Kent: Does the NRL care about rep footy?

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SOMEBODY at NRL headquarters needs to dive into one of Jack Gibson's old quote books, take a strong whiff of the dusty wisdom inside, and reintroduce themselves to the story therein of ham and eggs.

Nobody ever said more with less than Jack, and the ham and eggs came up when he questioned a player's dedication to the team. Was he ham or eggs?

The player was puzzled, until Jack pointed the player to a breakfast of ham and eggs to highlight the difference.

The chicken is involved. The pig is committed.

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"You have to be committed to rep football," NRL head of football Todd Greenberg said on Monday, "if you are going to be genuine about it. And the (ARL) Commission is very genuine about rep football.

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"We want to make sure when people come into rugby league they aspire to play for their city, their state, their country — and to do that you need to be genuine about rep footy.

"You can't be any more genuine about it than taking a whole weekend out of our NRL competition to showcase games like City-Country."

And the A-League thanks them for it.

The evidence contradicts Greenberg's interpretation and suggests the NRL is not committed, but involved.

There were 11 players pull out of the City-Country game. All cited injuries.

Could they have played?

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Certainly some could.

Some have carried injury for weeks, in some cases needling themselves to get through their club games, but when faced with a rep jersey that wasn't Origin or Test level they rubbed themselves gingerly and asked, 'Do I have to'?

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They didn't play.

Compare that to Paul Gallen, the Cronulla warhorse who returned early from injury to prove his fitness for Friday's Test. He wanted to play so much he put his body at risk to prove it.

Luke Brooks was withdrawn from U20's Origin — but what did he miss out on? Source: News Corp Australia

Robbie Farah is now attempting a similar show of fitness before Origin selection in less than three weeks, already back training just a fortnight after dislocating his elbow.

That same desire was not there for City-Country, no matter how "genuine" the NRL is.

On Monday Mick Potter justified withdrawing Luke Brooks out of another weekend rep game, under-20s Origin game, by claiming that Brooks was an NRL player and had moved beyond age group football.

GREENBERG: REP WEEKEND HERE TO STAY

It was a logical argument, soundly delivered, and it was hard not to agree with him on the first run.

Yet it highlights the great difference in philosophy of the NSW and Queensland camps — and underlines why the Blues keep getting it wrong. And maybe keep losing.

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While Brooks was withdrawing from NSW Anthony Milford was withdrawing from Samoa, which sparks another argument, to play in the same game for Queensland.

Potter saw no benefit for Brooks, and the NRL so genuinely committed to rep football allowed the Tigers to withdraw him without punishment, as they did when South Sydney withdrew Alex Johnston from the same game.

Should clubs place more importance on rep football?

NSW coach Laurie Daley was powerless. Yet Gorden Tallis pointed out there were unseen benefits for NSW.

Getting Brooks and Johnston in a camp environment, getting them used to a quick preparation, to new playing structures around unfamiliar players ... they are all preparation for what will hopefully be Origin careers down the line.

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On the flip side Queensland, whose attitude to the Maroon jumper puts them in the pig pen, made their desire naked. The Maroons' wish for Milford to play was basic: they wanted to begin indoctrinating him in the Queensland way as early as possible.

They would have started this week if they could.

Players were allowed to pick and choose all weekend about where or if they played, and the NRL blithely watched on and tried to convince us that by suspending the competition they are paid $200 million a year to host, they are "committed" to rep football.

Maybe they are. Or maybe they laid another egg.

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REWRITING THE FORM BOOK

BIAS dies hard in the NRL.

Eight rounds in and while most of us are dying slow deaths in our tipping competitions, a disrupted off-season coinciding with a rejuvenation at some clubs has contributed to produce an opening of bizarro results

And while very little has gone to historic form this season that is not always unusual as teams in the process of getting match fit tend to play a little inconsistently.

Always, though, form tends to level out after six rounds or so and we can start tipping according to historic bias.

Not this year.

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Heading in to round nine the fifth-placed Roosters are strong favourites against the fourth-placed Tigers. The seventh-placed Rabbitohs are favourites against the third-placed Titans.

Melbourne, in 10th place, is favourite against the second-placed Sea Eagles.

The 15th-placed Knights are favourites against the eighth-placed Panthers. The 12th-placed Cowboys are favourites against the sixth-placed Broncos.