2026 TV and Streaming Ratings thread

[BuffaloRules]

Never happened.

Nor have I seen a competitions where more than half the competition have conceded 40 or 50 points by what is it….round 5

as I said to you yesterday … blame the referees for that

 

[Iamback]

Agree to disagree on that point.

Dragons are the bums now.

They won SG Ball 2 years ago.
Made NSW Cup GF last year
Are running 2nd in Flegg and NSW Cup this year.

Over the next couple of years as those players filter in and the old guys leave. They will improve and if they are halfway decent. Their fans will actually watch games and TV metrics will grow

 

[Wb1234]

PNG will solve the player depth issues but you’ll always have well run clubs like Penrith and the opposite in dragons tigers

And the regional clubs always face a huge disadvantage to city sides re attracting players

 

[Colk]

Dragons are the bums now.

They won SG Ball 2 years ago.
Made NSW Cup GF last year
Are running 2nd in Flegg and NSW Cup this year.

Over the next couple of years as those players filter in and the old guys leave. They will improve and if they are halfway decent. Their fans will actually watch games and TV metrics will grow

Any good players they have will filter to the top clubs.

The NRL is getting more and more like the EPL where you will see the same 3 to 4 clubs winning in perpetuity.

 

[Colk]

PNG will solve the player depth issues but you’ll always have well run clubs like Penrith and the opposite in dragons tigers

And the regional clubs always face a huge disadvantage to city sides re attracting players

PNG won’t solve that. Not for another generation or two at least. Even then you will still get more players from NZ than PNG.

Strongly agree on the second point. There is really no point in having regional clubs from the broader perspective of the competition.

 

[Iamback]

Any good players they have will filter to the top clubs.

The NRL is getting more and more like the EPL where you will see the same 3 to 4 clubs winning in perpetuity.

Yeah but you normally have 10 teams with chances for the 8 within the last fortnight.

You need clubs like Newcastle, Dragons etc to be in that lot. To make the viewers keep engaged

 

[Colk]

Yeah but you normally have 10 teams with chances for the 8 within the last fortnight.

You need clubs like Newcastle, Dragons etc to be in that lot. To make the viewers keep engaged

Sure but my point still stands. You will only see the same 3 or 4 clubs winning comps from here on in.

 

[nswarrior]

I realise comprehension isn't your strong point, so I will repeat this again for your benefit.

Each market only received ONE FTA AFL game each.

The two NRL games aired in all markets.

So it's not a direct comparison and you can cease the self-gratification.

That sounds like an AFL problem

 

[Chins]

Any good players they have will filter to the top clubs.

The NRL is getting more and more like the EPL where you will see the same 3 to 4 clubs winning in perpetuity.

What nonsense. Penrith came from nowhere and built an empire. No reason others can't

 

[Iamback]

Sure but my point still stands. You will only see the same 3 or 4 clubs winning comps from here on in.

We have a stack off contract at the end of the year. If Nathan, Yeo and the coach decide they have had enough.

That rules us out.

Broncos have a stack of key guys gone next year.

Storm are showing decline.

So it goes in cycles

 

[Wb1234]

Dragons are the bums now.

They won SG Ball 2 years ago.
Made NSW Cup GF last year
Are running 2nd in Flegg and NSW Cup this year.

Over the next couple of years as those players filter in and the old guys leave. They will improve and if they are halfway decent. Their fans will actually watch games and TV metrics will grow

That’s if they promote them

The club hasn’t done that for ages

 

[Iamback]

That’s if they promote them

The club hasn’t done that for ages

That is on the club, my point is there are no total basketcase clubs

 

[Colk]

What nonsense. Penrith came from nowhere and built an empire. No reason others can't

There is no commercial benefit for the NRL to allow just any team to win the comp.

Furthermore, the depth of talent is consistently shrinking which favours teams already at the top. The level of talent will also continually dilute with further expansion.

 

[Colk]

We have a stack off contract at the end of the year. If Nathan, Yeo and the coach decide they have had enough.

That rules us out.

Broncos have a stack of key guys gone next year.

Storm are showing decline.

So it goes in cycles

Less a cycle, more an oval. Those three clubs will still be dominating in perpetuity.

If any other club wins, it will be like Leicester City.

If the NRL cared about quality or competition, you would cut half the comp and start divisions but for obvious reasons that isn’t going to happen because they need the content.

 

[Chins]

There is no commercial benefit for the NRL to allow just any team to win the comp.

Furthermore, the depth of talent is consistently shrinking which favours teams already at the top. The level of talent will also continually dilute with further expansion.

What was the commercial benefit of a small club like Penrith becoming the greatest side of all time?

 

[Colk]

What was the commercial benefit of a small club like Penrith becoming the greatest side of all time?

Greatest side of all time? You might want to apologise to St George fans let alone other sides. You could literally fit the first grade quality of the competition within four squads.

Your side is smack bang in the fastest growing area in the country. There is your commercial benefit.

Think about it: would the NRL want Cronulla, Newcastle, Canberra, Gold Coast or Manly win a competition? No f****** way would they want that because the TV audience would be minuscule.

 

[Steel Saints]

I remember when the Steelers beat Manly to win the SG Ball GF back in 2019. The side was lead by Jayden Sullivan. But thanks to Covid, lower grades were cancelled or disrupted in 2020 and 2021. With a lack of football, that would've harmed the development of young players like Sullivan and others. The "Covid Years" weren't great for young players coming through.

But Dragons did win SG Ball in 2024. So there is another chance for young players to make a mark at the Dragons. Although from that side we have lost Finau Latu to the Bulldogs. It will also be interesting to see the progress of Kade Reed this year.

 

[Chins]

Greatest side of all time? You might want to apologise to St George fans let alone other sides. You could literally fit the first grade quality of the competition within four squads.

Your side is smack bang in the fastest growing area in the country. There is your commercial benefit.

Think about it: would the NRL want Cronulla, Newcastle, Canberra, Gold Coast or Manly win a competition? No f****** way would they want that because the TV audience would be minuscule.

Part-timers from a Sydney comp in the 1950s? Yeah get f**ked

 

[Colk]

Part-timers from a Sydney comp in the 1950s? Yeah get f**ked

11 in a row mate.

No disrespect, but there are many other teams that had more skill and faced greater competition than this Penrith side. Just have a look at some of the sides that won 20 to 30 years ago and some of the competition they had to face. Your side is great but I can’t say you are the greatest.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

I remember when the Steelers beat Manly to win the SG Ball GF back in 2019. The side was lead by Jayden Sullivan. But thanks to Covid, lower grades were cancelled or disrupted in 2020 and 2021. With a lack of football, that would've harmed the development of young players like Sullivan and others. The "Covid Years" weren't great for young players coming through.

But Dragons did win SG Ball in 2024. So there is another chance for young players to make a mark at the Dragons. Although from that side we have lost Finau Latu to the Bulldogs. It will also be interesting to see the progress of Kade Reed this year.

But you see this all the time, I remember for years the Raiders were strong in the lower grades and this never seemed to translate into first-grade success.