Instead of commenting on other posts, I wanted to give the topic of international competition its own thread. Its been mentioned in several comments, and something Adam Campbell mentioned about aligning with GA got me thinking about it. Let me start by saying that Ive always believed gridiron to be the worst sporting code for All-Star or national team competitions. The level of cooperation, specialization, and time needed to become proficient in the nuanced specifics of a single teams offensive, defensive, and special teams systems is unlike any other sport. The limited practice time and logistic difficulties inherent in the All-Star team format dont actually improve the quality of the game. For one example, just look at the NFL pro-bowl. Ill give another example. As coach of the 2004 GNZ Haka team that played the Victoria State All-Stars in Melbourne, I was proud to come away with a hard-fought 20-14 victory. However, I remember thinking after the game that my club team in New Zealand (North Harbour Pride) probably would have won the game by two or three scores. I think a couple of the teams from the NZ competition that year might have down the same. I dont say this because the Pride had more quality football players than the Haka or the Victoria side; we didnt. I say this because the Pride were more practiced and proficient in their system and the skills required of it. Fourteen practices with the Haka side werent even close to sufficient to create a team of the same quality as the Pride, even with better players. When I was directly involved in the NZ competition, the international trips undertaken by the Haka or Ironblacks were a big deal. If memory serves Gridiron New Zealand (one of the governing bodies at the time) used international trips as an incentive to attract players to the game and give them something to which they could aspire. I agree that international competition can and should serve this purpose. However, shouldnt the level of play and the quality of the game be elevated at the international level? Heres where Adams comment comes in: What would everyone think of changing the format of international competition to one based on something like the Champions League in soccer? Partnering with Gridiron Australia, we could take the two or three top teams in NZ and each Australian state and have a tournament between club sides. This would still serve to incentivize players to join the sport, and also increase the level of play in international competition. Please notice that I havent mentioned a word about the IFAF world cup until now. I dont care for it at all. I dont believe the the maturation and development of the game in NZ is dependent on participating the world cup. Therefore, I dont think that putting money and effort into a world cup team serves the best interests of the sport in NZ, at least not now. Thoughts?
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 02:17:57 +0000
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