NRL All Stars: Selection process leaves some clubs with a lot on the line

When the annual All Stars match kicks off some clubs will have far more on the line than others and that’s not fair writes David Riccio.

The footy is back next Saturday.

For rugby league fans, there’s much to be excited about.

For others, there’s also plenty to be nervous about.

The NRL Indigenous and Maori All Stars match, to be played at CommBank Stadium (Parramatta Stadium) next Saturday night, will be the first time the pre-season clash has been played in Sydney.

As ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has previously stated: “You can’t imagine our game without the influence of Indigenous and Maori cultures and the leadership role our players have in the community. We’re delighted that Sydney will have the opportunity to host these games for the first time”.

South Sydney stars Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell will not play in the 2022 All Stars game. Picture: NRL Photos

You’ll get no argument here on the importance of the match.

There’s a story going around that Sharks halfback Braydon Trindall was close to tears when he was told on Tuesday that he’d been selected for the first time to play for the Indigenous All Stars.

The NRL have rightfully elevated the status of the All Stars clash by recognising it as a representative fixture. Suspended players aren’t allowed to feature.

That’s the reason why Latrell Mitchell, with two matches of suspension still to serve, is allowed play for the Rabbitohs in a trial match, but not the All Stars.

However, if we drill down a little deeper, you’ll quickly understand why the NRL have a number of issues to address, or the match is in danger of degenerating into a glorified trial match.

The selection process of the All Stars needs to be reviewed.

The NRL must look at a minimum and maximum cap on the number of players selected from every club.

Braydon Trindall was reportedly close to tears when he learned of his selection. Picture: NRL PHOTOS

Similar to the short-lived NRL Auckland and Perth Nines, the NRL implemented a mandatory level of player availability. In the Nines, every club had to have at least 12 players from their top-25 involved.

For the All Stars, it’s provide who-you-please.

Next Saturday night, the Eels and Wests Tigers won’t have a single player involved in the All Stars clash.

Two of the most competitive, win-at-all-costs coaches who have 2022 to define their careers, Brad Arthur and Michael Maguire, would be privately cheering.

Premiers Penrith have just one player, James Fisher-Harris with the Maori All Stars, involved.

The Knights, Roosters, Rabbitohs and Bulldogs also have only one player running out next Saturday. All four coaches will probably be watching the match with a cold beer from a banana lounge.

Heck, they may not even watch it.

And this is the issue for the NRL. They have an uneven playing field before a ball has been kicked.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE A CLUB-BY-BLUB BREAKDOWN OF SELECTION

Indigenous All Stars captain Josh Addo-Carr. Digital image by Grant Trouville © NRL Photos

The Sharks, under rookie coach Craig Fitzgibbon for the first time in 2022, have seven of their biggest names involved in the All Stars.

The Titans have six, with the Broncos providing five players.

You won’t find a single coach willing to publicly question the selection process of the All Stars clash.

Privately though, some coaches have suggested in-house that some of their biggest guns sit this one out.

And that’s not simply based on self-preservation from club-first coaches.

But it’s from the yet-to-be realised impact of almost every player in the NRL experiencing their shortest pre-season of their entire careers.

For the first time, NRL players were given 10 weeks of annual leave at the end of last season, the most ever offered, to ensure they recover from the upheaval and constraints of living inside the Queensland-based bubbles.

The lengthy and interrupted pre-season has robbed the All Stars match of a number of stars. Picture: Scott Davis/NRL Photos

The majority of players who featured in last year’s grand final from the Panthers and Rabbitohs didn’t start pre-season training until December 16, before then breaking again for Christmas, before then being isolated or bedridden for another seven to 10-days from Covid.

Souths gun Cody Walker, for example, only began full-time training on January 15.

A mentor and leader within the Indigenous community, Walker would’ve loved to have played next Saturday.

But not at the risk of being underdone after just four weeks of sold training for what is always an intense and emotional match with the Maori All Stars.

The shortened pre-season has left plenty of coaches nervous ahead of next Saturday night.

Which leads to the next question; Will the NRL host a 2023 All Stars clash in the wake of the 2022 World Cup in England later this year?

In the wake of the most recent World Cup in 2017, the NRL organised a festival of Indigenous rugby league at Redfern Oval, as opposed to an All Stars match.

The World Cup final is scheduled for November 19 in England.

It will be February 1, 2023 before players with 10-weeks annual leave are permitted to recommence pre-season training.

For a number of reasons, the NRL have major decisions to make, both for the short and long-term authenticity of the annual NRL Indigenous and Maori All Stars match.

YOUR CLUB’S ALL STARS INVOLVEMENT

Sharks (7)

Will Kennedy

Andrew Fifita

Braydon Trindall

Jesse Ramien

Nicho Hynes

Briton Nikora

Royce Hunt

Titans (6)

David Fifita

Will Smith

Erin Clark

Esan Marsters

Kevin Proctor

Patrick Herbert

Broncos (5)

Albert Kelly

Kotoni Staggs

Ryan James

Selwyn Cobbo

TC Robati

Warriors (4)

Josh Curran

Chanel Harris-Tavita

Jazz Tevaga

Kodi Nikorima

Dragons (3)

Jack Bird

Josh Kerr

Tyrell Fuimaono

Storm (3)

Jayden Nikorima

Kenny Bromwich

Reimis Smith

Cowboys (3)

Jamayne Taunoa-Brown

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow

Reuben Cotter

Raiders (2)

Jordan Rapana

Joseph Tapine

Sea Eagles (2)

Dylan Walker

Morgan Harper

Knights (1)

Pasami Saulo

Roosters (1)

Tuku Hau Tapuha

Bulldogs (1)

Josh Addo-Carr

Rabbitohs (1)

Alex Johnston

Panthers (1)

James Fisher-Harris

Tigers (0)

Eels (0)