Powerful NRL club bosses slam potential Kangaroos-All Blacks clash as a ‘farce’
Powerful NRL club bosses have slammed the proposed All-Blacks v Kangaroos hybrid game as a ‘farce, a circus and a brain fart’. Would you want your club’s stars playing?
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Powerful NRL club bosses have slammed the proposed All-Blacks v Kangaroos hybrid game as a “farce”, a “circus” and a “brain fart”.
South Sydney Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly and Sydney Roosters supremo Nick Politis both slammed the concept that has been roughly scheduled for December after State of Origin.
A furious Politis said he did not want Sydney Roosters players involved.
“We’re not in showbiz,” he told The Sunday Telegraph, “You can’t bastardise tradition.
“And what happens if someone gets badly hurt and misses the first 15 weeks next year. The whole concept is a farce.”
Solly was just as angry when contacted about the proposed 14-a-side game.
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“Are we really going to let the All Blacks use the Kangaroos so they can make some money and screw rugby league over in New Zealand even more,” Solly said.
“I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”
However Solly is highly regarded among the clubs and seen as a future NRL CEO.
“I’m so fired up about it,” Solly said, “It’s a ludicrous concept that gets thrown up every couple of years as a way of making a cheap buck. It’s a complete brain fart.”
V’landys said yesterday he was keeping an open mind on the proposal but wouldn’t expand on his thoughts.
Solly has urged the NRL and the independent commission to throw their support behind international rugby league and countries that a struggling to survive including traditional powerhouses England and New Zealand.
“We have an obligation to help Tonga and the NZ Rugby League,” he said.
“We should be promoting our own international game, not some hybrid exhibition match.
“We’ve been crying out for the international rugby league to produce a strategy for years.
“With people like Troy Grant involved, they are actually getting it together.
“Now we’re going to devalue that for a circus act, nothing more.”
The Rabbitohs boss points added: “For 15 years we’ve stopped NRL players going to Japanese rugby to make a quick buck. Now we’re getting into bed with them.
“To quote David Gallop from years ago, ‘why would we advertise Pepsi if we’re Coca Cola?’
“It devalues everything about our game.”
The reaction from senior players will be interesting, especially with the burnout issue after a late October grand final and three Origin matches in the heat of November.
Promoters have so far hand-picked several stars to talk up the concept.
A senior player agent said the proposed $50,000 appearance fee was still to be negotiated.
Originally published as Powerful NRL club bosses slam potential Kangaroos-All Blacks clash as a ‘farce’