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From despair TO where: Rugby League 2018

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    I hope all the NRL playoff games are as great as this Melbourne - South Sydney match. Currently 28-all with four minutes to go.

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      Oooof. Drop goal seals the win for The Storm who go through. Rabbitohs get a second chance next week.

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        The NRL play offs have indeed kept up the tension, but I'm bumping this to mark the passing of the Sydney Football Stadium (or Allianz Stadium as it is called these days).

        It has only been going for just over thirty years, built as a one stop shop for all of Sydney's requirements for big 'rectangular' sports events - RL, RU and soccer. I can't begin to explain how exciting and exotic it seemed when it appeared in the pages of Open Rugby, read by my teenage RL obsessive eyes. At the time League in England was played on muddy pitches in grounds (not stadia) that had barely seen a lick of paint in the last few decades, and on the other side of the world they were building a brand new, state of the art stadium for which League would be the major user. Its status in my eyes was sealed when GB beat Australia there in 1988, a long awaited win which despite being a dead rubber in Ashes terms, carried qualifying points for the World Cup and gave GB a chance of making the final (which they then went on to blow on the same tour, losing to NZ in Auckland). I had got up at god knows what time to watch it live on the BBC (North West and Yorkshire/North East transmission regions only, natch) and saw the greatest GB/England performance I'd ever seen, and arguably ever would see, in the winter sunshine in the SFS, with travelling fans and expats frantically and incredulously celebrating each try.

        In RL terms the SFS was intended to accommodate the Winfield Cup (NRL precursor) finals, Origin and Australia internationals, relieving the neighbouring (and co-owned) SCG of hosting them. It was also to be the permanent home ground for both Easts and Souths, being placed between the two club's territories.

        So far so good, until Sydney went and won the right to host the 2000 Olympics, and Stadium Australia (now ANZ) was the new sheriff in town. In its original configuration it could accommodate 100,000 and RL, RU and soccer all pulled crowds of over 100,000 there, leaving SFS with its 40,000 (later 45,000) seats looking a bit inadequate. Even in the later configuration it was almost double SFS's capacity at 83,500 so all the big events naturally went to Homebush. And so did Souths (and Canterbury), moving far out of their usual turf to widen their fanbase. Leaving SFS with Easts, minor finals, A-League, Super Rugby, Wallabies (but not vs the All Blacks) so on.

        Fittingly it was the first stadium I visited on my NRL pilgrimage in 2010. As if to underline the mixed up nature of Sydney stadium usage, it was Wests v Parramatta - two sides with their own grounds (it Wests' case it is plural), and both from close to ANZ, shipping across Sydney in Friday rush hour to play in the SFS. I went back the following week for the stadium tour - you did both SCG and SFS on the same tour and while the SFS was very much the minor partner in this deal (and the guide was very much a cricket man who clearly didn't have a lot of time for other sports), I got to walk down the tunnel and tread on the pitch, and satisfy my past self.

        It's the last game of RL there this weekend, and in an ending that couldn't be written, the original tenants Souths and Easts play each other for a place in the grand final (which is of course taking place across town at ANZ).

        Then the bulldozers move in to flatten it to make room for, er, a stadium in exactly the same spot. And in a couple of years time we might be marking the passing of ANZ, which similarly is to be wholly or partly pulled down and replaced on the same site. There will be a crossover period of a couple of years when the grand final will move back into the SCG, which might be enough for me to make another pilgrimage.

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          Lovely piece WFD, enjoyable just as someone with an interest in stadia rather than League itself.

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            The Olympic Stadium is to be retained but significantly remodelled apparently.

            Both situations seem rather barmy, especially the Olympic Stadium as Sydney and the organisers were decidedly smug about its usefulness versus Atlanta and the hybrid baseball stadium Atlanta built*. By all accounts once the new stadium smell wore off, people ended up hating how it's a pain in the arse to get to, the seats are miles away, etc.


            *yes, the Braves don't play there anymore, but that was local corruption. Turner Field was a perfectly good place to see a game, and is still hosting Georgia State football.

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              Parramatta have been playing at ANZ/Homebush this season whilst their new 30,000-capacity Western Sydney Stadium is being built (which is on the site of their former home ground). It also sounds like Wests Tigers will play some fixtures there too.

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                It certainly looks like a brilliant crowd and a superb atmosphere for this last game there

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                  York crowned champions of League 1 today, beating Whitehaven in front of over 3,000.

                  Good wins for Toronto, Toulouse and London over the weekend too.

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                    Toronto beat Leeds 13-12 last night. It means they will either finish third and automatically go up, or at worst finish fourth and get a home tie in the playoff game.

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                      So, here we go then.

                      Super League Semi Finals
                      Saints v Warrington, 7:45 tonight
                      Wigan v Castleford, 7:45 tomorrow

                      Million Pound Game
                      Toronto v London Broncos, Sunday 7th, 6:30

                      Grand Final
                      Saturday 13th, 6:00

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                        Also Bradford v Workington in the League One play off final and Leigh v Featherstone in the Championship Shield final. As of yesterday Leigh only had (I think) seven players and were being given dispensation to sign others to make a minimum squad. The winners get £25,000 so it's not a meaningless end of season friendly. It could be their last game as a club unless they get new backing for next year.

                        Also worth keep an eye on, the Emerging Nations World Championship

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                          Brilliant! And played in proper conditions, too:

                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...E-nx4s&t=4m50s

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                            When you have 11 teams it is of course entirely logical to divide them into 2 groups of 3 and one of 5.

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                              Do fans of the remaining Super League clubs prefer Toronto or London coming up next year? Toronto's obviously an exciting new concept, but is it ultimately better for RL to take another chance at getting a foothold in the capital?

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                                Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post
                                Do fans of the remaining Super League clubs prefer Toronto or London coming up next year? Toronto's obviously an exciting new concept, but is it ultimately better for RL to take another chance at getting a foothold in the capital?
                                Toronto is the new sheriff in town, and it would be a novelty for SL fans to go there for a trip for the first couple of years, so they seem to be mostly in favour - though there is of course a sizeable contingent who would say they want neither in Super League and would prefer say Widnes instead. The dream is that it opens the door for other North American teams, so has much more riding on it than London, which has been the catalyst for only limited further expansion over a 35 year period. London should get another chance at it next year, provided their funding remains stable. I suspect Toronto's backers could get bored if they don't reach Super League at the first (or maybe second) attempt.

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                                  Are the clubs arranging discounted air fares to Toronto for matches? Cheapest air fare I'm aware of from Manchester to Toronto is with an Icelandic budget airline and that's still the thick end of £400 return...

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                                    If that's Primera Air, Rogin, they've also just gone bankrupt.

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                                      But yes, agree with WFD. And although the Broncos and Skolars have made such limited progress in London, there has always been an appetite for big matches in the capital. And that's where I think the RFL can make the best progress in London.

                                      I'd have liked Toulouse to come up too. Maybe next year.

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                                        Mind you, it'll be interesting to see if any teams have to do a Sunday-Thursday transatlantic schedule.

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                                          Originally posted by Kevin S View Post
                                          If that's Primera Air, Rogin, they've also just gone bankrupt.
                                          It's Iceland Air, and it's an 11 hour connecting flight that I think means spending 5 hours in Keflavik Airport.

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                                            Half time, 3-2 to Saints. Attritional stuff.

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                                              And all action in the second half. Now 9-6 after 46'.

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                                                Well now. So Saints extended their lead with a penalty and then dominated for a spell. But Wire saw off both a very attacking scrum and a goal line drop out. You felt Saints had squandered a key spell.

                                                And now Warrington have scored and converted.

                                                11-12 on 60'.

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                                                  Richardson misses a penalty on 67 that would have given Saints the lead back.

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                                                    Then he pulls out the drop goal and we're all square!

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