Rugby League: World Club Challenge raises profits, and eyebrows

St George Illawarra Dragons hold the World Club Challenge trophy aloft after winning the title last year

After 40-odd years of watching and writing about this game, I thought I had my eyebrows under control. You have to, otherwise you spend all day raising and lowering them in varying degrees of incredulity.

All the same, they shot skywards when Gary Hetherington informed me that this Friday’s World Club Challenge will generate more cash than any game ever played at Headingley.

At first glance, that seems unlikely. I’ve been a fan of the WCC since its inception, but the biggest game at the nearest thing to our HQ? Come on now.

But then I remembered that it has been some time since a Test there against Australia. Unlike the full houses for Super League matches, it’s “all pay” and top whack at that.

There’s a full take-up for corporate hospitality, some one-off sponsorship and, allowing for inflation, I’m sure Gary must be right.

So that’s one way of answering the question of what the WCC is for. It’s for making a profit, this year at any rate.

There is, however, a semi-permanent air of dissatisfaction with it. It needs to be played in Australia, or Hong Kong or Dubai. It needs expanding to include the top two teams in each country. Or the top four. Or even, if you really want to wake up sweating and screaming in the middle of the night, the whole of the Super League against the whole of the NRL, as in the Horror Show of 1997.

For my money, none of those things are going to happen. The Aussies can’t get their heads round it; some of them have to be virtually dragged over here.

As Gary himself admits, playing it at some half-way point would involve flying in a crowd.

And as for expanding the format, do we really want to dilute it? Or to persuade more than one NRL club that it’s worth their while?

No. We should enjoy it for what it is – a damn good one-off occasion that we should concentrate on making sure takes place every year.

Leeds to win, I hope. But I look at the Manly line-up and fear otherwise.

Recent Posts on Sport - Latest analysis on the Sporting world -

• Top 14: Verdict on the season – part two
• iBet: Manchester City to retain the title
• Victory over Juventus sees Napoli begin to emerge from the shadow of Diego Maradona
• It was Bayern who denied the Germans victory in the Champions League final, not Chelsea
• Bayern Munich in last chance saloon against Chelsea