I agree with what you are saying but I watched the cricket between Yorkshire and Lancashire last night and there was more rivalry in that than last nights game especially between the fans. I feel with the same amount of media build up that the exiles game got a Yorkshire Lancashire game would be more intense and passionate both on and off the field.

It may be like that now but it wasn't back in the early 80s when the concept needed marketing. The early Origin games were very similar to what we saw at Headingley last night but the likes of Chris Close, Artie Beetson and Wally Lewis ramped up up the hatred off and on the pitch, before and after the game.

I agree but the problem is that it will take time to build and grow which sadly doesn't happen in sport these days. If things aren't an instant success then they get binned without really having a chance to get going. If the Yorkshire v Lancashire 3 game series was persisted with for 10 years or so I reckon it would become a well established and meaningful series. It wont happen because we will be off looking for the next quick fix.

I also feel that there may be a fundamental flaw in the Exiles side - that being that many of them are 'older' players and with tighter import controls, and higher contracts in Aus, we will not see as many, nor as high quality, imports in future years. So in 5 or 6 years time, what would the quality of that side look like?

The problem with any of this is that we are talking RL here - and there is no appetite for anything that doesn't immediately hit the spot, so for that reason, they should stick with this idea - for now at least!

Its a shame Willie Mason is still not about he would have been the perfect pantomime villain that the game needed.

Next year the RFL need to get a few of the overseas player to gob off to the media about our flat warm beer, fat ugly residents and crap players that are running around in SL.

Then we need a few England players to fire back really build it up as a real grudge match.

The intensity last night was lower than most top 4/6 SL teams against each other.

These naff adverts with 4 guys stood in cloaks are just embarrassing, we must hype it up.

thats very true clan, only started to get tasty and plenty of biff in the early 90's, wally vs geyer and the shower of VB tinnies raining down on the pitch, problem is NSW and Queensland its the no1 sport really, over here its a different story, and am i right in saying that we playing origin york vs lanc way before australia were,? i think its still very much a viable idea, and it would give me a genuine excuse to boo Tompkins!

if the pre match build up was crap, blame it on the RFL's Chief Operations Director and Chief Marketing Director

Fundamental differance is that Yorkshire and Lancashire are teams of their own right and not representative teams made up from a variety of players from differing clubs. The rivalry already exists and does not need to be manufactured.

There was also a lack of intensity on the terraces too. Far too friendly. Could you imagine Leeds fans giving Sinfield some stick? Granted RL rarely allows ideas to develop, but this just didn't work

was stood at the side of a hull guy last night and he said wouldnt it be funny if willie came on a black and white stripe top with garlic bunches round his neck, laughed my a$$ off!

Would also like to say I think Morrison did Trinity proud last night, was made up for him.

In truth I thought his selection was a little political, in that they were wanting to get as many clubs represented as possible, but he had an excellent game and looked like he enjoyed every minute of playing and being involved in that environment.

those cloaks are crap, if you had to advertise car-park dogging on a leaflet then look no further

It's all very well the RFL wanting England to get tested at an higher level but what about Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France, who should they test their metal against? the RFL only back expansion when it can weed out undesirables.

Agree wholeheartedly with that,

I'd love to see a long term commitment from the RFL to a Roses clash.

The clubs, players and fans would have to buy into it big style as well.

I've posted my thoughts on this from time to time in the past but here it is again.

First off, forget Cumbria, London & Wales in terms of trying to accommodate everyone, the Ausies don't worry about what Perth, Melbourne or anyone else thinks about their exclusion from SoO.

Forget Cheshire, Merseyside, greater Manchester, they are historically Lancashire.

Selection committee from each side of the Pennines to pick form players in their natural positions.

Game to serve as a Test trial!
If you don't pay you are not eligible for England!
The only exceptions to this would be being NRL based or ruled out by an RFL doctor.
If a club stands a player down then that payer becomes ineligible for the next two SL games.

Every club to run supporters buses to the game.

Ramp up the hatred as per my previous post!

Market the hell out of the game!
Viral marketing and any other that's possible

produce some of the best shirts and merchandise ever seen in any sport and make it cheap enough for everyone to buy.

Build some serious stories up about the rivalry, segregate the crowd and warn the players that inciting the crowd won't be tolerated while secretly encouraging them to do it and anything else that would get home fans riled up or get up the noses of the opposition fans.

Most of all stick with it year after year with the same intensity.

All sounds good to me.

hate to say it but i think at the mo that lancashire would knock 7 bells out of us if we had origin again looking at selection options

Why can't we just go back to the 3 match test series at the end of the season, Great Britain against Australia or New Zealand? Much more entertaining and meaningful than a nothing match against past it and second rate foreigners who still beat us. If we're going to get beat, let'a get beat by the best sides in the world.

I am not so sure about that, I think it would be very close.

We need all areas of Great Britain playing RL, we need to generate so many players that even more are testing their skills down under. To aid all this we need a 5 nations Tournament every 2 years to increase the intensity/rivalry of RL in the Northern Hemisphere. Make people want to play for their country. Let the BBC cover it, don't sell out to the highest bidder.

but it would be good to see again, the last attempt were abit rushed and not enough prep, if they but the effort they put into the exiles game i know which one i would rather watch.

Same here, especially if the nrl clubs let widdop, ellis and burgess's play. Add to that brough who didnt play and other players who were knocking on the door last night

do ya know i completly forgot about ellis and burgess, yeah that would shore it up abit more

Did you ever see 2 scrum halves in origin sharing a joke and patting each other on the bums as they left the field at half time? More likely to be spitting at one another and ragging them off the field for a punch up in the tunnel....

Not so sure!

S Tomkins - Ben Jones Bishop
J Foster - McGilveray
J Tomkins - Bridge
Ratchford - Shenton
Goulding - Briscoe
Brown - McGuire
Lomax - Brough
Morley - Peacock
Roby - Robinson
Graham - Carvell
Harrison - Westwood
Farrell - Ferguson
O'Loughlin - JJB

Myler - Burrows
Sinfield - Patrick
Hock - Crabtree
Mossop - Kopczack

Peacock didnt do it for me last night, sinfield can be excused to a point for playing out of position, but jamie just doesnt look the same, injury still giving him grief maybe. cant understand why he is captain of england when jammer was like the wildbull of the pampus

Just did a team myself, if everyones fit. Few i cant decide on though.

Widdop

briscoe
shenton
atkins
cudjoe/hall

pryce/mcguire
brough

carvell
robinson
crabtree
Ellis
westwood
burgess

diskin
lynch
griffin ( 1st club )
Simon grix