Discord 2010: Edition 12

Wednesday 17th March 2010

Readers in New South Wales may have seen a story in today's Daily Telegraph entitled "backyard Origin".

The yarn discusses what will happen to the State of Origin series if Australia wins the rights to host soccer's World Cup. That is, they will be played at suburban grounds (not really in a backyard....)

But what I'd like to ask here is why rugby league should be made to vacate any stadia to make way for the round ball festival.
The advantage Football Federation Australia has in these arguments is that it can annex nationalism to support its cause, ie: it would be ‘un-Australian' to stand in the way of the World Cup bid.

Well I'm going to be un-Australian. There is absolutely no sensible reason why rugby league, rugby union and the AFL should give their rival code a free kick by supporting the World Cup bid.

In fact, I would not have any problem with those sports playing hardball or UNITING to try to stop Australia getting the World Cup!
The positive publicity, corporate support and enthusiasm soccer would attract if it won the World Cup would be impossible for the other codes to match.  They say that no sport in the western world has been ‘overthrown' since the introduction of the mass media. But there is a real fear soccer in Australia could buck that trend if they are successful.

That's what's at stake and that's why we should be tough with venues and with the Federal Government right now.

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COULD we really have asked for any more from an opening weekend in the NRL?
Friday night's games were as high quality as you get, Newcastle's performance in the face of great adversity on Saturday was a real headline-grabber and Sydney Roosters served notice on Sunday they'll have a big year.
And Monday? Jeez, what an epic. I actually got goosebumps watch Lote Tuqiri surge down the western touchline at the SFS.
But spare a thought for Nathan Fien, Shane Shackleton and Brett Stewart, who are all out for up to five months and will not have such fond memories of the weekend.

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THE headline writers of the future seem to have it made when it comes to rugby league players' names.
In Saturday's Bulldogs-Newcastle Toyota Cup game, we had blokes with last night names like Fairweather and Pele and another with Lazurus for a first name.

stevemascord@rugbyleague.com