Joshhh
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Combined Australia-New Zealand Anzac team to take on England
By Andrew Webster
The thought of Benji Marshall and Johnathan Thurston playing in a combined Anzac side is a mouthwatering one.
EXCLUSIVE: THERE'LL be no 2015 Test at Gallipoli, but Kangaroos and Kiwis stars could join forces to take on Great Britain to commemorate 100 years since troops landed at Anzac Cove.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Turkish authorities blocked Australian and New Zealand rugby league officials' attempt to hold the Test match near the battleground because they feared a logistical nightmare.
New NRL chief operating officer Jim Doyle, the former NZRL boss, said: "We were told very clearly by the Turkish Embassy they cannot cope with what is coming their way with the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli.
"There was no way they would sanction an event that would bring more people there. The area will already be under massive pressure, they said."
But ambitious plans are now afoot with New Zealand and England league officials for a team comprising Australia and New Zealand's biggest names to take on Great Britain's finest in a tribute Test match.
"We are looking at picking an Anzac team to play against a British side. You could have Benji Marshall and Johnathan Thurston in the same team. That would be something special," Doyle said. Under the original proposal, as revealed by News Ltd two years ago, players from both nations would attend the dawn service at Anzac Cove before playing at the home ground of Turkish football league powerhouses Fenerbahce or Galatasaray.
JIM DOYLE
New NRL chief operating officer Jim Doyle.
A curtain-raiser between Australian and New Zealand defence forces has also been slated, with both matches to be played in front of the legions of Australians and Kiwis who make pilgrimage to Turkey for Anzac Day each year.
"We'd also found a stadium that was relatively close to Gallipoli that would hold about 15,000 fans," Doyle said.
"We spoke to people connected to travel companies, and they looked at the stadium and the locations of accommodation. We did a lot of work on it but the Turkish government knocked it on the head. It's a shame."
The news will come as a shock to Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens, who expressed excitement about the match ahead of last week's Test in Canberra.
But Doyle and NRL game development general manager Andrew Hill are now hatching an alternative plan that could see the cream of both countries combining against the best of the British.
"We could have the Kiwi-Kangaroo Test match, but you only get a chance like this in a hundred years to do something different," Doyle said.
Said Hill: "We are in discussions with the New Zealand Rugby League and the English Rugby League."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-take-on-england/story-e6frexnr-1226628975422
By Andrew Webster
The thought of Benji Marshall and Johnathan Thurston playing in a combined Anzac side is a mouthwatering one.
EXCLUSIVE: THERE'LL be no 2015 Test at Gallipoli, but Kangaroos and Kiwis stars could join forces to take on Great Britain to commemorate 100 years since troops landed at Anzac Cove.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Turkish authorities blocked Australian and New Zealand rugby league officials' attempt to hold the Test match near the battleground because they feared a logistical nightmare.
New NRL chief operating officer Jim Doyle, the former NZRL boss, said: "We were told very clearly by the Turkish Embassy they cannot cope with what is coming their way with the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli.
"There was no way they would sanction an event that would bring more people there. The area will already be under massive pressure, they said."
But ambitious plans are now afoot with New Zealand and England league officials for a team comprising Australia and New Zealand's biggest names to take on Great Britain's finest in a tribute Test match.
"We are looking at picking an Anzac team to play against a British side. You could have Benji Marshall and Johnathan Thurston in the same team. That would be something special," Doyle said. Under the original proposal, as revealed by News Ltd two years ago, players from both nations would attend the dawn service at Anzac Cove before playing at the home ground of Turkish football league powerhouses Fenerbahce or Galatasaray.
JIM DOYLE
New NRL chief operating officer Jim Doyle.
A curtain-raiser between Australian and New Zealand defence forces has also been slated, with both matches to be played in front of the legions of Australians and Kiwis who make pilgrimage to Turkey for Anzac Day each year.
"We'd also found a stadium that was relatively close to Gallipoli that would hold about 15,000 fans," Doyle said.
"We spoke to people connected to travel companies, and they looked at the stadium and the locations of accommodation. We did a lot of work on it but the Turkish government knocked it on the head. It's a shame."
The news will come as a shock to Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens, who expressed excitement about the match ahead of last week's Test in Canberra.
But Doyle and NRL game development general manager Andrew Hill are now hatching an alternative plan that could see the cream of both countries combining against the best of the British.
"We could have the Kiwi-Kangaroo Test match, but you only get a chance like this in a hundred years to do something different," Doyle said.
Said Hill: "We are in discussions with the New Zealand Rugby League and the English Rugby League."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-take-on-england/story-e6frexnr-1226628975422
