City/Country Clash No More | Thebigtip

So, it's been announced: After next year's bout of City/Country, there won't be another. I have to admit, this saddens me a little. Although I do understand why the NRL have agreed to abolish this contest and to their credit, are compensating quite well for it. But it doesn't diminish my love for City/Country games at all. For a few reasons.

The first being: The NRL season (pardoning the grand final, of course) arguably revolves around representative football. The emphasis that is placed on events like the State of Origin, Test matches and Tri-nations is incredibly abundant in all ponds of sourcing NRL information: The media, the coaches, the fans and of course the players.

Rep football is speculated about and plays on the mind and heart-strings of all people filling these quotas. City/Country games offer a sort of warm-up arena for these oh-so-important games.

It gives younger players a taste of representative footy before hurling them into the deep end, preparing them, so they're a little more 'ready' to tackle that awe-inspiring stage.

A year is a long time in football, so it also provides a reminder to the legends of the game what to look forward to at the middle and end of the year. As well as providing some extra experience under the belt of players, it presumably postulates pride within the players. To say that they were fished from the pool of talent that is the NRL to enact and showcase their talent on behalf of where they grew up and founded their passion for the sport would be an incredible thing.

Speaking of selection, the air of conjecture that surrounds City/Country games is that it gives Origin selectors a preview of combinations that could be used in the impending series. And let's face it, at the present moment New South Wales need all the help they can get. On a serious note, though: it's a great facet of insight for selectors to utilize. This being said: It is a risk to put some of the most competent players on a representative field that close to Origin. Injuries and strains will occur, and if a player doesn't perform well, this could dent his confidence for the main-stage of Origin and other rep games.

But Selectors should have a fair idea of who's to be embodying the sky blue jersey by this stage of the season, anyway.

My third point brings us to the fans. The aforementioned epitomes of league; State of Origin, Grand Final day and test matches are all held in major cities. This is a blow to the country people who bleed league just as much as and perhaps even more so than the city dwellers. City/Country gives rural fans a chance to see the 'big' names of league exhibit their capability and capacity within the game they love. As well as giving the younger players an indication of what representative football means, and proposes an attestation to Rep footy for the older players. It can do the exact same for the fans' side of the coin. As well as offering the non-urban community a chance to witness a live game of NRL, it also promotes the game to regions where some sectors of the community may not have gotten the opportunity to be exposed to representative League.

As for people who complain about the match being held in these country areas, these matches are for the people who breed this talent and who bleed this game. With that being mentioned, the NRL have allowed for this and have said that a certain number of games will be played in rural areas. So on that side of the fence, it actually increases the chances that country people harness to see a live NRL game. Even though it isn't representative football, it's still football.

And unlike Origin, City V Country is squeezed into the usual NRL fixture. There is no split round. The game is broadcast after the ANZAC test, not even live. Some might say these facts are enough to prove that this match has out-stayed its welcome, that fans just, in fact, aren't excited about this rep game. That it has become just a meaningless liability. Others may say that despite the two hour delay, the viewing numbers for City V Country are still staggering and to bring the game closer to the fans is a vital component in keeping rugby league alive.

What do you think? Are you going to miss City V Country, or do you think it'll be a blessing for Rugby League?