2020 has forced the NRL into having a better schedule. Let's make it permanent.

[Styles clash]

So the 17 Tongan and Samoan players aren’t Tongan and Samoan? Ok mate, like to see you tell them that.
Same goes with the other international teams, some players just have links to more than one country. Rugby league has the same qualification laws as every other major sport.
You’re missing out regardless.

Enjoy watching B teams if you're into that. Mate.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Several things we can take away.

- Origin works just as well (Audiences, crowds, quality) in November as it does in June
- the 3-match series worked perfectly post-GF to rebuild interest in whichever teams are playing.
- Origin is great across 3 consecutive weeks.

My first choice would be to leave the Origin series here and use July for internationals (if not a 4 nations, at least a bunch of 3-match series’). The July window has built Origin into the biggest sporting even in Australia, it would be great to see Aus/kiwis/tonga given a similar chance.

Second best would be to leave Origin in July and just agree to never do another international one-off match. Seriously, the 3-match series is the perfect format for rep teams to compete (Aus-Kiwis across 3 weekends would be great)

EDIT: hell, the 3 game format even manages to make Union’s Bledoslow interesting...

 

[This Year?]

If they shorten the regular season there are less shit games but the shit teams become shit quicker as the path to finals narrows earlier. With 15 games there'd be sides putting the cue in the rack by April.

I understand your point but generally the poorer performing clubs have no hope anyway. The game needs to grow and having better quality games to wider audiences seem to be the way to bring more $$ in. There needs to be a restructure in player payments where rep games are more lucritive to players instead of a big contract at a club. Better player = more games = more $$. It might actually make players strive to perform and make a game a better spectacle.

 

[Perth Red]

I think it shows what we already knew, club land is the most important thing to most fans and always will be.

That is nothing to be embarrassed or salty about either. I mean what sports are legitimately most popular at the international or representative level? Cricket is one. Maybe rugby union at a stretch?

I would say even most fans of soccer which has the most legitimate international competition of any sport in the world are more concerned about the fortunes of their club/s than their nation.

youve clearly never been in Europe or sth America during a World Cup! Club soccer is massive but whole nations stop for their international sides. In fact RL, afl and nfl are probably the few team sports where international game isn’t bigger than che domestic game.

 

[Styles clash]

In fact RL, afl and nfl are probably the few team sports where international game isn’t bigger than che domestic game.

Baseball, basketball, ice hockey.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Several things we can take away.

- Origin works just as well (Audiences, crowds, quality) in November as it does in June
- the 3-match series worked perfectly post-GF to rebuild interest in whichever teams are playing.
- Origin is great across 3 consecutive weeks.

My first choice would be to leave the Origin series here and use July for internationals (if not a 4 nations, at least a bunch of 3-match series’). The July window has built Origin into the biggest sporting even in Australia, it would be great to see Aus/kiwis/tonga given a similar chance.

Second best would be to leave Origin in July and just agree to never do another international one-off match. Seriously, the 3-match series is the perfect format for rep teams to compete (Aus-Kiwis across 3 weekends would be great)

EDIT: hell, the 3 game format even manages to make Union’s Bledoslow interesting...

Is that the general consensus? Because I wouldn't have said that. It didn't feel like it had the momentum of previous years.

I don't think however you manipulate it, that Test football is going to become what Origin is. Not even close.

To me, Origin needs to be mid-year to ensure you have guys who are nearer peak fitness. Playing it in November year after year, you're going to have 17 broken bodies v 17 broken bodies which potentially breaks down the quality of football. You're going to have more guys missing than you would in July. Then do clubs start putting pressure on surgeries to happen then? Do we get in an arm wrestle between club and state?

 

[Valheru]

youve clearly never been in Europe or sth America during a World Cup! Club soccer is massive but whole nations stop for their international sides. In fact RL, afl and nfl are probably the few team sports where international game isn’t bigger than che domestic game.

Rubbish

You are talking about a 4 week window every 4 years.

Week in week out club land is where it is at for the vast majority of sports, including soccer and that is what drives the revenue.

Cricket is really the only exception I can think of where the International game is what drives the fan interest and the revenue.

 

[hutch]

Enjoy watching B teams if you're into that. Mate.

Nah I’m into rugby league, unlike yourself it seems.
And one of those “b” teams beat the best rugby team of either code last year. Not bad for a “b” team.

 

[Perth Red]

Baseball, basketball, ice hockey.

Rubbish

You are talking about a 4 week window every 4 years.

Week in week out club land is where it is at for the vast majority of sports, including soccer and that is what drives the revenue.

Cricket is really the only exception I can think of where the International game is what drives the fan interest and the revenue.

Revenue is only one measure ( a big one granted). Public interest, Tv audience ,media coverage etc etc all matter for a sport. If you've ever been in a soccer loving country during the world cup the public interest level in soccer is 100 times what it is during the domestic season. Sht even Ive watched some international games and I hate soccer lol.

England ARU make much more money from internationals than they take out of the media deal. I suspect other Union national governing bodies would be the same.

Regardless International RL could and should play a very important role in the game. To hear Origin players say its the pinnacle is a tad sad for the legacy of the Kangaroos.

 

[Styles clash]

Soccer is the only sport that really pulls off getting the average fan care about internationals and domestic equally. Cricket in India may be heading towards that (IPL) but not really in the other countries.

Rugby union claiming the internationals and domestics are equally relevant is stretching. Certainly there's a solid core of people who watch club or provincial games but the Six Nations and All Blacks are the real draw for those countries. Guessing it's pretty rare Twickenham Stadium in London sells out when it's not England or the World Cup being played.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

I did not enjoy origin at all in November. It feels like an afterthought having it after the finals. As someone who has watched every series avidly for decades I snoozed through most of this series.

It belongs in winter.

 

[baselinepanther]

we will revert to 2019 & earlier scheduling from next season & I don't get why this thread is still debating alternatives. Certainly in the next few years nothing is going to change from the norm.


2021
NRL 25 rounds with one assigned bye
24 club games starting in March
one general bye for the 2nd origin & that will be for the pacific test window & the womens origin as well.
3 mens origins from late May til early July
Finals in september
GF on long weekend in October
RLWC in November

2022
change the RLWC , to international test window.
At some point they were talking about reviving the old Kangaroo tours of the UK... for maybe just a one off or every 4 years or something .... I would love that.

that is all

 

[hutch]

we will revert to 2019 & earlier scheduling from next season & I don't get why this thread is still debating alternatives. Certainly in the next few years nothing is going to change from the norm.


2021
NRL 25 rounds with one assigned bye
24 club games starting in March
one general bye for the 2nd origin & that will be for the pacific test window & the womens origin as well.
3 mens origins from late May til early July
Finals in september
GF on long weekend in October
RLWC in November

2022
change the RLWC , to international test window.
At some point they were talking about reviving the old Kangaroo tours of the UK... for maybe just a one off or every 4 years or something .... I would love that.

that is all

The kangaroo tour was meant to be this year. They were going to stop in Toronto to play the Wolfpack and then a 3 test series v England (would prefer Great Britain) and a possible test v France (should be 2) but thanks covid.

 

[adamkungl]

Several things we can take away.

- Origin works just as well (Audiences, crowds, quality) in November as it does in June

I don't know how you came to this conclusion. I thought the only game that truly felt like Origin was the third. The first in particularly was pretty much dross. It had the feel of a one off test in October, players knocking off the rust. Origin usually is played at full tilt from minute 1, everyone fresh, fit and firing.

- the 3-match series worked perfectly post-GF to rebuild interest in whichever teams are playing.
- Origin is great across 3 consecutive weeks.

Second best would be to leave Origin in July and just agree to never do another international one-off match. Seriously, the 3-match series is the perfect format for rep teams to compete (Aus-Kiwis across 3 weekends would be great)

This is where you're on the money. Australia should be playing NZ 3 times every year.

A good conservative suggestion i've seen discussed, that brings some of the required improvements but without rocking the boat too much:

> Leave Origin mid-season, on Wednesdays, with no weeks off the NRL. Split rounds, as now.
But bring the Origin games to 2 weeks apart rather than 3, to condense the period where the NRL is effected. Done and dusted in May and June.
Tbh, Origin interrupting NRL doesn't really bother me. The sheer length of the buildup and ignorance of all else around it is frustrating.
Comparing to this year, I think considering that we'll never get a truly 'even' home-away draw, you can make an argument that having a few weeks where lower teams are more likely to beat top teams makes the race to the 8 a lot closer and more interesting at the end of the season.

> Have a single stand-alone International weekend, at the end of June after Origin is done. July onwards is clear air for the NRL to the end of the season.
Origin being played before tests would rightfully influence test selection, unlike how Australia used to play in April or May beforehand.
All games would be played as the first of 3, with the second and third to come in October. Mens and Womens games would fill the weekend nicely.
Australia v New Zealand (game 1 of 3)
Tonga v Samoa
PNG v Fiji
Cook Islands v Vanuatu
Lebanon v Italy
Greece v Malta

 

[Captain Apollo]

Adam, a lot of the reasons as to why the mid-season tests came to be played before Origin come down to New Zealand. The NZRL said sometime during the mid-1990s-early 2000s they'd refuse to play Tests against Australia held after Origin as the Australian players would all be "battle hardened" by Origin, and hence the Kiwis would be at a disadvantage by not having any lead up games.

I don't think that view has changed much.

 

[Perth Red]

As expected moving back to as was.

https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/nr...rigin-back-to-mid-season-20201126-p56i71.html

 

[hrundi99]

Baseball, basketball, ice hockey.

Wrong about hockey.

Ever heard about the Miracle On Ice?

Canada, Russia, USA, Sweden, Finland and Czech Republic are all competitive teams and there are a number of regular Intl tournaments that are very popular (even juniors). The Olympics tends to be the best but it's been without the NHL players the last few times, though that appears to be changing.

 

[The_Frog]

In fact RL, afl and nfl are probably the few team sports where international game isn’t bigger than che domestic game.

What do they have in common? Either no-one else plays the game or in the case of RL those who do, do so at a much lower standard than the main domestic league.