NRL All Stars vs. Indigenous All Stars 2015: Date, Time, Live Stream and Preview
Rugby League's marquee pre-season game has been hit by a spate of injuries and apparent tepid interest from supporters ahead of the Indigenous All Stars clash with the NRL All Stars.
The game hasn't been played since 2013 and needs to do a lot to justify its place as a necessary and worthy table-setter for the start of the competitive Premiership season.
Here are all of the relevant schedule and viewing details for 2015's version:
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Date: Friday, February 13
Time: 7:30 p.m. Local Time. 8:30 p.m. (AEDT). 8:30 a.m. (GMT).
Live Stream: NRL Digital Pass. Premier Player HD. New.LiveStream.com/NRL.
Preview
The Indigenous All Stars have seen their ranks thinned ahead of the meeting at the Gold Coast. Injury woes are at the heart of the problem.
The latest casualties are Lock Greg Bird and second-row forward Sam Thaiday, according to an Australian Associated Press report carried by The Guardian. That pair will join Chris Sandow and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, who are also set to sit the game out.
Meanwhile, the mounting injury list has threatened to further damage the credibility of the All Stars clash, per Peter Badel of The Courier-Mail. He's suggested some of the sport's top stars aren't prepared to put themselves at risk so close to the start of a new competitive season.
That follows news that ticket sales have been poor for the curtain-raising event. ABC News.net had reported that fewer than 9,000 tickets were initially sold.
The figure has stunned Indigenous ace Johnathan Thurston. The gifted halfback has offered his backing for the All Stars clash, hoping to keep the event alive: "It needs to be on the calendar. I am hoping it is around for many years. Where else in rugby league do you get to see the cream of the crop playing alongside each other?"
Thurston's more immediate concern should be dealing with a robust and dynamic NRL pack. Bulldozing forwards such as Jason Taumalolo and Paul Gallen could easily overrun the Indigenous pack.
That would mean very little room for Thurston and a flexible and talented back such as Greg Inglis to make a difference.
Perhaps in an attempt to create a more open game, the NRL intends to trial two new rules on the Gold Coast. All scrums will take place in the centre of the pitch, while the 40-20 rule will be waived to allow any long kick to favour the team on the attack, per another Australian Associated Press report in The Guardian.
The Indigenous All Stars won this one the last time the fixture was played in 2013. However, the current NRL squad is just too front-loaded with power and skill this time around.
Regardless of the outcome though, this big-name exhibition event needs to put on a show that wows the crowd and encourages a viewing audience to want to see more of the same next year.
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