League: More international fixtures the key to growing and improving rugby league worldwide

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the Kiwis weren't able to play Tonga this year.

Yes, that was the game everybody wanted, but for various reasons, mainly because the New Zealand Rugby League were fixated on their Denver dream and also reluctant or unable to take a financial risk, it wasn't able to be staged in either June or October.

But that opened the door for the Australians, which could prove extremely important in the long run.

Some of the NRL bigwigs were in town, as well as the Kangaroos' machine and the large media pack that follow them.

It's one thing hearing all about the wonderful occasion Mate Ma'a Tonga can create with their wonderful fans; it's another witnessing it for yourself.

All of those Australian players — who took a significant pay cut to ensure the game went ahead — were rewarded with a career memory of a lifetime.

You could see it in their expressions as the Kangaroos bus made it's way into Mt Smart Stadium, with thousands of Tongan fans lining the narrow street.

You could see it as the Australian players came out onto the field to face the noise, and then heard the entire 26,214 crowd recite both anthems with gusto.

You could see it at the start of the second half, as the Kangaroos were pinned to their line for 10 minutes, sandwiched between massed ranks of hysterical Tongan fans and a team in red that just wouldn't relent.

And you could see it at the end of the match, as thousands stayed behind to sing, savour and celebrate.

Those are the kind of experiences that reverberate around club dressing rooms as players swap stories ("Mate, fair dinkum, you should've seen it..."), and also help to put international league back in the limelight.

Players can help to drive the mood for change; they are probably the greatest weapon against the often myopic NRL clubs, who often struggle to look beyond their own suburb.

Hard-nosed league administrators will also realise that kind of passion and tribalism can't be ignored, both in terms of growing the game and growing bank accounts.

There's not much growth, if any, on yet more clashes between Sharks and the Tigers on a Friday night, or the Dragons playing the Raiders on a cold Canberra afternoon.

But Tonga playing Australia at the new Parramatta stadium, with Fiji against Samoa as a curtain raiser?

Or the British Lions facing the Kiwis and Tonga in consecutive weeks in Auckland?

That's the vision, that's the future, that's where the sport can grow.

"We have to keep going," said Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, whose influence and work behind the scenes, along with support from NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and ATEED, played a big role in Saturday night happening.

"We can't just rest on our laurels and just say what a great experience that was and 'how good was it'. We need to make sure we play more games, keep on pushing league in the Pacific rim especially. Samoan people are just as passionate, the Fijians, in Papua New Guinea...they are fanatical."