The Manly Sea Eagles Want To Crack China!

The Manly Sea Eagles have finalised a proposal to play at least one game in China over the next three years according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

With the Sea Eagles and Canberra Raiders having major sponsors that both have ties to China, the game is seen as a great way to promote the game to a new market.

It is a little strange how Rugby League looks to play games in areas that don’t have NRL representation. It feels as though everyone gets excited over the first steps that are taken, but beyond playing a game in a new area once a year, nothing much else really happens.

With this game getting the green light from broadcasters, I would hope that it is seen as a real opportunity to try and establish the game of Rugby League in even a small area of China. Even if you could get a small area interested in the game and wanting to play Rugby League, it wold be a fantastic start to expansion into a country with well over a billion people in it.

Of course, I don’t expect those loft goals to be on the minds of the games administrators. What is more likely is a hit and run mission that won’t establish any grind work for Rugby League in the region.

It is interesting to think about Rugby Leagues long term expansion into Asia. If the competition continues to expand and the broadcasting money flowing into the game allows it, could we see a team started somewhere in Asia that was fully underwritten by the NRL in an effort to try and draw in a much larger television market?

That is all decades down the track, but for now it would be exciting to see Manly and Canberra playing a game in China.

Now, what chance that Sea Eagles fans will travel to that game?

Liked it? Take a second to support League Freak on Patreon!