Rugby Friend or Foe??

[chrisc101]

With all this rubbish about the AFL coming into Sydney etc I personally think the Mexicans have forgot about the role in which Rugby could play in this battle. All everyone ever talks about is League v AFL.

With the plans for the Super 14/15 comp to go to a full season, this actually could hurt the AFL goons while not hurting us at all. Given that there will always be an element of cross over fans between the Rugby codes (like it or not).

If you go to the pub on a Saturday night, typically there is a main screen and a secondary screen (or 2 big ones). At the moment it is usually League and Rugby (during the Super comp) and then AFL once Rugbys comp winds up in May.

Now you are left with the scenario of 3 full season football competitions. So what does this mean? I would say it would be League on one screen, Rugby the second and AFL in the corner 29 cm tv. So in a round about way, I think this is a great thing for the NRL.

 

[thuggdogg]

fair point dawg

 

[Goddo]

Rugby are our foes, but like soccer, are actually friends in AFL states, as they have similar infastructure requirements to us, and help dilute the fanatical sporting market there.

 

[chrisc101]

Rugby are our foes, but like soccer, are actually friends in AFL states, as they have similar infastructure requirements to us, and help dilute the fanatical sporting market there.

yes of course they are foes (it was just the headline!), but we do have common interests, especially as neither of us are ever going to drive other to extinction, like what the AFL wants to do.

 

[Knownothing]

Lots of kids grow up playing both rugby codes - sometimes one at school, the other at the weekends. Or one while they are at school, then the other when they leave school.

There is a lot of cross-over at the playing level, that is obviously a strength in the fight against AFL (and soccer).

 

[JW]

Neither friend or foe.

Australian Union in 2009 is simply irrelevant.

 

[Kurt Angle]

AFL has a pulse.

RU is just twitching before rigor mortis sets in.

 

[Brutus]

UNION is no friend.

 

[Evenflow]

I can't agree at all on your opinion that union going full season would affect the AFL crowds to any degree. What has an element of crossover league/union fans got to do with it? If anything that will have the potential to hurt US and not the AFL.

AFL fans will still be AFL fans and will go and watch their game regardless of whether union goes full season or not. Though it's the crossover fans you're talking about in the rugby codes who have the choice to make so either of those codes could lose fans to those games that clash, not AFL.

Anyway to answer the question, union is no friend of ours and if you think union wouldn't drive us to extiction if they actually could and were given the choice they'd do it in a heartbeat you're dreaming.

 

[thommo4pm]

Lets not forget John O'Neill actually stated some years ago that he wanted to kill Rugby League.

Union can get stuffed.
It's almost as bad as the AFL.

 

[chrisc101]

I can't agree at all on your opinion that union going full season would affect the AFL crowds to any degree. What has an element of crossover league/union fans got to do with it? If anything that will have the potential to hurt US and not the AFL.

AFL fans will still be AFL fans and will go and watch their game regardless of whether union goes full season or not. Though it's the crossover fans you're talking about in the rugby codes who have the choice to make so either of those codes could lose fans to those games that clash, not AFL.

Anyway to answer the question, union is no friend of ours and if you think union wouldn't drive us to extiction if they actually could and were given the choice they'd do it in a heartbeat you're dreaming.

Mate think you have missed the point totally. Has NOTHING to do with crowds at matches. It is to do with tv viewers and more particularly public tv viewing of matches. Full Rugby season = very little AFL on tv's in pubs and clubs, that simple.

 

[Bluebags1908]

Rugby Union is an enemy internationally, but in Melbourne it can be a friend.

If rugby enters a Melbourne team in the Stupid 14, I think that will actually help the Storm. Think of it as it being a 2nd Melbourne "Rugby" team, as Victorians can't tell the difference anyway.

Another high-profile "Rugby" team will attract more "Rugby" junior players to both codes and they can feed off each other.

I don't think a Melbourne Rugby team will affect the Storm one bit. There is a common enemy.

 

[chrisc101]

Rugby Union is an enemy internationally, but in Melbourne it can be a friend.

If rugby enters a Melbourne team in the Stupid 14, I think that will actually help the Storm. Think of it as it being a 2nd Melbourne "Rugby" team, as Victorians can't tell the difference anyway.

Another high-profile "Rugby" team will attract more "Rugby" junior players to both codes and they can feed off each other.

I don't think a Melbourne Rugby team will affect the Storm one bit. There is a common enemy.

Agree 100%, plus I think we should work harder internationally to piggy back off some of their strongholds, it is a long road but I think South Africa is a perfect example.

 

[Evenflow]

Mate think you have missed the point totally. Has NOTHING to do with crowds at matches. It is to do with tv viewers and more particularly public tv viewing of matches. Full Rugby season = very little AFL on tv's in pubs and clubs, that simple.

Do you honestly think what code they show in pubs makes much difference? Once again, if you do get the crossover supporters who follow both codes we're the ones that are more likely to lose viewers as opposed to AFL.

Anyway who watches what in pubs is largely irrellevant in the big scheme of things, not least of all to tv ratings because they don't count in pubs and clubs. Ther'es many more important things and things that matter to be focussing on than this.

 

[Thomas]

Rugby Union is an enemy internationally, but in Melbourne it can be a friend.

If rugby enters a Melbourne team in the Stupid 14, I think that will actually help the Storm. Think of it as it being a 2nd Melbourne "Rugby" team, as Victorians can't tell the difference anyway.

Another high-profile "Rugby" team will attract more "Rugby" junior players to both codes and they can feed off each other.

I don't think a Melbourne Rugby team will affect the Storm one bit. There is a common enemy.

Yep. Spot on. There are plenty of RU fans in Melbourne who love their RL and vice versa. It's down to the fact that there is so much saturation of AFL.

 

[Teddyboy]

As Aussie Rules and Rugby League are seen as a purely australian thing(as no-one cares about English Super League in Oz),why don't the AFL and the NRL both team up in some umbrella sporting association which would combat world games likes Soccer and Rugby Union like Ireland with the GAA which has Gaelic Football and Hurling.
In truth despite an oval ball(well the AFL is more like a kidney bean)Aussie Rules with it's purpose for kicking goals and Rugby League's purpose is for try's then in truth both sports shouldn't trying to out rival each other as it's like comparing Gridiron with Ice Hockey(both tough sports but so different).
Not all kids are suited to AFL as of build and maybe not being able to kick a sherrin but can tackle hard and run fast ball in hand.
The real enemy for AFL is another kicking game and thats Soccer while the enemy for Rugby League once in Australia was Rugby Union but thosefancy dans have shot themselves in the foot.

 

[Paullyboy]

All other codes are the enemy of rugby league. AFL is the foe internally (as Union is dead in this country), but Union is the foe internationally (as AFL ceases to exist outside the southern regions of Australia).

People who think a second union team in Melbourne wouldn't hurt the storm are kidding themselves. It just means that when we are trying to convince new fans to watch rugby league, they'll no doubt accidentally watch a union game along the way and lose any intresest in all forms of rugby all together because of the borefest that is Union (and their inability/ignorance to differentiate between the two).

 

[chrisc101]

Do you honestly think what code they show in pubs makes much difference? Once again, if you do get the crossover supporters who follow both codes we're the ones that are more likely to lose viewers as opposed to AFL.

Anyway who watches what in pubs is largely irrellevant in the big scheme of things, not least of all to tv ratings because they don't count in pubs and clubs. Ther'es many more important things and things that matter to be focussing on than this.

Of course it f$%%ing matters!!! If it didn't matter why would the ARU go to the trouble of labeling certain pubs around Sydney 'Wallaby Clubhouses'. It is a barometer for the interest in the sport and for a developing sport in a city, it gives exposure to people who typically don't watch. This is not a tv ratings issue, it is an exposure issue.

Once again you miss the big picture, cross over fans are something which typically aren't accounted for, therefore for the northern states to be now blanketed with both Rugby codes for 30 weeks a year essentially locks out a developing sport. Doesn't hurt League or Union but hurts AFL.