Aspiration: Young rugby league players need dreams to work towards. Credit:Getty Images Meanwhile, the odds continue to lengthen of a traditional Great Britain tour next year because the players have been promised the post season off (although other countries, most with NRL players in their sides, plan to play). If the new CEO of the Rugby League International Federation could fairly be expected to try to fix these problems. But, as written in Monday's Set of Six: he now looks likely to be based somewhere other than Australia. What we may be left with is a David Smith-type character, with no history in the game but sudden authority over all member countries. How do we think the NRL and its clubs are going to respond to that? The NRL, meanwhile, is sick of waiting around for a properly constituted RLIF and has decided to take responsibility for the Pacific itself, launching a strategy a couple of weeks back and sending Sonny Bill Williams and Smith to Samoa, Jarryd Hayne to Fiji etc. This organisation reported last October the NRL was also looking at playing exhibition games at Wembley.

So we are already seeing evidence of the NRL and the traditional international structure of the game working at cross purposes. Fans in England may one day have to choose between going to see a rugby league game OR an NRL match, the two played under completely different rules. There are signs that Rugby Football League and other countries are preparing for the worst: that the Australian national side is hardly sighted between World Cups. The Kiwis weren't about to wait for the Aussies to sort out their politics for next spring – they booked an incoming tour by the French which they deemed to be affordable. So why does Australia need international football? Mainly, so it can promise kids the chance to represent their country. It doesn't need the money and certainly not the media exposure that other countries only get from internationals. Why does the rest of the world need Australia? In the case of New Zealand, it needs gate receipts. In the case of everyone else, finance, expertise - and the release of NRL players to take part in internationals. This will all come to a head very quickly. An NRL players will be picked for a World Cup qualifier. His club will refuse to release him. The RLIF will invoke the stand-down clause requiring him to either show up for the international or not represent his club that weekend.

And the NRL? It will have to choose who to support and where its obligation lies: to its member club, or to upholding the primacy of international competition. It's going to be a big moment for the game. The RLIF has to get to the point where it can deal with whatever decision is taken – and continue on without Australia if necessary. COMMENTS time and I have to go back over two weeks to do some catching up. First, from the most recent Set of Six: Joe The Expat said Super League teams would not properly represent the game against rugby union opposition in a cross-code challenge. But Joe, these games mean nothing except the opportunity to make money. Jacko said Josh Reynolds should not have been part of a TV commentary while suspended. Fair enough. To each his own, it didn't bother me.

OK, now back to that image problem. Peter said the reason for league existing was that it was professional and now that rugby union is also openly professional, league has no purpose. Many countries exist because of long-forgotten enmities. I don't see them opening up their borders and abolishing their governments. Magpie says it's unfair to expect players to be "animals" on the field and fine, upstanding citizens off it. But that IS the job description. If you can't do the latter, you should pursue the former only on suburban parks. Professional sport is paid for by the media and takes place for the media. Roma Boy says Paul Gallen did not knock out Beau Ryan on Mad Monday. But he said on radio that he did. And this was expected to be laughed at. That's my point. Why did he say he knocked him out if he did not? Let me know. League Fan, Todd Carney was not banned for this one incident. There's been a police chase, urinating a patron in a bar, being banned from his home town … this was just the final straw. Michael Seagle says 'Herald writers hate league'. I am not even on staff at the Herald. I work for Rugby League Week – not a good place for 'league haters' – and Triple M as well. I don't hate league. I just paid my own way to the Challenge Cup final at Wembley.

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