Harry Grant has called for shorter NRL seasons to help strengthen the international game and avoid an unwanted situation that has affected numerous Kangaroos teammates at the Rugby League World Cup. Almost half of Kevin Walters’ Australia squad entered the final 12 months of their NRL contracts on November 1, with discussions around their futures proving a major distraction at the showpiece tournament.
Sam Walker’s contract breakdown at the Roosters has dominated headlines and thrown the future of fellow Kangaroos halves Tom Dearden and Ethan Strange into question as well. While winger Jack Bostock and centre Bradman Best are among those at the centre of ongoing contract speculation ahead of the Kangaroos’ semi-final showdown against Samoa on Sunday.
Grant says it’s a shame the contract circus has taken some of the spotlight off the World Cup. And the Kangaroos hooker believes a simple solution would be to shorten the NRL season to provide a bigger window for Test footy, after which time the players can shift focus onto their club futures.
“Maybe we could shorten the season, then you have a World Cup where everyone can play footy and you have your conversations off the back of that,” Grant said. “That’s an easy idea, and I know there’s an understanding that maybe a shorter season would get a bit more footy and open up some rep windows with Origin, Australia, Samoa, and Tonga.”
Grant insists having a larger Test window at the end of the season will also help strengthen the international game. It comes after France and the Cook Islands exited the World Cup as the only two sides who failed to win a game. And the Kangaroos hooker says giving those sides more exposure to Test matches outside of World Cups can only be a good thing.
“With this World Cup, you see that there’s a real market for the games and whether there is a window at the end of the year it’s also about giving those guys opportunities,” Grant added. “I don’t know how many games France or the Cook Islands get to play together since the last World Cup (in 2022).
“There’s certainly an opportunity for those teams, even New Zealand, Tonga, and Samoa, to get together and have more games. I look at France, and since the World Cup last time, how many games have they played together? I think there might be an opportunity to allow those teams to play more footy together.”
France are among those who would benefit from more Test footy after failing to win a game at the Rugby League World Cup. Pic: Getty
with AAP