Three missed opportunities happening right under Rugby League's nose
I don’t write as many critical articles about rugby league administration as I once did.
That’s because I’ve grown to consider it better to go through diplomatic channels first with ideas rather than throw ineffective opinions to the wind and hope for change.
Most of the people at the head of the sport (note I said most) have achieved their role through decades of dedication to the sport and will listen if you approach them the right way.
But on at least two of the following matters I’ve already shared my views with people in appropriate positions of power over a lengthy period of time and there has been no advance.
Maybe my thoughts are irrelevant and impractical? I’ll let you decide.
And on the other matter, the colluding factors seem so obvious that it smacks of the sport charging full-steam ahead despite the looming repercussions.
Here are three things most rugby league fans won’t be aware of, despite them happening under their very noses.
All three have the potential to shape the international landscape of rugby league quite significantly, even though they might appear trifling to the average NRL fan.
And all of them need some urgent work.
HARMONY CUP
Now known officially as ‘Blue Harmony’, this is an annual event held in Sydney – the largest city in the world where rugby league is the dominant winter sport.
It’s an event designed to highlight multiculturalism in the sport, bringing together teens from various backgrounds to promote cultural appreciation and encourage positive relationships.
At its core it is a very, very good concept. It’s incredibly well-meaning.
However, its practical functionality – particularly in 2019 – is its undoing. Which is a huge shame for many communities and the sport.
This year the word has been spread that players from outside New South Wales are not permitted to participate.
This omission of players from interstate had been increasingly hinted at in recent years. If you were from Queensland or Victoria or Western Australia for example, you were made to jump through hoops to play.
Which, when you ponder an event supposed to celebrate inclusivity, leaves you few options but to scratch your head.
The other thing is that kids not already registered to a rugby league club are discouraged from playing.
And if your Under 16s team has more than a few 15-year-olds in it, or even one 14-year-old? Nope, you can’t play either, no matter how big or experienced those kids may be – or how desperately they want to partake
In the past I was part of a team where a player was registered to his club, but left after a few games of the regular season to focus on school.
The club deregistered him in the meantime, so when it came to Harmony Cup and he flew interstate to participate, the organisers deemed him invalid and he sat on the sidelines the whole time he was in Sydney.
This kid was no world-beater; just a stringy lad who wanted to represent his Chilean heritage and get back into a game he had a passion for, but little time to commit to during senior school.
All of the instances above demonstrate Harmony Cup does not accurately reflect the PR spiel about inclusivity and diversity.
If you are a genuine emerging nation, finding enough kids to fill an under-16 and under-18 team with such restrictions is a huge task. Increase the difficulty factor when kids from interstate are not welcomed.
I’ve had officials tell us they would rather we play with kids who were not of the correct heritage, in order to fill our squad, rather than use unregistered kids of the correct heritage who want to try the sport – or get back into it.
What the? Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose? Don’t we want new kids and new ethnicities giving the game a go – or not?
I’ll tell you what most people at the coalface already know, but which hasn’t been discussed in the mainstream.
The rules of Harmony Cup are pretty much all designed as a power play between the nations of the South Pacific.
The dominance and competition between Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands etcetera has led to the rules being created.
Certain people don’t want certain countries to bring across their best players from rugby union and represent their country.
They think every nation (Australia doesn’t participate in Harmony Cup as a nation) has 50 kids to choose a squad from in each age group.
The reality is a handful of teams are in that position of privilege – and everybody else faces an uphill task against the retrograde rules just to get a side on the paddock.
It’s hard to muster enthusiasm when your lot don’t feel welcome.
I haven’t even started talking about the expense associated with uniforms for multiple teams, equipment and getting players and their families to the venues (often held at conflicting times) for one day of competition.
This concept absolutely has legs. It’s just being implemented the completely wrong way.
No doubt there are some insurance and some interstate political reasons for the various regulations.
But the underlying factor is the kids and the game are suffering as a result – and will into the future as young multicultural talent goes unnoticed and undeveloped.
Sort it out and allow new kids from all backgrounds and all states to be a part of something special.
ETHNIC RUGBY LEAGUE
It’s an anomaly that Auckland is home to the most successful competition for migrant families from non-traditional rugby league backgrounds.
The Ethnic Rugby League in Auckland caters to those from Indian, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and other backgrounds where natural physiques and novice status place them at a disadvantage on the rugby league field.
That Australia and Great Britain don’t have equivalents is either purely inaction or being scared of political correctness.
Yes, there has been talk of the NRL increasingly targeting Asian families and making it easier for them to transition to the sport, but still nothing like the Ethnic Rugby League has been established.
Of course, we don’t want widespread segregation to occur or attract the type of ethnically-based violence that previously plagued soccer, but we already have a living, working example of how to handle it.
You could even integrate the Ethnic League into bye rounds for other amateur competitions, so participants could play a half-dozen games a year to represent their heritage if that was their limit, or they could sign up and continue with a mainstream team if they grew confident.
The ability to grow the sport internationally from these types of competitions is immense.
Sydney and Brisbane should have them at a minimum.
EMERGING NATIONS 2021
I’ll keep this one brief because I don’t think anybody has all the facts just yet.
It’s early days in the planning phase.
But already we are hearing some very rational concerns from people about holding this event in England in the middle of the year.
For starters, it’s peak holiday period, which has repercussions for flight costs and availability for participating nations, and for Brits who will themselves be travelling abroad at that time.
Secondly, a competition in June will put a line through most players who can’t get out of their usual club commitments mid-season, no matter which hemisphere you talk about.
Thirdly, now the event is spaced over two weeks and the costs per player have been estimated at about AU$2000 (not including flights and visas), it’s a much more expensive exercise than the 2018 event in Australia.
Add in the talk of an entrance levy for each team.
I reckon the organisers of the 2021 Festival of World Cups have got just about everything else right – and I hope there’s some looming tweaks for Emerging Nations to make it more palatable.
It’s no secret some very powerful northern hemisphere identities were furious (maybe envious) about the Oceanic and heritage influence at the last Emerging Nations.
Some of what has been proposed smacks of a get-square and perhaps taking it a step too far.
For sure, it’s only equitable the southern hemisphere-based players have a tougher assignment this time around, but don’t make it impossible for places to participate.
Two wrongs won’t make a right.
I’ll be interested to see if some of the outspoken figures who decried player eligibility at the 2018 event will be as vociferous when it involves teams with minimal domestic footprint in northern Europe this next time around.
If we can tailor solutions to all three of these situations, together the sport of rugby league will be much better positioned to springboard into the future and spread beyond current territories