Barrie McDermott pitches radical wildcard transfer rule for play-off games

Throughout Super League history we have seen some of the biggest names from Australia make the move across such as Danny Buderus to Leeds Rhinos, Willie Mason to Hull KR and most famously Andrew Johns to Warrington Wolves in 2005.

This was a unique situation with the NRL season drawing to a close ahead of the Super League campaign’s end and thus Super League clubs could draft in the best NRL stars for the run in.

Adrian Morley won the Grand Final with Bradford Bulls having played most of the year with Sydney Roosters and Andrew Johns joined Warrington Wolves.

A man who played against him, Barrie McDermott, has suggested that Super League clubs should be allowed to draft in NRL stars to see out their season.

“I watched the 2005 Warrington, I think it was just before the playoffs weren’t it, Warrington vs Leeds game, commonly known as the Joey Johns game,” he reflected on the Bench.

“He’d stepped off the plane and had sort of two sessions with the team, and I remember during the week all the talk of, ‘oh Andrew Johns is coming’.

“I’ve played against Johnson loads of times, for Australia, and I’m like, f**k Joey Johns. What difference can one man make?

“Well, after 15 minutes, I knew what difference he’d made and then at the end of the game, I thought, well, that’s why he’s immortal. That’s why he’s one of the best in the world.”

He then pitched his idea: “So, my off the bench would be wild card players for the playoffs.

“I’m not fully up to speed with the playoffs with Australia, but if one of the best players in their competition or somebody that might suit Warrington, somebody who they’re desperately in need of when it gets to those playoffs, if they get to the playoffs.

“So when they’re in the playoffs and they say you know what we need that player we need that halfback, that hooker, that prop, they bring him in and it as it did on that night it lifted everybody. The intensity of the game was brilliant.

“When I watched it on TV, you forget about game because you’ve done 500 odd and I can’t always recall, but as soon as it started, I was like, yeah, I remember this, I remember this.”