By TERRY LIBEROPOULOS
CHRISTMAS is upon us again as we farewell another fantastic rugby league
season.
With presents starting to fill up at the base of those Christmas trees that have been put in living rooms around the world, my ideal present is somewhat different. What I would like for Christmas (it might have to wait until a few more Christmases) is as follows:
EXPANDED NRL COMPETITION
We all know that the Perth Bears (2027) and the PNG Chiefs (2028) will be joining the NRL but the sooner they announce a 20th team, the better. And that team has to be from the South Island of New Zealand as the game of rugby league is hot property in what was once dominated by rugby union.
Rugby league already has a stronghold in Auckland and most of the North Island but there are many from the South Island that are screaming for top class rugby league.
A second team based in New Zealand would be a huge blow to rugby union as the game of league is far more attractive. A team would share their home matches between Dunedin and Christchurch.
The Forsyth Barr Stadium has a capacity of 31,000 and a roof that means bad weather isn’t an issue. A closed roof means dry football and a better spectacle.
The One New Stadium in Canterbury is scheduled to be opened in April 2026 with a capacity of 30,000 that will also be covered with a roof.
While another team from New Zealand will take the number of teams in the NRL to 20, the long term goal would be to increase to 24 teams with new clubs being based in Adelaide, Brisbane, Ipswich and Central Queensland.
NATIONAL RESERVE GRADE COMPETITION
We already had the National Youth Competition staged between 2008-2017 but the Under 20s concept struggled after the first two or three seasons.
Growing up, I watched the reserve grade being played just before first grade and it was a very strong competition. There were many first grade players keen to show they still had what it takes and there were the youngsters that were the new breed coming through.
I have seen the NSW and Queensland Cups slowly drop in the intensity that I was used to and the time is right for a national reserve grade competition.
The Queensland Rugby League might complain that it will affect their Queensland Cup but I have been closely monitoring that competition for the past few years and it definitely isn’t the same as what it was – both in standard of football and crowds.
A national reserve grade competition would be played before every NRL game and it would allow more quality players to be involved. These days, three or four players are left out of the top 18 but they don’t end up playing anywhere.
If a club is travelling to New Zealand or interstate, they usually take 21-22 players with them, hence three or four of them will not feature in the NSW or Queensland Cups. But if the curtain-raiser was a national reserve grade game, it is more likely they will feature. And playing before a bigger crowd will add to the atmosphere.
Some of the games I have been to in the NSW Cup and Queensland Cups only attract 400-500 people but there is no doubt that staging matches before an NRL game would have much more fans watching.
PRE-SEASON KNOCK-OUT
This is something that I have been pushing for a long time and it is important that the NRL looks after the bush – because that is the lifeline of the game.
We already have a pre-season but very few of those matches are staged in the country – areas that need it. And because they are trials, they tend to be boring. Having a points system at the end of it means absolutely nothing to the rugby league supporter. Honestly, it is embarrassing.
A return to a pre-season knock-out is the way to go. Even with 19 teams, you would have a preliminary round of three games before the first round of the final 16 teams is staged. The premiers playing in the World Club Challenge could be left out for them to prepare for that game.
Clubs are already playing two or three trial matches every year so the pre-season can be used as a trial match but with the added bonus of playing for prizemoney.
All matches should be played throughout the bush areas in February with teams spending a week promoting the game at junior clubs and schools. This is the best way to get kids to register for rugby league and attract new people to the game.
Matches should be played in towns such as Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Broken Hill, Port Macquarie, Bega, Tamworth, Orange, Bathurst, Mudgee, Armidale in NSW and the likes of Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton, Mt Isa, Toowoomba and Gladstone in Queensland.
South Sydney and St George Illawarra should play the opening round in Mudgee that
can double as the Charity Shield and Melbourne could also play in Ballarat, Bendigo or even in Tasmania.
Matches should be 20-minute quarters with clubs allowed 20-22 players per game with unlimited interchanges. Any new rules that NRL are considering could be trialled during the pre-season.
Clubs that get eliminated in the opening round can then organise between themselves to play a trial game, probably in Sydney or their home base as that could be organised pretty quickly.
VETERANS EXEMPTION
The NRL currently has a $300,000 veteran allowance but that also includes any development players. A veteran is valued at 10 per cent of the salary cap after nine years at one club and five percent after 10 years.
The NRL should simply give any players that have played 10 or more consecutive years at the one club full exemption. Each club should have a limit of two players. And they shouldn’t count towards the top 30. The current rule would still apply until they reach 10 years. The NRL would also determine how much the club can pay the veteran.
This allows clubs to hold on to players that have been part of the club for a decade and have become fan favourites.
If a player has played eight or nine years, these days they are being squeezed out by the salary cap because the club needs to look at the future. By having them around means that more experienced players are still running in the game which is great for the promotion of the game.
WORLD CUP
The World Cup will have just 10 nations in 2026 and could well be the same in 2030. The game needs to grow and having 10 participants isn’t the way forward.
I am aware that the World Cup needs to make money but it can be achieved by having 16 nations involved. It would have worked well in England had countries been placed in certain groups.
There are people saying it has to be four groups with the top two from each group advancing to the quarter-finals. Well, it doesn’t have to be as rugby league isn’t like football (soccer), rugby union or cricket.
We need to think outside of the box to make it work and maximise the profits, because at the end of the day, you can’t afford to lose money.
The 2021 World Cup saw England and Australia not play each other. The two biggest money making rugby ;eague nations did not lock horns against each other with officials hoping they would meet in the final. Things don’t work out like that.
Australia, England, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea should have been in Group A, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands in Group B, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and France in Group C and Italy, Greece, Jamaica and Lebanon in Group D.
The top three in Group A and B would advance to the quarter-finals while the top placed teams in Group C and D would be in the final eight.
Some might say that isn’t fair but at the end of the day, it is very likely the same quarter-finalists would appear if you used the top two from each group formula.
But the way, I justify it is that you would maximise how much money you could make. England should have kicked off the tournament against Australia at Wembley Stadium, generating a huge pay day.
England would also play New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, which would still attract a good crowd. They did get 20,000 to the game against Greece. Even Australia against New Zealand would attract a good attendance. Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands would also draw a good crowd and the same if you had Wales or France playing at home.
As for Group D, nothing would change in regards to getting more spectators but it definitely would be more competitive.
By having 16 nations, gives two or three new nations the opportunity to aim for a spot in the World Cup.