So much for Centenary Year 2008!

[sharko]

One of the biggest marketing coups for any code is their Centenary Year. The News/NRL had history and the future on a platter as far as marketing, growing the game outside its eastern seaboard as everybody respects a Centenary.
Alas they have farked it due to incompotent managment and administration and negligent conduct.
The press for league in its Centenary year is all negatives, how does that bode for future sponsorship, memberships and participation.
Meanwhile our competing sports of soccer, union and AFL are surging along with positive press and great crowds and healthy sponsorships..where did league manage to blow it in the last decade and a half?

 

[Rastus_in_Melbourne]

It's was a farce anyway the minute they picked drug cheat Andrews Johns and halfback of the century.

 

[Mr Angry]

hahaha

Drug cheat.

Do people really know so little about drugs?

Yeah eccies help your game.

Fair dinkum.

 

[Ram Man]

It's was a farce anyway the minute they picked drug cheat Andrews Johns and halfback of the century.

:roll: Please...Drug Cheat....how does taking ecstacy after game or out of competition, and never before a game, label him a drug cheat. I can cop drug user but in no way did he cheat at any stage.

 

[Rastus_in_Melbourne]

Johns used drugs to cope with the pressures of being a footballer. How good would his game had been if he wasn't high as a kite during the week away from the paddock. It doesn't need to be performance enhancing to enhance performance.

 

[Mr Angry]

Do doubt had he got pissed instead of eccies you would have no issue.

The type of drug not the fact it is a drug.

Go do what you are told, clearly no thought processes of your own.

 

[Ram Man]

Johns used drugs to cope with the pressures of being a footballer. How good would his game had been if he wasn't high as a kite during the week away from the paddock. It doesn't need to be performance enhancing to enhance performance.

Ahhh yes it does because ecsatcy would take away from his performance. Sure it may have helped him cope with the pressures of the media, but it didnt make him play any better. Despite the fact it would have been destroying his body from the inside, so he probably did more harm than good and took away from his performances rather than enhance them.

 

[joondalup_giant]

One of the biggest marketing coups for any code is their Centenary Year. The News/NRL had history and the future on a platter as far as marketing, growing the game outside its eastern seaboard as everybody respects a Centenary.
Alas they have farked it due to incompotent managment and administration and negligent conduct.
The press for league in its Centenary year is all negatives, how does that bode for future sponsorship, memberships and participation.
Meanwhile our competing sports of soccer, union and AFL are surging along with positive press and great crowds and healthy sponsorships..where did league manage to blow it in the last decade and a half?

Im pretty disappointed in the lack of promotion the game has had in its centenury year, its supposed 2 be a time of celebration and reflection of the last 100 years of our great game but instead it has turned in2 one of the most negative years in the media that i've seen.

The League World Cup is anther example of a missed promotional opportunity unless they really start pumping it up in the next couple of months people r goin to forget its even on

 

[Rastus_in_Melbourne]

The league World Cup is the other great farce of the year.

Lets beat the living sh1t out of Lebanon and the might of PNG and go through weeks of games just to reach the Australia vs NZ/Eng final.

It's such a important achievement on a players career that Gasnier and Williams were happy to leave league and not play in it.

I'd rather see Aust vs GB in a 3 test series playing for something.

 

[parra-matters]

I sell NRL gear, jersey's, caps, polo's, lunch coolers etc etc.
Now this year was meant to be a big year for sales of supporter gear due to the 100 years of Rugby League in Australia. Well interest is at a all time low, sales were up last year by close to 20%. This year that are down by around 40% and people i talk to that come in have a few reasons why the support is dropping, 1. Referee decisions, 2. player off field problems, 3. players complaining about money (considering the average fan makes about $27,000 a year). 4. Baised free to air TV coverage.
Some customers didn't even know it was the centenary year. Sure my store is not in the metro area but on the mid north coast of NSW but TV advertising of the 100years compared to the 150years of AFL is a joke. This is Rugby League heart land, the best player in the game today, Greg Inglis played junior football here, yet the closest the NRL could do was have the truck with the muesum in it stop at Coffs Harbour on a weekday in the middle of the week for about 6hrs.
Maybe if News Ltd took less out of league in the short term they would gain a lot more in the long term but it seems to me that they raped the game in 1997 and are still molesting now.
The only way the NRL can go forward is to be separated with News Ltd by 2012 when the TV contract is up.

 

[Ziggy the God]

The Centenary Year has been ruined.

Gallop kicked it all off with his comments during SOO that Sydney clubs where in trouble. It has been downhill ever since.

 

[miccle]

Ruined? Bugger that. We've got a genuinely open race for the minor and major premierships coming up, before the RLWC.

Sure there has been heaps of bad press, but there's one way around that - get the f**k out there, support your team and attend the WC. It's only what you make it - I've got 8 tix to the WC semi-final and final at Suncorp sitting at home and I can't freaking wait. Long way to go yet, and I think a tense finals series followed by a big celebration for the WC could definitely ensure the year finishes on a high.

 

[Red Bear]

I think on the field its been the best season since 05.

There have also been some great moments eg Tigers vs Souths at SCG.

Still could've been handled a bit better IMO.

 

[iggy plop]

C'mon it's been a great year and the NRL deserve plenty of praise for what they have done in celebrating 100 great years.

The 100 year commercial was fanbloodytastic even though I last saw it during an ad break about 4 months ago.

That commercial was all that was needed to celebrate 100 great years. The NRL has done its job.

 

[Rastus_in_Melbourne]

Well, the NRL certainly thinks it's done it's job. The game has no problems according to them.

 

[joondalup_giant]

on field where having a great year but it just gets over looked by all the negative press

 

[Hanscholo]

It's was a farce anyway the minute they picked drug cheat Andrews Johns and halfback of the century.

lol cause ecstasy and coke make u play heaps better.

 

[coolumsharkie]

The Centenary Year has been ruined.

Gallop kicked it all off with his comments during SOO that Sydney clubs where in trouble. It has been downhill ever since.

Bingo... The bloke is a deadset trainwreck.

 

[alexc]

Quite a fitting centenary I think. Player drama, ref drama, doom and gloom... sounds like rugby league to me.

 

[KalgoorlieRed]

One of the biggest marketing coups for any code is their Centenary Year. The News/NRL had history and the future on a platter as far as marketing, growing the game outside its eastern seaboard as everybody respects a Centenary.
Alas they have farked it due to incompotent managment and administration and negligent conduct.
The press for league in its Centenary year is all negatives, how does that bode for future sponsorship, memberships and participation.
Meanwhile our competing sports of soccer, union and AFL are surging along with positive press and great crowds and healthy sponsorships..where did league manage to blow it in the last decade and a half?

Just like the Centenary of the game in the UK in 1995, what happened soon after? Super League and a switch to the summer, plus mergers and upheaval, but after the feathers settled, it was the best move.