Get the DVD Baz. But yeah, you did have to be there. The one we lost to Brisbane at Central Park a few years later was a crackling atmosphere too. Thing is, you just don't get that in Australia. And it wasn't the same at Anfield either in 91. The St George game should be played at the JJB.

Not that I want Maurice back but he'd have made it happen in Australia and if enough people turned out I'd love to see that. For no other reason than the Aussies always have the fact they've travelled to fall back on when they lose ...and it's been too long.

Put "Wigan Manly" in Youtube, it shows brief highlights. Watching the full match would give you a better idea of just how brutal the game was.

BTW - I would rather have a packed 25k in the DW Stadium than anywhere else.

It was a big deal at the time because any sort of success against Australian RL was few and far between. It was also a very good game - completely different in all kinds of ways to the later Widnes-Canberra game, which featured some wonderful tries.

Funny though that Hull KR beating the touring Queensland team in 83 (IIRC) is rarely mentioned. That was a damn fine team led by Wally Lewis, who won their other games by miles (58-2 against a very poor Leeds included) and yet KR beat them in what was a brutal game by all accounts.

Is there any reason they don't rotate it between Australia and England?

money.

strength of the pound means they make more in england

ive got little doubt it would get 20,000 if at kogarah.

its also a reflection that aussie clubs at home are too strong

thats a typical scoreline for RL under 5 metres.

im guessing you havent watched RL that long.

a Dragons playoff game couldn't draw that, what makes you think a pre season "friendly" would.

Sorry Dally you've lost me there, the pounds weak as at the moment.

its still worth more than double the aussie.

so basically double the revenue given similar ticket prices eg 20 pounds vs 20 aussie dollars.

since you probably dont know, saints just won the nrl title for the first time in 31 years.

saints season ticket sales will go through the roof now.

With the exchange rate taken into account entry into grounds in similar, infact the 55 bucks I spent at brookvale is the most expensive I've spent for a entry into a league game.

and what was the playoff crowd at Win? Minus the away fans?

Well said.

This game is often cited as the best example of a great rugby league game in which no tries were scored... and with some justification.

Super match.

Tell us something about your usual weekends we didn't already know...

Many Australians* like to reserve the right to whine about it when the NRL sides get beaten.

* unlike mackenzie, I am one.

But why wouldn't they rotate it?

Who knows?

I was at ANZ Stadium in 1994 with over 54,000 in the ground for Brisbane v Wigan.

Another example of my comments re- Super League War and its effect on international RL.

saints have just won their first comp. in 31 years.

as a result of this they will have higher crowds next year.

there was talk of hosting it in dubai but with the GFC thats probably not viable

anyway id have it :

NRL top 4 vs SL top 4 being

NRL1 vs SL4 in australia
SL1 vs NL4 in england
NRL2 vs SL3 in aus
SL 2 vs NRL 4 in england

knock out to semis, each winner getting home advantage

grand final home and away, winner on aggregate

Not a bad format at all.

I wouldn't mind seeing the 2011 WCC given to OT with a view to trying to beat that 1994 attendance record. Probably at this stage still a bit early in the recovery from the SLW to beat it but something to aspire to.

I'm led to believe its a contractual obligation that the NRL champions have to travel to the UK to play the SL champions.

Something to do with TV rights / contracts / funding etc etc

The only problem with that is you might see two NRL sides playing in the GF.

nope, Manly and Melbourne were offered the game but declined diue to concerns over generating enough income. At what point it looked Manly would host it at SFS but they got cold feet.

Trust me on this.

It's a contractual obligation.