Australian Challenge Cup

[cuzza]

Anyone keen for an Australian Challenge Cup style system?

When I was younger we use to have the midweek panasonic cup. Was Great!

I would go 32-64 teams.
All NRL teams, NSW Cup, QLD Comp. Top teams From WA, NT, NZ comps.

Start in the pre season and maybe can also be played during origin time.
Put big Prizemoney around it, I think it could work.

Come on V'LANDYs you can do this!

 

[ih2220]

I like it, but these days, the coaches and players already complain about being fatigued and the workload they have to manage. Unfortunately the NRL doesn’t have the talent IMO.

The NRL are talking about expansion and there is definitely not enough talent. Just look at the gap now between the top teams and lower teams and before anyone brings up “cap management”, it has nothing to do with that. The NRL and clubs do not invest in their juniors, like the old days. I used to coach in the junior leagues and you would hardly see any scouts from clubs or the NRL

 

[CroydonDog]

Anyone keen for an Australian Challenge Cup style system?

When I was younger we use to have the midweek panasonic cup. Was Great!

I would go 32-64 teams.
All NRL teams, NSW Cup, QLD Comp. Top teams From WA, NT, NZ comps.

Start in the pre season and maybe can also be played during origin time.
Put big Prizemoney around it, I think it could work.

Come on V'LANDYs you can do this!

I too enjoyed the midweek and pre season comps as a kid. Especially growing up in the bush, having NSWRL/NRL teams come to your town or a neighboring town was a huge deal. I still think a pre season cup would be more interesting than random trial games.

But with the mid week cups etc, It worked more when most sides were within an hours drive of each other. With the travel involved and the speed the game is at now, it just wouldn't work unless teams were basically fielding their reggies players - in which case nobody would be interested. Also, when you say "put big prizemoney around it". that, and the huge costs of runnig the comp, have to come from somewhere.

 

[Bulldogsteve]

they talked about it on SEN yesterday, it could work if it was reserve grade teams from across the country and the country rep teams, GF played over the origin period

 

[chisdog]

If you were to do it this year, it would have been pretty embarrassing had we lost to Mounties which would have been possible.

It's a good idea, but I don't think you could do it with NRL teams. Sure the NSW & QLD Cup teams & country rep teams & perhaps islands as well. Part of the problem is that the country rugby league teams are no where near as strong as they used to be & all good players are usually taken at an early age by NRL spotters.

I used to enjoy the cup competitions until 1982 when Canterbury put a virtual 3rd grade team in against Newtown. Anderson, P.Mortimer & M.Hughes were they only regular first graders who played that night.

 

[Freakzilla]

I actually had this idea a few years ago.

Stop the NRL for 3 weeks mid-season.

Play Origin on 3 sundays in a row.

Run a KO comp on the friday and saturday of those 3 weeks.

First round would be a week or 2 before the NRL starts.

Only NRL teams though.

 

[Psycho Doggie]

It would be an ideal second competition in a scenario where there are 2 NRL divisions of 10 or 12 teams each playing a full home and away season. The regular season would be between 18 and 22 games, so room for a cup competition with a lot of smaller teams, and Origin, and finals.

 

[COVENS]

I actually had this idea a few years ago.

Stop the NRL for 3 weeks mid-season.

Play Origin on 3 sundays in a row.

Run a KO comp on the friday and saturday of those 3 weeks.

First round would be a week or 2 before the NRL starts.

Only NRL teams though.

I like it, would look at taking it a step further even and run it as a Nines Comp for those 3 weeks help out those teams that are missing players.

 

[B-Train]

We need less games, not more. We struggle to field a FG standard lineup through 25 rounds and you want to add a midweek competition where we probably lose more players?

 

[Scoooby]

I actually had this idea a few years ago.

Stop the NRL for 3 weeks mid-season.

Play Origin on 3 sundays in a row.

Run a KO comp on the friday and saturday of those 3 weeks.

First round would be a week or 2 before the NRL starts.

Only NRL teams though.

Yup, best way too do it !