18th club, whose next?

[mongoose]

Dane is only happy when he's being a pessimistic old prick and speaking nonsense.

RU expanded into Perth and Melbourne. Dane says that's the same as the NRL not expanding into Adelaide and Perth. I'm buggered if I know how he worked that one out.

The game is more exciting now than it was when Greenberg was in charge. Dane says it's boring. Ratings and attendances suggest most people don't agree with him.

how is it more exciting? I'm interested to hear this... was 2021 the year with all the blowouts? Panthers and Storm literally beat everyone by 50... how f**king exciting! 2022 was a bit better but was a 1 horse race. 2023 was meh, Broncos and Panthers were great, everyone else was dead average. Storm played garbage all year and still finished 4th. Only good thing was the Warriors.

 

[Iamback]

So we’re probably gonna get a team made up mostly of Australians but being called PNG and playing in a foreign kit most likely making it difficult for anybody here or there to get invested. I’d personally be calling it Cairns and make a big deal out of creating pathways for a couple of Papuan hopefuls to get a real shot at a trial or two. The main focus should be creating a genuine derby for Cowboys/Cairns fans imo. I still think NZ2 should be the 18th franchise however.

NZ 2 with somehow making use of the strides Fiji are making would be my push.

It would likely host a game in Magic Round. Push a game to be hosted at a Bigger ground. That gets the bills paid for the smaller games

 

[Iamback]

You think Cairns is above any of those I mentioned?

Try harder.

They want to build the fan base outside Australia the is why PNG is being mentioned. Cairns would be due to flying distance as opposed to those others

 

[Iamback]

Nothing to do with "plastic teams" or "heartlands".

In pursuit of instant success and short term financial gain a small group of elites unilaterally chose to sell the sport out to broadcaster and international interests, knowingly undermining the grassroots, local development, and local professional teams/league in the process.

Naturally those interest groups bailed as soon as they'd sucked as many resources out of the sport in Australia as possible, leaving the sport behind in a complete mess. Compounding the issue is the fact that multiple generations of RU's leadership in this country has been too weak to do what is necessary and simply amputate the dead limbs, instead leaving them to fester and, surprisingly quickly, take the rest of the sport down with them for fear of ruffling some feathers.

BTW, given your expressed attitudes you definitely would have been amongst the seals who unwittingly clapped the ARU on while it committed suicide.

If you look to why they brought in a Japan, Argentina sides.

Hell why they have a Fiji and Pasifka side, That was done for the same reasons

 

[Pippen94]

Nothing to do with "plastic teams" or "heartlands".

In pursuit of instant success and short term financial gain a small group of elites unilaterally chose to sell the sport out to broadcaster and international interests, knowingly undermining the grassroots, local development, and local professional teams/league in the process.

Naturally those interest groups bailed as soon as they'd sucked as many resources out of the sport in Australia as possible, leaving the sport behind in a complete mess. Compounding the issue is the fact that multiple generations of RU's leadership in this country has been too weak to do what is necessary and simply amputate the dead limbs, instead leaving them to fester and, surprisingly quickly, take the rest of the sport down with them for fear of ruffling some feathers.

BTW, given your expressed attitudes you definitely would have been amongst the seals who unwittingly clapped the ARU on while it committed suicide.

Anything specific or just generalities?!

 

[Pippen94]

They want to build the fan base outside Australia the is why PNG is being mentioned. Cairns would be due to flying distance as opposed to those others

I think they understand this is not to be a Cairns team, but just shitposting. From what I understand Cairns is likely just base..

 

[The Great Dane]

how is it more exciting? I'm interested to hear this... was 2021 the year with all the blowouts? Panthers and Storm literally beat everyone by 50... how f**king exciting! 2022 was a bit better but was a 1 horse race. 2023 was meh, Broncos and Panthers were great, everyone else was dead average. Storm played garbage all year and still finished 4th. Only good thing was the Warriors.

Most of those teams matches were a amongst the dullest to watch as a spectator.

High on athleticism, very, very low on football smarts, tactics, and competitive tension. Not that that's their fault per se, they're just doing what works in the failed abortion that is "the modern game", but if I was simply interested in watching genetic freaks preforming impressive athletic feats I would have watched track and field, gymnastics, strongman, etc. I would have got much more entertainment out of it as well.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

The most boring period was the penalty crackdown under Greenberg. The game was becoming like rugby union. Dummy halves throwing the ball into defenders who were metres away from the ruck, just to milk a penalty. Players getting penalised from not playing the ball backwards with their foot, but only on some occasions. Teams were giving away penalties non-stop to reset their defensive line. It was boring as shit and led to the rule changes.

Dane writing long and baseless posts to sound intelligent. It's what he does when he doesn't have a point.

 

[Pippen94]

The most boring period was the penalty crackdown under Greenberg. The game was becoming like rugby union. Dummy halves throwing the ball into defenders who were metres away from the ruck, just to milk a penalty. Players getting penalised from not playing the ball backwards with their foot, but only on some occasions. Teams were giving away penalties non-stop to reset their defensive line. It was boring as shit and led to the rule changes.

Dane writing long and baseless posts to sound intelligent. It's what he does when he doesn't have a point.

Most of those teams matches were a amongst the dullest to watch as a spectator.

High on athleticism, very, very low on football smarts, tactics, and competitive tension. Not that that's their fault per se, they're just doing what works in the failed abortion that is "the modern game", but if I was simply interested in watching genetic freaks preforming impressive athletic feats I would have watched track and field, gymnastics, strongman, etc. I would have got much more entertainment out of it as well.

Soccer, NBA, NFL & countless sports have all become more athletic over the years. Hasn't hurt those sports..

 

[The Great Dane]

Anything specific or just generalities?!

Specifics in what regard? Stupid things the ARU have done since the late 90s?

Where the f**k do we start; accepting broadcasting rights contracts with bad terms to maximise short term profits over long term growth. In the same vain, but slightly different, rejecting opportunities to get the product on to FTA in the early 00s for a few million extra a season from Fox was particularly insane.

Consistently agreeing to or accepting rules, whether they be SR's competition rules or the rules of the game, that undermined RU's competitiveness as a product in Australia to keep SAANZAR, the SARU, NZRU, WRB, northern hemisphere unions, etc, etc, happy.

Undermining or outright rejecting local growth and business opportunities to keep any or all of the other members of SAANZAR or SR happy with nothing to show for it in return, which continues to this day.

Cutting funding to, and eventually abandoning, most grassroots and junior development in favour of fruitless schemes to poach fully developed talent straight way, and all the knock on effects of doing so.

I could go on forever ages with examples, but basically every decision that the ARU has made that hasn't put Australian RU's interests first or that has been a blatant attempt to strengthen one state union at the expense of others.

 

[The Great Dane]

Soccer, NBA, NFL & countless sports have all become more athletic over the years. Hasn't hurt those sports..

I didn't say that the NRL was getting less interesting because it was getting more athletic. . .

 

[The Great Dane]

The most boring period was the penalty crackdown under Greenberg. The game was becoming like rugby union. Dummy halves throwing the ball into defenders who were metres away from the ruck, just to milk a penalty. Players getting penalised from not playing the ball backwards with their foot, but only on some occasions. Teams were giving away penalties non-stop to reset their defensive line. It was boring as shit and led to the rule changes.

Dane writing long and baseless posts to sound intelligent. It's what he does when he doesn't have a point.

Aside from the reference to RU, you've obviously never watched a game of RU in your life, you're literally describing some of the worst elements of the current game, just swape penalties for six-agains.

Defence in the modern game is all about who's the best at abusing the six-again rule for advantage, especially in the red zone. That and/or banking on the ref being more lenient to your team than the opposition, which everybody knows is happening despite wishing to turn a blind eye to it...

 

[bad boy bubby]

Forget about basing the Papuans in Cairns, base them in Townsville!!
Play home games at that great stadium against the Cowboys, Broncos, Titans and Dolphins, and maybe the Warriors.and/or the Storm.
Everyone else can play in PNG.
Hit me

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Aside from the reference to RU, you've obviously never watched a game of RU in your life, you're literally describing some of the worst elements of the current game, just swape penalties for six-agains.

Defence in the modern game is all about who's the best at abusing the six-again rule for advantage, especially in the red zone. That and/or banking on the ref being more lenient to your team than the opposition, which everybody knows is happening despite wishing to turn a blind eye to it...

Mate, I played rugby union. It's a bastard of a game to watch. The ruck and maul system, line outs and scrums are a bore. Especially now that the defence doesn't commit players to the ruck.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Forget about basing the Papuans in Cairns, base them in Townsville!!
Play home games at that great stadium against the Cowboys, Broncos, Titans and Dolphins, and maybe the Warriors.and/or the Storm.
Everyone else can play in PNG.
Hit me

Now you've worked Canard up to the point he won't be able to sleep without a diazepam.

 

[bad boy bubby]

Now you've worked Canard up to the point he won't be able to sleep without a diazepam.

Shush you.
It's actually quite a more logical solution, especially as there is no real ground that can accommodate their games in Cairns without some construction.
People call on Sydney teams to be playing out of the SFS, Homebush and Parra. Well why not the Cowboys and Papuans out of the Townsville stadium???

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Shush you.
It's actually quite a more logical solution, especially as there is no real ground that can accommodate their games in Cairns without some construction.
People call on Sydney teams to be playing out of the SFS, Homebush and Parra. Well why not the Cowboys and Papuans out of the Townsville stadium???

It would actually be a great idea for a PNG team to play four games in Townsville. Cowboys Leagues would make a lot of sales on game day.

 

[bad boy bubby]

It would actually be a great idea for a PNG team to play four games in Townsville. Cowboys Leagues would make a lot of sales on game day.

Exactly.
Now you're on the programme.
Townsville is based on a bureaucratic society, a lot of fed govt jobs. Falls in place with a fed govt controlled team.

 

[The Great Dane]

Mate, I played rugby union. It's a bastard of a game to watch. The ruck and maul system, line outs and scrums are a bore. Especially now that the defence doesn't commit players to the ruck.

None of which are why RU has become completely unwatchable in last 20 years, not in of themselves anyway.

I'm being oversimplistic to an extent, but the main thing that's f**ked RU is the fact that it's generally a more efficient tactic to play for penalty goals than score tries the way the rules are currently enforced. Incentivising quality running rugby in the rules is one of the first steps RU has to take if it ever wants to be competitive in the Australian market again.

 

[Brian potter]

Exactly

well said brain

And you’re ok with that?