City-country

[Hawkins]

take the all stars game with it.

All stars?, Jordan McLean, f**k the hell off.

 

[Bazal]

Tbh anyone celebrating the death of City vs Country is clueless. The problem isn't the fixture, it's the way it's been used as a glorified trial and a free rep game for blokes who are always going to be slightly (or sometimes majorly) sub-Origin standard.

Taking the odd NRL game to regional centres is all well and good, but those NRL sides don't represent the Country. Plus who apart from Penrith is actually doing it every year? This used to be a genuine fixture with rivalry and passion. It should never have been reduced to a trial match, it's an insult to the CRL.

 

[King hit]

Im sorry to see the City Country game go. I've long been a fan of the concept and how the NRL disengages with regional areas it isn't going to help.

 

[Nice Beaver]

take the all stars game with it.

All stars?, Jordan McLean, f**k the hell off.

Lachlan Maranta anyone? hahahaha

I think there are places and times for most of these fixtures, its just that the NRL has ZERO idea how to do it.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Farewell City/Country you won't be missed.

I'll miss it. As will many others.

It's just people who don't care about the sport that might not. And they can EAD.

 

[davi]

I'll miss it. As will many others.

It's just people who don't care about the sport that might not. And they can EAD.

Gus Gould was asked about it. He suggested he would be in favor of it staying but suggested that there are 26 rounds of football which are too many. He suggested shorten the season and let City/Country stay and increase the international matches.

I wouldn't be in favor of doing that and I don't know many fans who are complaining there are too many rounds in an NRL season.

Fans also bang down the door for State of Origin football. International matches? No not really, its not even close in terms of realms of popularity and obviously City/Country is not either.

 

[Spot On]

I can't see much relevance for it in the modern NRL. I know that annoys many people. However, the NRL doesn't either.

Off the point a little but I'd love to know the number of players currently contracted to a NRL club who would be eligible to play for country and eligible to play for city. I wonder what percentage of the total NRL playing group they make up now compared to say 30 or so years ago.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

And that's why after 120 years rugby league is a tiny non-event in world sport. Twats who call themselves fans of the game would rather watch six weeks of origin time shit club games than proper international sport and representative games. And then wonder why crowd averages are crap, players leave for Union and other sports and the media treats it like shit. Half the issues in RL are compared directly to the VFL and yet the things that RL has over VFL we neglect, destroy or malign.

 

[Spot On]

Is AFL a tiny non-event in world sport Tiger?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Is AFL a tiny non-event in world sport Tiger?

Yes it is. Which is why it's even more embarrassing that in this country the general perception is that RL is actually even smaller. And in many ways it is, which is absolutely criminal.

 

[Spot On]

See, I'd rather watch the strongest week to week competition between our clubs that we could possibly have. Ad hoc rep games during the season doesn't currently support that though. And that's not a shot at the City/Country fixture, it's all of the rep and gimmick stuff we currently have pre season, during the season and the end of the season.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

The very notion that the "season" is club games and things like tests have essentially been relegated (and I mean relegated) to the offseason is a disgraceful reflection of how backward and smalltime the sport is. People talk about rep games being pointless because they're one off games and not relevant to a competition or tournament, but don't seem to mind half the club games in the final rounds being entirely pointless and irrelevant, then also won't support an event like the World Cup even though it is a sustained competition with far greater bredth of appeal and significance than most club games. The mindset of the RL "fan" is as contradictory as it is short sighted.

 

[siv]

CvC suffers from one issue alone

We are playing Australia v NZ before SOO series

It would be much smarter to have 4 in season rep weekends in 2 fortnights

starting on last 2 weekends of May

CvC in NSW and QLD on week 1
SOO I week 2

then in first two weekends if July

SOO II
SOO III

And play 4 nation Pacific Cup and 4 nation Euro Cup etc in parrallel

Leave Australian international matches till post season

 

[TheVelourFog]

People talk about rep games being pointless because they're one off games and not relevant to a competition or tournament, but don't seem to mind half the club games in the final rounds being entirely pointless and irrelevant, then also won't support an event like the World Cup even though it is a sustained competition with far greater bredth of appeal and significance than most club games.

a sport where there are only two countries with professional leagues of any note

where for the last 60 years Australia have won 10 out of 14 World Cups

 

[East Coast Tiger]

a sport where there are only two countries with professional leagues of any note

where for the last 60 years Australia have won 10 out of 14 World Cups

Yeah and? Why is that?

If tards are saying we shouldn't care about international football because it's not big enough without a hint of irony I think that really sums things up.

 

[TheVelourFog]

Yeah and? Why is that?

If tards are saying we shouldn't care about international football because it's not big enough without a hint of irony I think that really sums things up.

sports become popular in countries then their countries become competitive internationally, not the other way around you mong

 

[East Coast Tiger]

sports become popular in countries then their countries become competitive internationally, not the other way around you mong

Oh really? So there's no sports that aren't particularly popular in a country but that country is still competitive at international level? Good work f**ktard. Australia has won gold medals in water polo. Must be the massive crowds, tv viewers and press it gets. Oh hang on.

This is the kind of tard I'm talking about. f**kwits who claim to be RL fans but do nothing but shit on its international game. f**king oxygen thieves.

 

[Timmah]

Imagine my shock opening this thread and seeing ECT with sweeping generalisations about the opinion of every fan.

 

[skeepe]

Surprise surprise, Canterbury are getting special treatment that wasn't extended to other teams:

...

the Green Machine weren't allowed to withdraw players from last year's City-Country clash - despite having a tougher 2016 schedule than the Bulldogs have this year.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart was left "gobsmacked" when he found out about Canterbury's special treatment.

It's not surprising given what Canberra was forced to go through last campaign.
...

The Raiders had exactly the same schedule as Canterbury do this season, except harder.

They travelled to Penrith eight days before City-Country in Tamworth and then went to Sydney to play St George Illawarra four days after the rep game.

In contrast, the Bulldogs have home games either side of this year's City-Country in Mudgee on Sunday week.

"I was quite amazed at the stance that has been taken there because we were in exactly the same circumstances last season with a four-day turnaround where we had to travel away to play," Stuart said.

"We had to play the Dragons and both teams were made to play their players. I'm really gobsmacked in regards to what's taken place here."

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rug...uad-for-final-anzac-test-20170426-gvsmr7.html

It's even a little worse than the article states as the Penrith game was in Bathurst.

Greenberg giving the Dogs special treatment, who woulda thunk it.

 

[carcharias]

Des doesn't want injured players for when they watch the finals?