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Leeds Rhinos v Manly Sea Eagles: A view from the pitch - Jamie Peacock
Jamie Peacock in match action.
Leeds Rhinos star Jamie Peacock provides his view from the pitch ahead of the World Club Challenge clash with Manly Sea Eagles.
wE’VE been thinking about Friday’s game with Manly Sea Eagles since last October.
We had to go through a lot to enable us to play in a game of this calibre and when you win the Grand Final the opportunity to play against the best team Down Under is a big bonus.
Somebody told me this week that I’ve played in more World Club Challenges than anybody else. I didn’t know that, but what I do know is that I’ve lost the last two, so I want to win this one.
What I always say about big games is that they get more special as time goes on because you never know which one is going to be your last.
When we won those three successive Grand Finals, maybe we took the World Club Challenge for granted a little, but after what we went through last year to get where we are now, it makes you realise what a special game this is and we will be treating it accordingly.
Advantage
In rugby league there’s always an extra spice to games against Australian opposition. I can’t speak for the rest of the team, but losing the last two – against Manly in 2009 and Melbourne the year after – makes this one even more important.
It is a bit different because we are not playing on neutral ground this year. Being at Headingley Carnegie has to be an advantage for, unlike Elland Road, it is home.
Elland Road is a good venue, but I am looking forward to playing in front of a 21,000 full house and I think the game being at Headingley will make it extra special. I know the fans are going to get behind us and the atmosphere is going to be incredible.
Obviously we would like to be going into the game on the back of a victory, but Wigan played well last Saturday and deserved to win.
We know there are things we need to work on if we are going to beat Manly and we have been doing that in training this week.
We have had two tough hit-outs and that will help us. I don’t know whether not playing a warm-up match over here will have any effect on Manly, but rugby league is a difficult enough game and getting used to it again after the off-season can take time.
The game against Wigan was a war of attrition at times and I think Friday will be a case of who blinks and breaks first, so last week will hold us in good stead.
For a while there was talk that we might be going to Australia to play the World Club Challenge and I think that would be a good thing, but I don’t imagine it was ever a realistic option.
I just don’t think the Australians are interested enough in staging the game, which is disappointing. if they don’t want it to happen over there, it won’t happen.
I am a big fan of the World Club Challenge, but the current format has maybe run its course and it’s time the concept was taken forward.
In an ideal world it would be the top-four playing off against each other in a neutral country, somewhere where we could spread the word about rugby league.
But the way the seasons are at the moment, it’s not going to happen.
To add to the competition, when we have so many fixtures is not going to work.
In the long term we should be aiming for a 14-team versus 14-team competition, like they had back in 1997, but unless they make room in the calendar that can’t happen.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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