It felt like it was never going to end, but for better or for worse the Rugby League World Cup ended in the early hours of Sunday morning. I’m not sure whether the final was a fair reflection of the World Cup overall. On the one hand the Kangaroos showed what a fantastic team they are by completely out playing the Kiwis. On the other hand the type of final we witnessed, means that the World Cup kind of fizzled out. Media in New Zealand were happy to brush it off as a typical Kiwi’s performance and get on with life as is usually the case with rugby league. So how was the World Cup for you? For me, I loved getting up early in the weekends, watching countries that I’ve never seen play rugby league , watching players who we never get to see work their magic and just generally getting amongst the festival of international rugby league.

I’ve heard from many how poorly marketed the World Cup was and what little coverage there was in England and around the world. Let’s put this in to some context. Rugby league is only really played in the north of England and the World Cup was held amongst the EPL season which dominates the newspapers. Throw in to the mix an Ashes series which was gaining momentum and hype with every day that passed. Given the performances and expectations of some of the lesser nations, you could imagine the type of coverage that their antics what have got back home. The USA who exceeded expectations and had a fantastic tournament wouldn’t have even got a whisper in the media back home for obvious reasons. This is the way of the rugby league world, those inside the bubble love it and are happy with it while those outside of the bubble don’t quite understand how small rugby league is in the big scheme of things.

Could officials have done a better job in marketing the tournament? Yes, but in saying that, they ran a pretty nice operation. The website was slick and had everything you need to stay up to date. They were across social media and along with the national bodies, they gave fans an opportunity to get behind the scenes with pictures and videos that we all love. Then there are issues like the tiny in goals, especially in the final. Would rather play a final in a packed Old Trafford with these in goals or would you rather play in a rugby specific stadium worthy of the occasion? I’d much rather see Old Trafford packed to the rafters and see rugby league up on that stage. The short in goals along with the cold and dreary conditions are all part of the quirk of playing in a different country. The Australians mastered the short in goals, the Australians became champions.

Apparently the World Cup doesn't mean anything?

On the field, the lesser nations made the tournament what it was. Stories like Cooper Cronk asking to swap jerseys with one of the Irish players, Danny Brough and the Scottish stepping up on the world stage, seeing players representing their home land and the wide range of amateurs getting the opportunity to play international rugby league. It all puts a smile on your dial and reminds you what it is that we love about rugby league. More needs to be done in this area to give these teams more international footy. For some of these teams this will be their only international action until the next World Cup rolls around. This is simply not good enough and can only hinder any growth ideas that the international federation may have. So what’s the solution? Maybe an international window needs to be looked at where NRL and Super League players are available to represent their countries in friendly matches as well as World Cup qualifying. This is the best way to raise the standard of footy, which will in turn attract crowds, sponsorship money and greater media revenue. I can’t say that the standard of international rugby league is the problem as it isn’t even that far down the track – there simply isn’t enough of it. Anyone familiar with the fantastic work of Steve Mascord will know that there are plenty of nations around the world who are growing the game of rugby league, but these efforts need to be amped up a gear. Who’s going to provide the funds for all this to happen? Well maybe the stronger rugby league nations with greater experience need to step in and help out, but in New Zealand’s case they have only just begun to figure things out. Despite it’s long existence, rugby league is still trying to find it’s place in the world.

Australia don’t need much said about them. They worked their way through the competition, not expending much energy in the process and steadily improving. They played the final how any team should play a final with a culmination of their tournament and everything they had worked on clicking in to place.

The English talked a big game, but in the end they couldn’t bring it all together. They have a long way to go in terms of building a team culture to rival the Kiwis and Kangaroos and it must be a worry to have constant rumours circulating of a bit of beef between Sam Burgess and James Graham. They have a solid foundation to improve upon but they simply need to play more footy together. I am keen to see England involved in a European Championship type of competition which sees them along with a range of other European teams play against each other annually. This will give England an opportunity to play together on a regular basis as well as helping raise the standard of the other nations involved.

The Pacific nations performed admirably given the fact that they have considerably less financial backing compared to other nations. The World Cup can offer great opportunities for these small but very proud nations to get on the world stage and Jarryd Hayne perfectly summarised it when he posted a picture of a multi million dollar deal between Fijian Rugby League and Vodafone. These competitions wouldn’t be the same without the likes of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Papa New Guinea so they need to be looked after by the international body as well as their Australian and New Zealand counterparts. With a PNG team entering the Queensland Cup next year, it’s awesome to see some steps being taken down a positive path.

The Kiwis. What to make of the Kiwis? They got all our hopes up only to fail at the last hurdle. Well it wasn’t as bad as that, but they definitely didn’t live up to expectations. Had this been a different group of lads, disappointment would be oozing from my pores. Instead, I find myself in a state of calm. Content with how they performed throughout the World Cup and with a well educated sense of optimism. You see, the team that run out for the next World Cup could be extremely similar to the 2013 version.

Anyone who is calling for Stephen Kearney’s head need to seriously consider their standing as a Kiwi league fan. Kearney has done a fine job and deserves the opportunity to grow with this squad. Kearney needs to spend more time with this group as each test he’s played in recent years he has had to deal with many coming and goings and a lack of combinations. With Thomas Leuluai now based in Auckland, Kearney will have a full spine/core group to work with on a regular basis which is very important. Leuluai’s move down south signals a bit of a change in the Kiwis with more players based in the NRL which is very important as they will be able to work together throughout the one off test matches and build some chemistry.

I’m happy with where the Kiwis are at and don’t seem to have the same negativity when reflecting on their World Cup as many others. We can only compare the 2013 Rugby League World Cup to the 2008 version and when you consider how many of the teams performed this year, I'm confident in saying that it was a success. Yes there wasn't the rip snorter of a final to go down in the memory books. But the tournament had action throughout and saw the development of many nations, not too shabby huh?