KEY POINTS:
The Jury is still out on the scrapping of the Bartercard Cup - either a blessing in disguise in resurrecting the fledgling Auckland rugby league competition or the death knell of the more competitive format in New Zealand.
Suffice to say that the Bartercard is still far below the quality of football being played in the Australian Premier League.
What is evident is the lack of players in the Kiwi and Junior Kiwis train-on squads. The only player from outside the NRL or Premier League is Wellington's Meli Koliavu.
Players in the Junior Kiwis train-on squad have either moved to Australia to play, their families have migrated there or they are Australian-born of New Zealand parentage. Whatever, they are not from the local competition.
The top tier (Bartercard Cup) format was introduced to raise the competitive level so there would be an easier transition toward the Kiwi team or a professional career. Sadly, neither is achievable and it is unlikely to return to previous days.
Having said that, reverting to a more local format will see the survival of some of the clubs although it will now be harder for players to achieve a dream.
Yes, the Auckland Rugby League will attract some players to 'the big smoke' to play but the cost of living for them will be an extremity beyond their previous reality. Hence clubs will bear the brunt of players' demands for job prospects, accommodation assistance and even travel costs. Clubs cannot afford these costs to players from outside of Auckland.
Yes, the Auckland Rugby League is cash rich and is investing in the new (or should I say revived) competition but what is the ARL seeking to achieve, more importantly, what is the NZRL seeking to achieve by scrapping the national competition?
The Auckland competition will become stronger but it will take time. The crowd-pulling days of the Fox Memorial final may return, but never will the level increase to a standard where players will be promoted to a Kiwi team. New Zealand must realise they are a feeder to the professional competitions via the premier league to NRL, or straight to Super League in Europe or via development teams into rugby union. The latter is more of a concern than the hierarchy appreciates, despite the number of rugby union players who try their luck in the 13-a-side code.
What will be the benefit of a renewed competition? The Warriors are keeping a closer eye on local talent in their neighbourhood and, while the club cannot keep all the talent, they have shown that their current development is working through the Auckland Lions in the Premier League.
This has been a huge plus for the organisation after the club's earlier pre-occupation in sending their players to the Bartercard Cup. The demise of the national competition will be a bonus for the Warriors and their player recruitment.
