These games were alright for us Yorkies, but a rivalry based on pride in your county is doomed when there is nothing for your opponents to be proud about.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:11 pm  

Roofaldo wrote:

What is the value to the clubs who release their players to play in this match? THAT was my point. Say we sent off Burgess and Lynch to play and both end up with serious injuries? That's us down 2 props for the season. I doubt any club in the league would welcome additional fixtures unless there was something that would directly benifit them either on or off field

The value to clubs would be that their players come back from camp better players. It's been said before many times by our Aussie counterparts that there is a notable difference for the better in their origin stars pre and post origin camp. I see your point though, but that is just the short sighted vision that added to the failure of the COO competition last time around. Clubs need to get away from this from the overall benefit of the game. Same with international fixtures aswell, clubs should always be willing to release their stars for international duty when called upon.

[Bulliac]

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 3:16 pm  

A war of the roses is a regressive idea which puts RL back in the days of being a parochial northern sport ignored by the rest of the country. We may as well play the music from the Hovis ad to set the scene for what this whole idea represents. It may work in Aus but here, in a promotional sense, it plays into the hands of our competitors by branding the sport to non Lancs and Yorkies as being not relevant and inward looking.

Some kind of sub-international level is probably a good idea but it must be branded better, perhaps as north v south or east v west, in fact ANYTHING but wars of the roses. We are a progressive, go ahead modern sport which is trying to expand its boundaries not people still wearing cloth caps and clogs.

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:57 pm  

Probables v Possibles type thing?

: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:03 pm  

Bulliac wrote:

A war of the roses is a regressive idea which puts RL back in the days of being a parochial northern sport ignored by the rest of the country. We may as well play the music from the Hovis ad to set the scene for what this whole idea represents. It may work in Aus but here, in a promotional sense, it plays into the hands of our competitors by branding the sport to non Lancs and Yorkies as being not relevant and inward looking.

And yet, take NSW vs Qld to Victoria, and not only do they sell out and do record TV numbers but they get a great crowd two days later for the Storm.

If we were going to do it, I'd like to see sides picked on the basis of birth, then what club they first played for, then a schoolyard pick each year of England-qualified Super League debutants. The Dom Peters problem is a difficult one so play it with a straight bat rather than randomly assigning him.

I doubt we'll see a series like this return any time soon. Maybe one day we'll be able to play North vs South, with the result in doubt and people getting behind their respective sides. I think the RFL are more looking towards Eng vs Wales vs France becoming competitive though.

: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:52 pm  

This is an interesting possibility: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/ju ... per-league

This is an interesting possibility: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/ju ... per-league

: Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:56 am  

debaser wrote: This is an interesting possibility: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/ju ... per-league Too many bluddy Aussies in the Catalans thats the problem. A team of SL-based antipodeans would not feel pashionate enough to be a threat IMO. Also the clubs would be wary of risking old injury prone Aussies like Morrison, Buderus and Sherwin in a meaningless one off game. Back to the drawing board methinks

debaser wrote: This is an interesting possibility: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/ju ... per-league Too many bluddy Aussies in the Catalans thats the problem. A team of SL-based antipodeans would not feel pashionate enough to be a threat IMO. Also the clubs would be wary of risking old injury prone Aussies like Morrison, Buderus and Sherwin in a meaningless one off game. Back to the drawing board methinks