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Summer league, hybrid game on agenda for NRL

I Bleed Maroon

Referee
Messages
25,581
The Union crowd would never let this fly.

What happens when you corner a wounded animal? They get more aggressive as they get more desperate. We're the enemy as far as Union is concerned.
 

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...en-to-nrls-nines-proposal-20140209-32a3i.html

Fox Sports boss ready to listen to NRL's Nines proposal

Date
February 10, 2014

Brad Walter
Chief Rugby League Writer

Fox Sports would consider broadcasting a summer rugby league Nines circuit and former stars Brad Fittler, Matt Cooper and Nathan Fien have thrown their support behind the concept.

As revealed in The Sun-Herald on Sunday, senior NRL officials believe a Nines circuit could rival the Big Bash League and help promote the profile of league on a global scale, while offering opportunities for promising youngsters and stars at the end of their career.

Rather than use representative stars, the summer Nines competition would draw on players such as Fien, Cooper, Danny Buderus, Matt King and Scott Prince instead of them retiring completely from the game, or the likes of Denan Kemp, who no longer has an NRL contract.

NRL chief operating officer Jim Doyle suggested expanding the Nines beyond next weekend's tournament in Auckland could generate additional television revenue for the game and Fox Sports boss Gary Burns confirmed the pay TV broadcaster would be interested.

''We're interested in anything the NRL suggests,'' Burns said. ''At least to the point of investigating feasibility.''

Fien and Cooper said players would also be interested, and the former St George Illawarra players confirmed they would have been keen to continue on a summer Nines circuit if one was in place when they retired at the end of last season.

''I would definitely be keen to run around in that sort of competition,'' Fien said.

Cooper added: ''It is something I would do.''

Fien compared the idea to rugby union's World Sevens Series and said Nines could become the league equivalent of Twenty20 cricket.

''Why wouldn't a broadcaster be interested?'' Fien said. ''Have a look at the rugby union sevens, they played in Wellington this weekend and they play in Dubai, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and all round the place.

''I guess you also see with cricket at the moment and

Twenty20 that there are different markets for different forms of the game.''

Penrith under 20s coach Trent Barrett expressed concern young players needed a full pre-season but Fien said someone like Kemp - the former Broncos and Dragons speedster he has recruited for his Thirroul Butchers team - would be ideal for a Nines circuit.

''Kempy is probably at the realisation now that football in the NRL probably isn't going to be there for him, so I guess for him to still have that competitiveness and earn a little bit of money playing in a Nines comp would probably suit him and players like him,'' Fien said.

Fittler, coming out of retirement to play for Sydney Roosters at next weekend's tournament, said Nines could be a meeting point for touch football and NRL, which have recently merged, and may unearth new talent.

''I think one of the best steps the league ever took was combining with touch footy and I think that is going to be a great avenue one day for kids to come through and play footy, and therefore there is that next step through to Nines as well,'' he said. ''It is all about entertainment, so it will be very interesting to see how the Nines goes next weekend. If the weather is good and everyone holds the ball, I can't see how it can fail.''

With the Nines sold out at Eden Park next Saturday and Sunday, Cooper said he believed there would be support from fans for a summer circuit.

''I think the fans would love it, they are usually craving for footy to start around January,'' he said. ''The down side would be player burnout … but a concept that would work is that every team must bring a retired player back.''

While there is a lot of focus on the work load of representative stars, Barrett said it would be a setback to the careers of under 20s players to miss a full pre-season of training to play Nines.

''We only get a 10- or 12-week pre-season now and that is really important for their physical development and skill development, so I for one wouldn't be happy to not have those kids do that training,'' Barrett said. ''Many of them are just out of school and it is mainly getting their bodies ready for the training they have to do to be able to play first grade.''
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
How about this genius, how about promoting NRL by promoting what we already have, which is a fantastic product. As far as I know Origin wins the ratings in NSW and Qld every year, surely we can expand on that. We already have a great product, what's 9's supposed to be - "would you like fries with that ?"

Rule of business, give the customers what they want. When was the last time auckland sold tickets for RL like they have this nines? Never that's when. Warriors are lucky to get 20k on a good day, these two days have sold 90k tickets!

One difficulty would be heat and playing during the day in 40degree temps.
 
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The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,723
Nah just people general and in general for all the crap in the 9's thread that's been happening since its announcement.

My bad.

People are keen for it because all the clubs are playing. Start adding international teams and it takes away from it. I couldn't give a shit if an Australian 9's team played a Samoan team.

I don't think people are suggesting that, I think they're suggesting that international teams be invited to play against the NRL teams not that international teams replace the NRL teams.
 

POPEYE

Coach
Messages
11,397
I haven't read most of the posts in this thread, I reckon hysteria and mock dismissal would be par for the course. A hybrid/9's would never threaten NRL unless it graduates to a competition an athlete could make a living from.

If that was the case it could develop into teams of 15 or so highly paid players, where they came from or how much they were paid of no significance, in a promoters dream these blokes wouldn't bother with any other version of the game . . . reminds you of Soccer

Of course it won't happen
 

hutch

First Grade
Messages
6,810
We should of never gotten rid of the world sevens tournaments. It was a great way for emerging nations to compete, the tournament was successful and would of grown into a world circuit with some decent money to be made.
 

Rodney

Juniors
Messages
243
The 9's are locked in to Aukland for the next 5 years.
And i'd doubt Auckland would be too pleased if the NRL undermined it tourism potential by giving Australian fans a local 9s tournament while the initial one is still starting to carve out its identity.
Let's just honour the current agreements (with foxsports and Aukland) and then re-evaluate the potential when the FTA option is open again and Auckland can be notified of their place within the circuit before signing off.
 

elbusto

Coach
Messages
15,803
The 9's are locked in to Aukland for the next 5 years.
And i'd doubt Auckland would be too pleased if the NRL undermined it tourism potential by giving Australian fans a local 9s tournament while the initial one is still starting to carve out its identity.
Let's just honour the current agreements (with foxsports and Aukland) and then re-evaluate the potential when the FTA option is open again and Auckland can be notified of their place within the circuit before signing off.
If you can turn a weekend tournament into a longer series with huge television audiences and crowds, you might just consider re-writing the agreement.

And forget the Union nuffies.
 

ek999

First Grade
Messages
6,973
My bad.



I don't think people are suggesting that, I think they're suggesting that international teams be invited to play against the NRL teams not that international teams replace the NRL teams.

But all good players will be playing for the clubs. You will either weaken the club teams by putting country above club or have absolutely horrible international teams made up of NSW/Qld Cup standard players at best by putting club over country. Either way you will be making the event worse.

It either needs to be an international event or a club event not both. IF it was to be expanded, the first move would be to introduce ESL teams. However, you will then have to many teams to hold the event over a weekend, which would be completely missing the point of what it is meant to be
 

POPEYE

Coach
Messages
11,397
But all good players will be playing for the clubs. You will either weaken the club teams by putting country above club or have absolutely horrible international teams made up of NSW/Qld Cup standard players at best by putting club over country. Either way you will be making the event worse.

It either needs to be an international event or a club event not both. IF it was to be expanded, the first move would be to introduce ESL teams. However, you will then have to many teams to hold the event over a weekend, which would be completely missing the point of what it is meant to be

Could be the point is disguised as a sharp object when it is really a blunt instrument
 

GongPanther

Referee
Messages
28,302
How many decent first graders would be willing to have yet another 6 weeks added to their calendar. The players worth watching are the Origin and international caliber guys and with this they'd be on their feet almost all year long.

Some might say to fill this with younger players. The teenagers are already going through a massive workload that is too much for many young growing bodies. Putting this on their plate would hurt youth development more than help it.

An all year long footy season would be too much for the players, increasing fatigue, increasing injuries and reducing the quality of the proper NRL season.

There comes a point when too much of a good thing starts hurting what makes it good in the first place.

I agree.

Administrators trying to squeeze more blood from players,with the opportunity to line their own pockets,when the demands are more than enough as they are with what they have on their plate.

Gold digging venture is that what this is.
 

Canard

Immortal
Messages
34,154
LU Offseason Threads.

Hybrid Rugby game. Tick

A second tier competition could draw large crowds and a $100M+ TV contract. Tick

Less teams in Sydney. Tick

Cronulla should be kicked out. Tick

LOL@Souffs. Tick
 

***MH***

Bench
Messages
3,974
If you can turn a weekend tournament into a longer series with huge television audiences and crowds, you might just consider re-writing the agreement.

And forget the Union nuffies.

The 9's are locked in to Aukland for the next 5 years.
And i'd doubt Auckland would be too pleased if the NRL undermined it tourism potential by giving Australian fans a local 9s tournament while the initial one is still starting to carve out its identity.
Let's just honour the current agreements (with foxsports and Aukland) and then re-evaluate the potential when the FTA option is open again and Auckland can be notified of their place within the circuit before signing off.

Make the Auckland Nines the Finals of the summer series.

Give each region a tournament per weekend.

Winner of each tournament accumulates maximum points for that round.
 

Rodney

Juniors
Messages
243
If you can turn a weekend tournament into a longer series with huge television audiences and crowds, you might just consider re-writing the agreement.

And forget the Union nuffies.

I don't know how long the current 9's broadcast deal is but you'd want to ensure that if the 9s attempted to go 'big time' it'd need the support of FTA.

And i'd doubt the potential of the Auckland leg if another leg was brought in in Australia.
Undeniably a decent chunk of the fans that are going to attend the 9s are Australian fans making the trek over.
And if these fans were given a closer event to attend the incentive to make it over to Auckland is somewhat diminished.

I'd wait until the fixture becomes an annual local event before pulling the rug of out of town support and tourism out from under them.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
Didn't I read 1000 fans were attendingfrom Australia? Not sure that would be a motivating factor one way or another, especially if Auckland was the big final event.
 

Dogs Of War

Coach
Messages
12,718
THe only way something like this could work is having more generic teams that which say a Western team which has Parra, Bulldogs, Penrith and Tigers providing players for, Eastern Team with Manly, Knights, Roosters and Dragons providing players, Southern with Raiders, Sharks, Storm, Souths providing players. Northern Team with the QLD clubs, and invite international teams (NZ, USA, Jamaica, PNG etc) to participate.

THis way a lot of players who have recently retired at seasons end at these clubs could participate with maybe some union guys added to spice things up.
 
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