Could Yorkshire and Lancashire clash in a Roses rivalry version of State of Origin? Or could that series between Queensland and New South Wales take some games on the road 'NFL-style' to the UK?; Download and subscribe to 'The Bench with Jenna and Jon' now!
Friday 9 June 2023 13:16, UK
On the latest episode of The Bench podcast, Jenna Brooks is back and joined by Jon Wilkin and Barrie McDermott at Magic Weekend to discuss dealing with social media criticism and whether a UK version of the State of Origin series could work.
The experiment has been trailed before, with Yorkshire and Lancashire having previously faced off in 'War of the Roses' clashes, but the last of those came back in 2003.
Wilkin is not sure the appetite is there for a return of the fixture. "We don't hate each other as much as New South Wales and Queensland," he said on the podcast, which you can listen to in the player below. "And there's too many games anyway for our players.
"Sell out some events first, before we start looking around at other things. We're at Magic Weekend, sell this out. Sell the Challenge Cup out."
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McDermott added: "It never quite caught on. I don't know why.
"I'm not rubbishing it. I love the State of Origin, always have, but I was thinking, what about NFL-style taking some matches on the road to this country, London, the Tottenham Stadium - for the growth of the game."
Listen to the full interview with Dan Sarginson on the latest episode of The Bench with Jenna and Jon on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker. You can stream the 2023 Super League and NRL seasons on NOW TV.
