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Message: [QUOTE="Super Freak, post: 2699601, member: 8536"] THE NRL has ignored a golden opportunity to capitalise on Jarryd Hayne’s success, refusing to allow the Brisbane Broncos to play an exhibition game in Hawaii. [I]The Courier-Mail [/I]can reveal the NRL has blocked proposed plans for a Brisbane Broncos and Penrith Panthers clash at Aloha Stadium at the end of the season, despite the Hawaiian government committing funding to the event. The Broncos clash would have been the perfect introduction to the NRL for Americans who now know the competition exists because of Hayne. Channel Nine also showed significant interest in broadcasting the clash live and would have been able to leverage Hayne’s NFL success into promoting the event. Hawaii is gridiron-mad and many support Hayne’s San Francisco 49ers due to the islands’ proximity to California. Hayne appears certain to make the 49ers final roster after another star performance in his adopted sport and was trending on social media in America throughout the game. The 49ers have already made enquiries about playing an exhibition game in Sydney while the NRL are actually blocking their code’s entry to new markets. The Broncos and Panthers committed to the idea on their own and were prepared to make it happen without NRL involvement. The NRL declined to comment on Monday but confirmed the game would not happen. It is understood the Broncos are disappointed but accepting of the NRL’s decision and hope to be part of a future event. NRL officials were concerned about the game’s impact on player welfare as they cancelled end of year Test matches to give players time off. However, the Broncos players and coach Wayne Bennett were excited about the opportunity to expand rugby league’s footprint and didn’t believe it was a welfare issue. The game was the brain child of Ipswich Jets chairman Steven Johnson and former Wallabies Mark and Glen Ella who own an events management company. Johnson has organised several international league matches for Aloha stadium featuring Samoa, Tonga and local league team the Hawaii Chiefs. “I have had some good discussions with the NRL and there is still hope we can organise an exhibition game for next pre-season on February 20,” he told [I]The Courier-Mail[/I]. The game would have included significant promotional build up with players putting on rugby league camps in Hawaii and tickets would have been cheap to ensure a healthy crowd of 20,000 plus. The Hawaii government, Hawaii airlines and a hotel chain were also committed to sponsoring the event. The Broncos were not expecting to make a profit out of the venture but hoped to gain a niche supporter base and spread their brand. [URL="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-blocks-broncos-bid-to-play-exhibition-match-in-hawaii/story-fnp0lyn3-1227497059773"]NRL blocks Broncos bid to play exhibition match in Hawaii[/URL] [/QUOTE]

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