The NRL is being urged to step in and force the Penrith Panthers to play the World Club Challenge after their CEO revealed on Tuesday there’s “no way in the world” they’ll be taking part. The showpiece event featuring the best team in the NRL and best in the UK Super League has been thrown into major doubt, with Wigan stating they won’t travel down under if they win the grand final in England.
The annual match has been tentatively scheduled for February 15 next year, and there was hopes it could be played in Australia. But last year’s champion Wigan don’t want to make the trip if they win the Super League grand final this weekend.
And the Panthers put the match on life support on Tuesday when chief executive Brian Fletcher said the team won’t be taking part. Fletcher said February 15 is far too early to play a pre-season game, citing fears of player burnout on top of international matches set to be played this month.
The Panthers will head to Las Vegas for the start of the NRL season on March 2, and Fletcher thinks playing the World Club Challenge two weeks prior will be too much. The club wants to be in America at least 10 days before their match against Cronulla.
“You couldn’t put the players through it. We can’t play it, we don’t have the time span,” Fletcher told the Daily Telegraph. “It’s impractical. There’s no way in the world we could fit it into the schedule. Our coaches and football department have said the players couldn’t stand up to it.
“The amount of football that they’ve played and then a World Club Challenge before we go to Vegas – it becomes too much. Player welfare is the biggest problem. We have 20-odd players in the Pacific Test matches as well and we have a lot of surgery to be done on players over the off-season.”
But fans have panned the explanation on social media, with many pointing out the World Club Challenge is always played in February anyway. Last year’s game was played on February 25, and the year before it was February 18.
The fact the Panthers have to head to Vegas adds a curveball into the mix, but the majority believe it’s part and parcel of being the premiers. Part of being the NRL competition winner is representing Australia in the World Club Challenge, and many believe the NRL should step in and demand the Panthers take part.
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