2016 Draw

[Get2dachopper!]

First 9 rounds are going to be tough with regards to travel. If we can jag 4-5 wins during that period, it will set us up nicely for the rest of the season.

 

[hazzbeen]

Dont give a f***k who we play or where we play , if we have to beat them twice then be it.... Go the Saints........ If our attack improves next year we will surprise again......

 

[Dragon66]

The draw makes sense to me. The out of Sydney teams are the appropriate teams to go to the small home venues like WIN and Kogarah. If our team is performing (as opposed to just winning) you would think we would be able to draw enough of our own supporters to create a good atmosphere for the game (and look good on TV).

Once again if we are performing, and so are the other big Sydney teams then it makes sense from a financial point of view to place them in the big stadiums. Hopefully you would draw between 35 and 45 thousand people to the game. I know the Olympic Stadium would look a little bare but it is about the money.

I've lost track of what they now call the Sydney Football Stadium and Olympic Park, but if News Corp is serious about PROMOTING THE NRL IN A POSITIVE LIGHT as opposed to the muck raking that seems to be their speciality then there is no reason that the crowds won't grow.

I see they made a point about PROMOTING the game in the new NRL deal - wonder if there is clause that kicks their arse if they continue to show the game in the worst possible light as they have managed to do over the past several years.

 

[Dragon66]

On another note - The draw as far as which night we play on SUCKS. 1 Friday night game is bullshit.

Our only Friday night game is against the Titans after the Round 18 bye.

It looks like they are juggling the 5 day turn around problem that all clubs hate. From that perspective it looks ok. But it still sucks.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

On another note - The draw as far as which night we play on SUCKS. 1 Friday night game is bullshit.

Our only Friday night game is against the Titans after the Round 18 bye.

It looks like they are juggling the 5 day turn around problem that all clubs hate. From that perspective it looks ok. But it still sucks.

If that's the case then The Broncos must have the ring master of the circus to do their juggling.....cause their the Friday night kings....more 7 day turn arounds than most....now that's fair isn't it

 

[mickeylane]

I can only realistically see 4 points from the first 8 games.... Our draw is unbelievably difficult - if we could jag 8 points ie. 50% record from first 8 games we will catch up during the SOO period when we play the big Qld guns without SOO players

 

[Dragon66]

Bit harsh Mickey. But I do tend to agree with you, IF we send out the same team as last year, with only the addition of a new winger and McCrone and Mose on the bench.

No reason to believe why we will improve on the attacking performances of the last two years.

I know ...new attacking structures......new attacking coach.....up skill the deficiencies of our current backline players. Yarrdy yarrdy ya!! I will believe it when I see it, and I hope I do.

 

[Old Timer]

I can only realistically see 4 points from the first 8 games.... Our draw is unbelievably difficult - if we could jag 8 points ie. 50% record from first 8 games we will catch up during the SOO period when we play the big Qld guns without SOO players

So what happens when we play the big Qld guns with the SOO players when we meet in the games that count at the end of the season?

 

[Dragon66]

If that's the case then The Broncos must have the ring master of the circus to do their juggling.....cause their the Friday night kings....more 7 day turn arounds than most....now that's fair isn't it

You are right they do have a ringmaster. Their ringmaster is Ch 9 Brisbane. Say no more! That's the part of the draw I don't like. Now we have to watch the Broncos live on Fridays whether we like or not, and I don't like it!

 

[saintjeff]

I dont want to give dogs roosters souths any advantages give them nothing why cant we play dogs at kogarah last year we played rooster on monday night and got only 11/000. At allianz

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

You are right they do have a ringmaster. Their ringmaster is Ch 9 Brisbane. Say no more! That's the part of the draw I don't like. Now we have to watch the Broncos live on Fridays whether we like or not, and I don't like it!

Yes mate we can only hope for a second Brisbane team I guess....then again we know what they did to the Crushers don't we.....still I could live with them getting beat by golden point again....preferably by us of course...only problem is we wont see the look on Hodges face again...pity that :lol::lol:

 

[The Nick]

Ben Creagh says concerns over player burnout have fallen on deaf ears

BEN Creagh has provided a sobering snapshot of how just how fed up senior players have become with the NRL over the issue of player burnout.

Few in the game would be more qualified than Creagh when it comes to discussing heavy schedules.

Entering his 13th season in the NRL, Creagh has won a premiership, played in Origins, Tests and a World Club Challenge.

He’s also just seven games shy of breaking Ben Hornby’s record as the most capped player in St George Illawarra’s history, something he will achieve against the Gold Coast should Creagh feature in every game.

The 30-year-old is one of the most unassuming players in rugby league _ but it was impossible not to pick up on Creagh’s genuine disappointment and frustration with the hierarchy over the latest NRL draw.

As RLPA general president Clint Newton gets ready to meet with the NRL on Tuesday to find out how the game will faze out five-day turnarounds, Creagh told The Daily Telegraph the matter would only get worse.

“Player burnout is definitely an issue. It’s a major issue,’’ Creagh said.

“If you want to keep the elite players playing longer and at their best each week, they need a break at the end of the year, and they also need a break each week between games.

“Unfortunately the concerns of the players have fallen on deaf ears this time around. We (the players) were told we were going to be consulted when it came to scheduling for 2016 and onwards, and unfortunately we weren’t.’’

When Creagh first started in 2003, he said players would enjoy a breather as they walked to scrums, dropouts and taps. The speed of the game was also slower.

“Now we’re expected to play in the Auckland Nines, club games, and then you have guys who also play in Origin and (international) tours at the end of the year,’’ Creagh said.

‘’For a lot of players they’ll have surgery at the end of the season, so it’s not much of a break away from footy and their clubs.

“Next year the game will get quicker again with the shot clock (for scrums), the interchange will drop from 10 to eight, so players will be on the field longer. Player burnout will be an issue in 2016, I’ve got no doubts about that.’’

On a brighter note, Creagh, who is yet to rule out playing on beyond 2016, said he was excited by the front-row additions of Mose Masoe and Russell Packer, who is still sweating on avoiding a deportation.

The development of Joel Thompson, Tyson Frizell, Mitch Rein and Jack De Belin also had him pumped.

“Those four come to mind, they’re really important players for our team, they’re fit guys, impressive players, and the way they’re training at the moment, and what level of football they want to play at, that’s exciting for me,’’ Creagh said.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ry-fni3g9a3-1227628814887#load-story-comments

 

[Lethal25]

Serious question.

How many players retire because of burnout? Talking about your higher class players who feature in rep games

 

[Slippery Morris]

How the hell do Saints get to play all the top 8 sides bar themselves TWICE? What a freakin' joke.

 

[krispyredv]

How the hell do Saints get to play all the top 8 sides bar themselves TWICE? What a freakin' joke.

tbh I reckon a fair few of those sides will drop off in form compared to this year

 

[The Nick]

Serious question.

How many players retire because of burnout? Talking about your higher class players who feature in rep games

Good question.

When you look at strength, speed or endurance sports you notice that athletes generally peak in their mid to late 30's. The top sprinters, Olympic weightlifters, powerlifters right through to marathon runners in the world are generally all in their 30's.

When you consider that Rugby League requires strength, power, speed and endurance it seems logical that our players should be reaching their physical peak as they head towards their mid to late 30's, and yet we generally see players retire well before then. Barring injury 32 seems to be around the age that a lot of players decide to hang up the boots (I haven't searched any stats for this, just a general observation). So it seems the majority of players are retiring well before they reach their physical peak.

The above examples of athletes who peak in their mid to late 30's indicates that NRL players aren't retiring due to slowing down, losing strength and power or not being able to keep up.

But what does start to decline generally from 25 years onwards are our testosterone levels, which seriously affects recovery time. So whilst our players should be getting bigger, faster and stronger well into their 30's, it's their ability to recover from the gruelling training sessions and extremely physical weekly matches.

So you look at the elite older players in the game: Thurston, Smith, Gallen, Slater, Farah etc who play Origin and Test series' on top of an already packed schedule and you can imagine they are doing it extremely tough.

5 day turnarounds may seem fairly generous, but when you consider the amount of hours these players need to put into recovering and conditioning their bodies, combined with the slower rate of recovery it is a really tough slog.

So to answer your question about how many players retire because of burnout? I would say the vast majority of them.

 

[Mr Red]

Good question.

When you look at strength, speed or endurance sports you notice that athletes generally peak in their mid to late 30's. The top sprinters, Olympic weightlifters, powerlifters right through to marathon runners in the world are generally all in their 30's.

When you consider that Rugby League requires strength, power, speed and endurance it seems logical that our players should be reaching their physical peak as they head towards their mid to late 30's, and yet we generally see players retire well before then. Barring injury 32 seems to be around the age that a lot of players decide to hang up the boots (I haven't searched any stats for this, just a general observation). So it seems the majority of players are retiring well before they reach their physical peak.

The above examples of athletes who peak in their mid to late 30's indicates that NRL players aren't retiring due to slowing down, losing strength and power or not being able to keep up.

But what does start to decline generally from 25 years onwards are our testosterone levels, which seriously affects recovery time. So whilst our players should be getting bigger, faster and stronger well into their 30's, it's their ability to recover from the gruelling training sessions and extremely physical weekly matches.

So you look at the elite older players in the game: Thurston, Smith, Gallen, Slater, Farah etc who play Origin and Test series' on top of an already packed schedule and you can imagine they are doing it extremely tough.

5 day turnarounds may seem fairly generous, but when you consider the amount of hours these players need to put into recovering and conditioning their bodies, combined with the slower rate of recovery it is a really tough slog.

So to answer your question about how many players retire because of burnout? I would say the vast majority of them.

burnout is also a mental thing, not just physical...

 

[The Nick]

burnout is also a mental thing, not just physical...

And the remedy is exactly the same - more recovery time.

 

[Vasilevsky]

And the remedy is exactly the same - more recovery time.

This will benefit teams with more depth, particularly forward depth. I think the Dragons are one such team. If other teams top players are getting burnt out, the club should rest them.

 

[Dragon66]

As they say if you are looking for a sure bet you can always bank on Self Interest.

Sounds like clubs trying to find excuses before a ball is kicked on why they may have a poor season next year.

I'm sure everybody is over the moon with the new $1.9 Billion dollar TV deal.
All the managers would be lined up to ensure that they can squeeze out a better deal for the players if they can.
And the clubs would be lapping up the big bucks.

Well this is the price the game has to pay to the TV media baron's to secure the best deal. Either hand back some money and run the Comp the old way, or take the big bucks, give the TV Stations what they want, and shut up and get on with it.

The game now is the problem. The players start training earlier, they are bigger, stronger, fitter and more skilful than ever, and we want to reduce the interchange so that fatigue can become a factor in allowing the smaller players to once more have an impact and trying to open up the game to more attacking football.

I must admit though increasing the size of the NRL Squad to support player rotation and playing four quarter football are probably the only ways to really overcome the burn out factor.

I'm not advocating those changes but just putting it out there.