Quality over quantity: How Sam Tomkins would reinvent rugby league
Catalans star Sam Tomkins has backed calls to reduce the number of games in professional rugby league, to ensure greater quality and reduce injuries and concussions.
Global management company IMG are looking at ways to “reinvent” the sport, as it sets about holding discussions with all major stakeholders.
England captain Tomkins believes clubs need to relinquish control and act for the greater good of the sport rather than their own selfish needs, which he believes is holding rugby league back.
“Every club is in a completely different situation so everybody has slightly different agendas and different preferences on how things should go,” Tomkins told Love Rugby League.
“Everyone does look after themselves and that comes out pretty selfish sometimes.
“I don’t think that will change. I don’t think there is anything we can do to change that. Everyone is going to look after number one. We just have to hope the people in charge make it fair and look at things with a real wide perspective,” he says.
READ: Huddersfield comments are a “terrible attitude”, says Sam Tomkins
Sam Tomkins: ‘Let’s go for quality over quantity’
The RFL’s realignment with Super League’s clubs after an ill-fated split prompted the move to bring in IMG as a neutral third-party to act in everyone’s best interests and attempt to drive the game forward.
So how would Sam Tomkins reinvent rugby league?
“I think we have too many games at the moment. Let’s go for quality over quantity,” he says on this week’s Love Rugby League podcast.
“We ask too much of our players. Too many injuries and too many concussions come from a crazy amount of rugby to be played by each club.
“And think outside the box more with marketing and do things a bit different. Magic Weekend was really successful so more things along those lines. Think of things that haven’t been done before and try them. Let’s not be thinking old school like we are in the 90s, forget that. Look forward and predict what is going to be attractive.”
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