KRISTIAN Woolf has called for the World Club Challenge to fixed into the rugby league calendar in every season apart from World Cup years.

The annual duel with the NRL champions, which normally takes place in England in February, will not take place for a second successive year.

Had it gone ahead Saints would have played NRL premiers Penrith, but a combination of factors - including Covid restrictions, a World Cup year, the impact on Super League season and the difference start dates between both competitions - meant it was always an unlikely proposition despite the flurry of social media posts at Christmas time.

Woolf would like to see the event given more value, particularly by the NRL, and says it needs a fixed slot.

"The World Club Challenge is a great concept but I think Super League probably value it more than the NRL," he said.

"It is something I would love to see the NRL value a little bit more and should be in the calendar every year, probably outside the World Cup year. It should become something that's really pivotal in our competitions and gain respect and be something you want to be a part of. If you win it, it's seen as a real success. Unfortunately, it's not quite been given that.

"The fact of the matter is our competition starts in February, the NRL are not even playing trials when we are starting our competition, so it becomes difficult from that point of view.

"This year, with the way our season is put together and with the World Cup at the end of the year, the reality is it was probably never going to happen. And if it did, something else was going to have to give somewhere. You can't keep adding."