I've been saying this for the past few years and will say it again.

For a so-called 'nothing game' and a 'distraction', the Australians don't half take the WCC seriously. Did you see the Melbourne players faces when they realised they had won? And did you see their faces two years ago when they lost?

TBF for the past few years I've not seen anyone refer to the WCC as a nothing game.

aussie interest in the WCC is very much like a basic maths equation

aussie team + wcc divided by victory = sort of interested

aussie team + wcc divided by loss = not interested.

Bitter?

They always play to win, no question!

The world club challenge final has always been a serious game. After all it decides who is the best team in the world in one match. The only teams to of shamed this match are St Helens, Penrith, Cambarre, Newcastle, Wigan and West Tigers.

Eastern Suburbs 25-2 St Helens
Widnes 30-18 Canberra
Wigan 21-4 Penrith Panthers
Brisbane Broncos 22-8 Wigan
Melbourne Storm 44-6 St Helens
Bradford Bulls 41-26 Newcastle Knights
Sydney Roosters 38-0 St Helens
Bradford Bulls 22-4 Penrith Panthers
Bradford Bulls 30-10 Wests Tigers

I'm not even getting started on Hunter Marina



Best score ever though in a match was -

Saints 44-2 Australia

Not at the match - pathetic!

I bloody have!

When the Aussies lose it's a nothing game that no one takes seriously. They get their excuses in early, and repeat them in the event of a loss.

If you are not aware of that, then you have either had blinkers on or you are illiterate.

Leeds have shamed SL by losing back to back. Why weren't you there anyway, you must have sponged enough off the state to afford a ticket?

Where the hell have you cherry picked that list from????

Where's Wigan v Manly in 1987, where is Wigan's destruction of Brisbane on Australian Soil in 1995?

Quite why you feel the need to get all abusive is beyond me.

The buildup I've seen suggests to me that the Storm were taking it seriously. Perhaps the Aussie media is different but unsurprisingly I don't read the Aussie media.
Or perhaps I am illiterate and was just looking at the pictures.

Like St Helens you’ve had good matches in the world club challenge. Only to slip in ten points or more in another final.

Abusive? Don't be so bloody soft.

I'd class being called illiterate as abuse, not particularly hurtful I'll grant you but abuse nonetheless.
Now excuse me I must go get a tissue to dry my eyes.

Damo, how the hell is 22-8 an embarrassment?

And I still say don't be soft. if you complain over something like that, how on earth do you deal with everyday life? Like being from Hull, for instance?

Finals are suppose to be close affairs. Not a gap like ten points or more

To be fair, I was at that final and I felt suitably embarrassed. The scoreline may not appear to suggest it, but Broncos wiped the floor with us that night.

So you were embarassed by Wigan in the CC 94-95?

I just don't see why you're being so combative over what was a fairly innocent post but whatever mate.

Me? You were the one dummy spitting, not me.

How would he know?

Good point, well made.

Only in Wigan

The big thing that stands out to me is the fact that the Aussie teams are always undercooked when they play the WCC. Even today they did not seem cohesive (bad conditions taken into consideration). Leeds have had 4 SL games up to today i think. Melbournes first NRL game is on March 13. For me this is a huge leveller. I think it would be a different story if the Australian teams had played a few NRL games before the WCC.