Re: World Club Challenge : Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:01 am  

sausagefingers wrote:

Does anyone one remember that at St Helens were"chosen" by the Rfl to play the roosters when they were deemed more marketable i would of been fuming if I'd of been a giants fan (finished third) when saints finished fourth
Here's a bit from the Huddersfield enquirer

"St Helens have been chosen ahead of the Giants to claim the final place in the World Club Series in 2016.

Even though Huddersfield finished third at the end of the regular season and Saints finished fourth, coach Keiron Cunningham’s side were always the favourites to join Leeds and Wigan in next February’s global tournament against Australian NRL Minor Premiers Sydney Roosters, Grand Final runners-up Brisbane Broncos and NRL Champions North Queensland Cowboys.

The Super League Board decided to invite St Helens to take part in the Series on the basis they reached both the Super League semi-final and Challenge Cup semi-final in the 2015 season, as well as having a strong history in the World Club Challenge. They competed in this year’s tournament after being crowned Super League champions 12 months ago."

Huddersfield declined an offer to join the comp. They were invited first, but didn't think they could make any money on it.

Saints were naturally the next choice.

Re: World Club Challenge : Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:05 am  

Uppo58 wrote:

When has the Championship Shield, Hubcap, Premiership Winners, call it what you want, EVER had more KUDOS than winning the Challenge Cup Final has ?

From a Financial, Emotional, Historical and Cultural perspective The Challenge Cup has been the biggest Trophy to win and only in recent times has the Grand Final gazzumped it in the eyes of many, but certainly not all.

If the RL now see's winning the shield as the No2 competition, then this is setting a very interesting precedent. Do they RLHQ now match the Shield's new found 2nd place standing with 2nd highest prize money ? Does the new No2 competition provide our 2nd selected team to play our Aussie friends for evermore ??
Do Redhall now turn the "might" of their comic RL Marketing machine into showing the Shield in its full glory as the 2nd most important competition to win ?

Importantly, will this further devaluation of winning the once great Challenge Cup mean that the grand old competition will attract even more empty seats in semi finals and final, not to mention the early rounds which will be reduced to a non-event. (as shown at Langtree Park against us). I think it will.

Personally I think something smells bad about this. We've been done like a kipper somewhere in the Carpeted corridors of Power.
But now RL HQ have to live with this decision don't they ? or do they ? who really knows what stands as being consistent in their world of decision making.

For me, all the talk of us possibly losing heavily against said Aussie game is secondary, as is early season tiredness.

WE EARN'T OUR PLACE at that table and we've had it taken away by committee, making up the rules as they go along, to suit some warped requirement.
This would have been a Historic game for us and it may have boosted our clubs coffers too.
I'm saddened but honestly not surprised one iota at this decision.
RL is underpinned by an undercurrent of incompetency that is slowly threatening its very existence. It needs change at the top more than ever before.

That's one hell of a rant. However, when you consider that Hull weren't one of the best two teams by season's end, why should they pick us?

We finished 3rd. We didn't make the Grand Final. There were two teams better than us. The RFL pick the two best teams. It's not a conspiracy. They don't pick the FA Cup winners for the Champions' League.

Re: World Club Challenge : Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:24 am  

The 2 teams from both competitions are GF winner & LLS winners, they face eachother, we won the CC final a competition the NRL doesn't have, so why should we get the right to play anyone.

Re: World Club Challenge : Tue Oct 25, 2016 10:05 am  

easthull fc fan wrote:

The 2 teams from both competitions are GF winner & LLS winners, they face eachother, we won the CC final a competition the NRL doesn't have, so why should we get the right to play anyone.

Exactly. If we want a guaranteed WCS game, then we have to go out and win the GF.

It's first and foremost a SL/NRL competition, the CC is a separate comp and therefore the 3rd WCS place on offer. This was known right from the start when the expanded series was originally announced, so we can't really start moaning about it now.

It's a massive shame only two NRL clubs fancied it, I'd have loved to have seen the KC packed to take on an Aus team.