<a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/extratime/2008/10/world-at-our-fe.html" target="_blank">Dave Hadfield: Reasons to be optimistic</a>

Rugby league hasn't covered itself with glory in the run-up to the World Cup. There was the farce of the contrived draw - sorry PNG, but someone has to be the sacrificial Adrian Lam - followed by the chaotic business of trying to sort out who can play for whom.