The World Club Challenge continues to be celebrated in the UK, but vilified Down Under.
Though that reason is unknown, journalists, players and coaches in the NRL place much greater emphasis on the NRL and State of Origin with Super League and international fixtures often thrown into the shadows.
And, there’s no better attitude to sum up that feeling than the views of two senior journalists Down Under, Andrew Ferguson and the LeagueFreak who blasted both the World Club Challenge and St Helens in a cringeworthy rant.
“It’s more important to English fans than it ever has to Australian fans,” the LeagueFreak said on the Fergo & the Freak podcast.
“St Helens fans got upset when I started mentioning all the Super League clubs that were willing to travel to Australia with the likes of Wigan, Leeds, Wigan again and Hull FC all making the trip in the past ten years.
“They should have gone on the plane and enjoyed an interesting time over in Australia – they could have experienced what the likes of Leeds, Wigan and Hull FC have enjoyed.
“They have the easiest part, they just need to fly over, but I barely pay attention to the World Club Challenge anyway.
“It’s something that caused quite a lot of a stir on Twitter, but I would never pressure a smaller club to push itself beyond its means.”
The idea of St Helens being a ‘smaller club’ is incredible really considering that the Lancashire side has won the Super League Grand Final three times in a row – it is a real shake your head moment and something that you can’t actually believe was said.
