don't want to pooh pooh the idea already but I haven't been to a pre season friendly for ten years. If we are going to play this Broncos team :

1 Kodi Nikorima
2 Paul Byrnes
3 Tom Opacic
4 Jordan Drew
5 Jack Tuttle
6 Duncan Paia'aua
7 Ashley Taylor
8 Aaron Rockley
9 Jayden Berrell
10 Joe Ofahengaue
11 Brett Greinke (c)
12 Brendon McBryde
13 Jai Arrow

then count me out.........

If Wayne Bennett comes along for the journey and brings Sam Thaiday, Jack Reed, Ben Barba, Matt Gillet, Justin Hodges Ben Hunt Dale Coppley and Corey Parker etc etc then I shall be giving it whirl...

What's the point of these other 2 matches?
The WCC makes sense and I'm all for that, but the other two games?

If saints lose
If pies lose
If wire win

That's the point

I haven't been to a pre-season friendly in years, but I will be one of the first to buy a ticket for a match against a NRL side.

We'd be playing friendlies anyway, so much better to play a high profile and hopefully competitive match in front of a large, atmospheric crowd rather than a half-hearted encounter against Salford or Widnes.

Already looking forward to it.

Nice one Gary Hulse. Your spot on, 15000 v saints 2012.

Great news this. It would be great to see the ground filled and compare ourselves to an NRL club with them hopefully taking it seriously.

Then be prepared to be disappointed, because no Aussie side is going to be taking these games seriously - They don't even take the WCC seriously, which is the only reason that British teams have such a decent record in the fixture..... Play the WCC in a free weekend in June, when BOTH teams are fully match fit, stick on a decent financial prize for the winner, and I guarantee the Aussie side would win every time.

As for these bizarre friendlies, they will certainly be more interesting to look forward to than the usual pre season fare, but they will be little more than exhibition games - Knowing Tony Smith's very professional and focussed preparations that he makes, even he will see it as little more than a glorified training session, except that he will have a fair-sized crowd in attendance.

Overall, it will be nice as a novelty, but as a full blown contest??.... Not a chance.

I wonder if England have some success in the 4 nations, whether the Aussies may take it more seriously.

If all the British sl sides embarrass them due to lack of commitment on their part, then maybe it may shock them into upping their game and it may kick start a competitive edge for future competitions.

Now there's everything that's bad about an English RL fan. We need to be trying to sell these games, not denigrating them before they've even started.

I think it would be good if TS would but out an all British Warrington v Brisbane. Something Cullen would do occasionally.

With the effort Moran put in to this, do you think TS will then go against his boss and play a weakened side?

It's only leaving out Joel and Asotasi!
Why play a player who hadn't even wore a Wire shirt this season keeping a player who earned a qualification place out of his reward!
I would leave Sim out of that game or at the very least start the game all British with Joel Roy and sim on the bench.

Sod that, always play your strongest team.

Big Roy Yed?

If he's fit and in the best available 17 then yes.

Do I notice just a flicker of a change of opinion there?

If he plays like he did Friday then yes, I'm not fickle if he's good I'll say he's good and if he isn't he isn't.
I know it's the last game of the season but he needs to kick on from that performance and take it to next season.
He plays like that and I'll get off his back.

Like anything new people tend to be a little sceptical but I'm prepared to give it a chance and will attend, as for playing a game of rugby does a friendly game as such exist, this game will help me to overcome the disappointment of missing the London game, seriously though TS and co should be looking to learn from this experience more so than the other jaunts to Aus.

Exactly. Rugby Union manages to get 90,000 ( ok, with cheap tickets ) at Wembley for a run-of-the-mill league game by turning it into an 'event'. This is a HUGE event. It cannot be compared to a regular pre-season friendly. If nothing else it will help cement Warrington in the minds of the Aussie press/clubs/public/players/players' agents as one of the very top teams in SL. With the scarcity of top Aussie talent theses days for our game, being in this elite group is very helpful.

Do you thinks Souths will leave out the Burgess clan? Will the Dogs not play James Graham?

Unconcerned, we won't be playing either of them.

It's not a question of 'concern' about our opponents. I'm simply suggesting that the Aussies will no more go for a 100% home-grown side than should we.

It was a suggestion by me. Cullen did it a couple of times. And hey it's only a friendly so it seems. We can't win the WCC.
So do it like Cull as a promotional ploy.
You start the game with a fill British 13 and have Joel Roy and Sim on the bench. Bring them on shortly after. Any disadvantage would be so marginal as to make little difference, but the sky team will be aware of it as in the previous times we did it and make reference. Giving us some bragging rights should we win.

The success of this venture will be determined by how successful all the clubs involved & the RFL/NRL want it to be. If it is just going to be a sham series of friendlies the public need to know ,but if the plan is for full on matches the RFL need to get the marketing done well beforehand to attract fans from surrounding areas to the host clubs & maybe even some of the casual fans who graced last years World Cup. If it is marketed properly it could be a successful series financially & anothe great showcase for the game.

The obstacles i can see though are the upcoming 4 nations tournament & the need to get players rehabilitated regards injuries before the new season is here & also ,as has been mentioned previously, what stage of fitness do the coaches want their players to be at so early in the season . For it to work properly it really needs to happen a few weeks into the season when all the teams are up & running.

but what he says his true

Why ain't hudds in it ? Didn't they finish above you in the league?

Cas?