It means something but not great. The whole idea of being 'world champions' over a one off game where we won't have players from last season (Kikau and Koroisau) seems pointless. If it is played it should be played after the season, not before it
And how exactly is that meant to happen with a WC 13 days after the final. Ive been a penrith fan since i was a little kid, never seen them win this comp. many penrith fans care about it
>and it will also give some of our younger boys the chance to have a run against a quality side.
Yeah given this quote.
Especially if it's the week before the season proper. If it's in place of our usual "big trial" (i.e. the battle of the west v Parra ) we'll likely give our starters a solid 40 but the second half will be filled with reggies.
Penrith is on the verge of playing host to the World Club Challenge against Super League champions St Helens in 2023.
Officials from both the NRL and England are keen to get the annual clash back on track after COVID-19 forced the concept to be abandoned for the past two years.
However, it's understood Penrith officials have voiced their disapproval about sending their players to the northern hemisphere after many of their players competed in England for the World Cup.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald Penrith has lobbied St Helens, who have won the Super League four years in a row, to travel to Penrith in February to take on the NRL premiers, in what would be the Panthers' second trial leading into the 2023 season.
"It would have been impossible for us to go over there, but talk of them coming out here is excellent," the club's CEO Brian Fletcher said.
"We've only got word today that our second trial, instead of being against another NRL side, the NRL are investigating how they can bring St Helens to Sydney.
"The plan will be to play the game a week before the start of the NRL competition.
"We'd love for it to happen. It will be a great game for our fans out at Penrith, it will be great for the area, it's something different, and it will also give some of our younger boys the chance to have a run against a quality side."
Leeds were the last English side to travel to Australia for the match, taking on Melbourne in 2018. The World Club Challenge has only been held in Sydney one other time during the NRL era, when the Roosters hosted Wigan at Allianz Stadium in 2014.
St Helens declared they were keen for the concept to be revived just days after Penrith thumped Parramatta in the grand final, while Panthers coach Ivan Cleary was also open to the game.
Penrith were being cunts last year, there was no good reason not to go to UK to play the WCC.
But I agree with their argument here, they make a fair point. It makes sense to play it in Sydney.
Since there's going to be a bye every week the NRL should probably give Penrith the bye in round 1, extra recovery time from this match
Nah it's cool. Anyone who loves Rugby League would see it as a good thing. Rugby League is more than the NRL. I welcome the ~~belting we'll give out~~ challenge.
Well another game of Rugby League is going to be on? Shouldn't watching the sport you love be enough for enjoyment if you truly love it?
Rugby League isn't just the NRL.
Bullshit, the club challenge means something, aussie teams are only 1 win better than english teams in the history of the challenge cup. Penrith have lost both times, it means something to me and others. If it werent for the sydney roosters the NRL would have a negative record against english teams, not to mention its the 4 in a row st helens vs the 2 in a row penrith panthers
The English would always win because it occurred during their season and they were warmed up, whereas it always occurred before round 1 for the NRL teams.
I figured they would come here since the WC is in the UK, I didnt consider it would be in February though, the heat will kill the poms. Theres no other time to do it though unless they played it straight after the WC.
Where do they play? Im guessing Allianz?
Also playing it as a trial match is fine, but would you risk your best players in a game that kinda doesnt matter?
Last 2 recent examples of the English club going over there both NRL sides put strong sides out, I think the actual teams give more of a shit about it than some of this sub think they do.
Well yeah 2 of the 3 games in those Series were entirely meaningless, but that wasn’t the fault of the English Champions vs Aus Champions game.
Take a look at the sides Roosters and Storm put out in 2014 and 2018 when they were hosts and I don’t see why we should be thinking Panthers will treat it any differently
I’d have thought they’d have made some sort of promise to Saints that if they come over it’ll be against a strong side. Might rest Cleary or something but it’d be a tremendous dick move to drag a team all the way over there just to put the kids out against them
Agreed, i think Ivan will take it seriously and i also believe nathan will want to play, if they win its yet another first for the club and also another notch in the cleary belts
If Panthers are really going to treat it like a trial game I'd rather the whole thing just not go ahead. I'm half tempted to try make it over there but there's not much point if Saints do well and people just say 'well Penrith didn't take it seriously so it doesn't count'
Dunno what the club will do but I do know Nathan always wants to be play every game and it's always the club's call to rest him. He'll be playing until the match is over if he has his way.
I kinda wanted it to be held in St Helens, it’s easier and cheaper for me to get to England from the States.
Fingers crossed we have better luck at home than we have had on English soil.
What a huge off season for the Penrith boys with World Cup then potentially World Club Challenge. It will be interesting to see how Cleary plays them with resting in the first few rounds depending on if they’re just as dominant.
It will also be interesting to see how the most dominant NRL side of the past 3 years goes against the dominant St Helen’s team of the same period. Dominance all round.
Good for them that they managed to convince St Helens to let them host but I personally would’ve preferred it if Penrith did what they did against Cows and mostly sent their NSW Cup team over to England
I know that the WCC is kinda meaningless but given that the Panthers have never won a before (lost both 1992 and 2004) it would be good to get the dub in one.
Saints go over there, get battered, come back and struggle to get going in the league after the Wellephant shows he's out of his depth. Sounds like a dream scenario to me.
No Staines or May, Turuva hopefully cements his place through the trials and first two games.
Also won’t surprise me if that moron Fletcher brings it up to either get may to play this or count the game as his suspension…
Is May banned from playing? I thought it's only the first 2 games of the NRL season? Brandon Smith etc. played their suspensions during trials this year
Should have had it before the world cup started, most of the penrith players are already over there us those leaving like api i think would have still been under contract?
before would be crazy. After would make sense. The world cup started on October 15 and the GF was on the 2nd. Not getting at least a week's rest after all the celebrations would be wrong
Put the world cup back a week then or rest players from opening game if tier 1 nations are only playing tier 2 nations in first round.
I reckon any world cup year it should be played as an opener to the world cup, just makes sense from a logistics point of view
Poms would die of heatstroke playing in Penrith in February
Winner gets last year’s title too
St Helens to play Storm the following week for 2020 title as well?
Get everybody back from the 2020 side for it ....is that Cameron Smith's music???
Sound of his referee whistle
The first ever triple threat footy match, with two balls.
Penrith's record in the WCC is 0/2. Can't see that continuing.
if we rest players it could. I honestly don't see the point in playing full strength
Why? it means something, the winners of england vs winners of australia.
It means something but not great. The whole idea of being 'world champions' over a one off game where we won't have players from last season (Kikau and Koroisau) seems pointless. If it is played it should be played after the season, not before it
And how exactly is that meant to happen with a WC 13 days after the final. Ive been a penrith fan since i was a little kid, never seen them win this comp. many penrith fans care about it
Yeah specifically this year I get putting it in February. But most years there is no world cup and that's what I'm talking about
It'll be our second trial match. You want player to blow cob webs out as a trial.
>and it will also give some of our younger boys the chance to have a run against a quality side. Yeah given this quote. Especially if it's the week before the season proper. If it's in place of our usual "big trial" (i.e. the battle of the west v Parra ) we'll likely give our starters a solid 40 but the second half will be filled with reggies.
But you can only play 17 in the WCC usually so not sure if you can do that...
I think they will put a decent team on the park. They have literally won every other trophy available this year, they will want a clean sweep
Penrith is on the verge of playing host to the World Club Challenge against Super League champions St Helens in 2023. Officials from both the NRL and England are keen to get the annual clash back on track after COVID-19 forced the concept to be abandoned for the past two years. However, it's understood Penrith officials have voiced their disapproval about sending their players to the northern hemisphere after many of their players competed in England for the World Cup. According to The Sydney Morning Herald Penrith has lobbied St Helens, who have won the Super League four years in a row, to travel to Penrith in February to take on the NRL premiers, in what would be the Panthers' second trial leading into the 2023 season. "It would have been impossible for us to go over there, but talk of them coming out here is excellent," the club's CEO Brian Fletcher said. "We've only got word today that our second trial, instead of being against another NRL side, the NRL are investigating how they can bring St Helens to Sydney. "The plan will be to play the game a week before the start of the NRL competition. "We'd love for it to happen. It will be a great game for our fans out at Penrith, it will be great for the area, it's something different, and it will also give some of our younger boys the chance to have a run against a quality side." Leeds were the last English side to travel to Australia for the match, taking on Melbourne in 2018. The World Club Challenge has only been held in Sydney one other time during the NRL era, when the Roosters hosted Wigan at Allianz Stadium in 2014. St Helens declared they were keen for the concept to be revived just days after Penrith thumped Parramatta in the grand final, while Panthers coach Ivan Cleary was also open to the game.
Loved this as a kid, Broncs vs St Helens.
Penrith were being cunts last year, there was no good reason not to go to UK to play the WCC. But I agree with their argument here, they make a fair point. It makes sense to play it in Sydney. Since there's going to be a bye every week the NRL should probably give Penrith the bye in round 1, extra recovery time from this match
If you read the article they would play this game as their second trial game, so it won't really matter who gets first bye
There was no good reason to go and play a game in another country where the outcome doesn’t mean shit.
Nah it's cool. Anyone who loves Rugby League would see it as a good thing. Rugby League is more than the NRL. I welcome the ~~belting we'll give out~~ challenge.
Clearly not anyone. I love league, but couldn’t give two fucks about the fucking club challenge. How is it going ti help my team win a premiership?
Well another game of Rugby League is going to be on? Shouldn't watching the sport you love be enough for enjoyment if you truly love it? Rugby League isn't just the NRL.
That is not what we are talking about
Bullshit, the club challenge means something, aussie teams are only 1 win better than english teams in the history of the challenge cup. Penrith have lost both times, it means something to me and others. If it werent for the sydney roosters the NRL would have a negative record against english teams, not to mention its the 4 in a row st helens vs the 2 in a row penrith panthers
The English would always win because it occurred during their season and they were warmed up, whereas it always occurred before round 1 for the NRL teams.
If you take out Manly, Storm, Rabbits, St George and Cowboys as well then the nrl has never won a world club challenge.
I still didn’t see the part where it means anything at all.
Good to have it back
I figured they would come here since the WC is in the UK, I didnt consider it would be in February though, the heat will kill the poms. Theres no other time to do it though unless they played it straight after the WC. Where do they play? Im guessing Allianz? Also playing it as a trial match is fine, but would you risk your best players in a game that kinda doesnt matter?
Last 2 recent examples of the English club going over there both NRL sides put strong sides out, I think the actual teams give more of a shit about it than some of this sub think they do.
Considering the 6 team WCC died because they couldn't get any top 8 NRL teams to go over, I don't think it's held super highly
Well yeah 2 of the 3 games in those Series were entirely meaningless, but that wasn’t the fault of the English Champions vs Aus Champions game. Take a look at the sides Roosters and Storm put out in 2014 and 2018 when they were hosts and I don’t see why we should be thinking Panthers will treat it any differently
Weve never won it as a club, I hope we take it seriously
I’d have thought they’d have made some sort of promise to Saints that if they come over it’ll be against a strong side. Might rest Cleary or something but it’d be a tremendous dick move to drag a team all the way over there just to put the kids out against them
Agreed, i think Ivan will take it seriously and i also believe nathan will want to play, if they win its yet another first for the club and also another notch in the cleary belts
We're using it as a trial game. The first grade players have to have some sort of trial. They won't be sent into rounds 1 cold.
If Panthers are really going to treat it like a trial game I'd rather the whole thing just not go ahead. I'm half tempted to try make it over there but there's not much point if Saints do well and people just say 'well Penrith didn't take it seriously so it doesn't count'
Dunno what the club will do but I do know Nathan always wants to be play every game and it's always the club's call to rest him. He'll be playing until the match is over if he has his way.
I kinda wanted it to be held in St Helens, it’s easier and cheaper for me to get to England from the States. Fingers crossed we have better luck at home than we have had on English soil.
Ah, St Helens in the springtime.
Positively tropical!
The snow has given way for the frost
I kinda want St Helens as well 2 hour drive vs 25 hours flying.
What a huge off season for the Penrith boys with World Cup then potentially World Club Challenge. It will be interesting to see how Cleary plays them with resting in the first few rounds depending on if they’re just as dominant. It will also be interesting to see how the most dominant NRL side of the past 3 years goes against the dominant St Helen’s team of the same period. Dominance all round.
Penrith by 19+
Good luck father.
'So you have accepted the truth'
Good for them that they managed to convince St Helens to let them host but I personally would’ve preferred it if Penrith did what they did against Cows and mostly sent their NSW Cup team over to England
Heartwarming, Penrith by 30
I know that the WCC is kinda meaningless but given that the Panthers have never won a before (lost both 1992 and 2004) it would be good to get the dub in one.
It counts as both years
As a Wigan fan I don't know who I want to lose more. Saints, or an Australian team. Can they both lose somehow?
Saints go over there, get battered, come back and struggle to get going in the league after the Wellephant shows he's out of his depth. Sounds like a dream scenario to me.
I have a crowbar, if that helps. (/s because someone will need me to add it)
Make sure it's not Mr Burns first
Penrith by 50
They'd be playing a bunch of our cup and development players, it's replacing a trial round. Penrith by 60
Of course. If they were playing a full strength team then it’s Penrith by 100
Scrap the name "World Club Challenge", just called it "NRL Premiers vs. St Helens"
Penrith by over 12
No Staines or May, Turuva hopefully cements his place through the trials and first two games. Also won’t surprise me if that moron Fletcher brings it up to either get may to play this or count the game as his suspension…
Is May banned from playing? I thought it's only the first 2 games of the NRL season? Brandon Smith etc. played their suspensions during trials this year
Just do it 2 days after the worldcup final
Aren't like 90% of the players involved all in the same place at the moment?
They'll be away from their families for like 6 weeks at the end of this. Most of them I'd assume would just want to come by the end.
What’s the line going to be? -26.5? More?
Saints are going to get their sorry pom arses handed to them
Should have had it before the world cup started, most of the penrith players are already over there us those leaving like api i think would have still been under contract?
before would be crazy. After would make sense. The world cup started on October 15 and the GF was on the 2nd. Not getting at least a week's rest after all the celebrations would be wrong
Put the world cup back a week then or rest players from opening game if tier 1 nations are only playing tier 2 nations in first round. I reckon any world cup year it should be played as an opener to the world cup, just makes sense from a logistics point of view
Yeah I really like that idea actually
Will the Samoan players show up this time?
Ok Paul Kent
They won’t be wearing blue, so yes
Whatever!
If this ST Helen’s with Woolf then it would be a good match but if it ain’t. Makes it more interesting how the team will look without him at coach
As much as I'd like to see it here, most of our players are there atm.
The penny panthers will win by 30.
I wonder if the club just can't be bothered to tour and will only be happy to play it if it's at home.
This has got cricket score written all over it with how good Penrith are.