Corona Virus and NRL Games

[Dragon David]

The comments above show just how fragile- truly fragile this new competition will be .
Very similar to a house of cards that will come crashing down should one , only one party test positive at any stage .

The players will need to resist all temptations that shall eventually present themselves to them whilst in ‘confinement’ as that will basically be the type of lifestyle they will living .

And as both Red&White 4 ever and Dragon David have both said already , the biggest obstacle in their path will undoubtedly be their families or for some covert nocturnal activity .

Here’s hoping that this virus has finally run its course by the beginning of the new season , whenever that may be and that these Draconian measures are no longer required .

I’d say lifesaving and risk minimising rather than draconian.
The issue is that those that think they are draconian measures will be the ones willing to break them.

Thanks guys. You have covered it. Let's hope that in 2021 there will be fresh air for all throughout the world and free from contamination. No more virus, no lockdowns and social distancing rules and no more Waterboy as Linespeed calls him.

 

[jeffdragon]

Good on Craig bellamy about his anger with any of his players who do wrong
Lattrell .addo carr and cleary are all tools
I'm glad the girls with cleary got fined.
He should get a kick up the ass too.

 

[Gareth67]

I’d say lifesaving and risk minimising rather than draconian.
The issue is that those that think they are draconian measures will be the ones willing to break them.

O.T. - draconian was undoubtedly a bad choice of words by me , however the point that I was attempting to make was simply that I hope this insidious disease will be over for everybody .

Although to my way of thinking the world will need a great deal of time to gradually get back to where it once was .

And please rest assured that I myself have not flouted the rules that our government have in place . .Tik- Tok .

 

[matPORTS]

The National Cabinet has not signed off on the Warriors being allowed back into the country.

They also have not signed off on the proposed 28th May return date.

Further decisions around the return of sports will be made next week. According to the National Cabinet, there are three stages set out for a return:

We are currently in stage one - which is no sport.

Stage two - is any non-contact outdoor sports allowed in groups of <10.

Stage three - return of all sports.

Stages one and two pretty much mean no Rugby League, training or playing.

I honestly believe the game, and it's media identities whom also live in the same bubble, need to zip their mouths. Get your plans around the bio-security measures, the pathway back to full team training and a newly formed draw in place, but do it behind closed doors.

Best listen to only what comes out of the National Cabinet.

 

[BLM01]

The National Cabinet has not signed off on the Warriors being allowed back into the country.

They also have not signed off on the proposed 28th May return date.

Further decisions around the return of sports will be made next week. According to the National Cabinet, there are three stages set out for a return:

We are currently in stage one - which is no sport.

Stage two - is any non-contact outdoor sports allowed in groups of <10.

Stage three - return of all sports.

Stages one and two pretty much mean no Rugby League, training or playing.

I honestly believe the game, and it's media identities whom also live in the same bubble, need to zip their mouths. Get your plans around the bio-security measures, the pathway back to full team training and a newly formed draw in place, but do it behind closed doors.

Best listen to only what comes out of the National Cabinet.

Not really. Best wait till Monday to see if Warriors arrive in Tamworth as planned on Sunday after Border Force give them clearance

 

[muzby]

Not really. Best wait till Monday to see if Warriors arrive in Tamworth as planned on Sunday after Border Force give them clearance

I hear the warriors are parachuting in over gunnedah tomorrow night..

 

[blacksafake]

Not really. Best wait till Monday to see if Warriors arrive in Tamworth as planned on Sunday after Border Force give them clearance

Looks like they may be a day or so later.
The way Scomo was talking I’m expecting it to happen.

 

[Willow]

Northern Territory pubs set to reopen May 15 after smashing coronavirus numbers
More: https://7news.com.au/travel/coronav...ter-more-than-fortnight-of-no-cases-c-1008252

Anyone up for a road trip?

 

[BLM01]

Northern Territory pubs set to reopen May 15 after smashing coronavirus numbers
More: https://7news.com.au/travel/coronav...ter-more-than-fortnight-of-no-cases-c-1008252

Anyone up for a road trip?

Nice thought Willow..but you wont have much longer to wait.past then here....not sure abt QLD?
But I am waiting for the chorus of people to slam the NT govt about "What about the 2nd wave"!...what happens if?.
Its only the state of the Northern Territory and its government's decision.
Thank god this did not come from the NRL
May 15 is a bit of a milestone day for some large retail business announcing they will likely re open their doors. Are we seeing the boom gates open.

 

[BLM01]

I hear the warriors are parachuting in over gunnedah tomorrow night..

WOW...... you hear some really strange things whilst..... dreaming?.
But I am talking about the NZ warrors not those warriors.

 

[Willow]

DD,

Nine are angling for a better deal.

Here you go Tru...

Nine have now gone public. Apparently they don't see the NRL proposal as too ambitious after all.

Nine targets NRL's digital arm as part of revised broadcast deal
By Michael Chammas
May 2, 2020 — 12.01am

Nine Entertainment Co has expressed interest in taking over the NRL’s digital arm as part of cost-cutting measures in a revised broadcast deal.

Sources close to the negotiations say Nine’s proposal for an extended deal until the end of 2025 includes the code’s digital arm, led by NRL.com, which the free-to-air network believes currently runs in direct competition with its two broadcast partners.

Nine, which is the publisher of this masthead, has proposed it takes over the NRL’s profitable digital network, which was recently valued at $50m and costs about $15m a year to run, including $10m to provide clubs with digital services.

The proposal nullifies the potential competition, but also gives Nine access to the NRL’s 1.6 million account holders and the largest social media footprint (5 million people) of any sport in the country.

The proposal also fits in with Nine chief executive Hugh Marks’s aim of redirecting funds away from head office back to the clubs.

Nine and Foxtel have been at loggerheads with the NRL for three years, arguing that their rights investments have been used to prop up a digital division that would in the future be pitted against them in a battle over broadcast deals.

In a statement earlier this month, Nine criticised the NRL for its "bloated head office" and "years of mismanagement" and now the company has asked ARLC chairman Peter V’landys to provide a breakdown of how he intends to significantly reduce costs at Rugby League Central. That breakdown has not yet been outlined.

The NRL’s 70-person strong digital department is one area Nine has targeted. It believes it can operate the websites and apps of the 16 clubs, the two states and the governing body under a more cost-efficient model, while also providing content through its Wide World of Sports production empire.

Nine, through rights and production costs, invests about $140m a year in rugby league, which is the equivalent of what it spends on all its news, current affair and breakfast shows across five major cities. It is now wondering if that money could be better spent elsewhere to ensure its own long-term viability.

Marks has put the argument to V’landys that if the broadcast deal is not significantly reduced, the network will not be in a position to bid for future rugby league rights.

As it stands, the NRL is facing losing at least $80m of the $330m in anticipated broadcast revenue from Foxtel and Nine in 2020.

Both broadcasters, using the current state of affairs around the coronavirus pandemic as leverage, want to renegotiate the deal.

Nine, which had pledged $575m to the NRL for a five-year broadcast deal that expires in 2022, will also spend about $125m in production costs over the same period. It says that model is no longer sustainable and is seeking a significant reduction in the deal.

Foxtel had been pleading with the NRL for weeks to ensure it gets as many of the 24 rounds to provide its dwindling pay television subscribers, but on Thursday the pay TV network had a change of heart in regards to how much it was willing to pay.

Foxtel now agrees with Nine that the product is severely diminished without a crowd and is of lesser value in a weak advertising market.

URL link: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sp...f-revised-broadcast-deal-20200501-p54p5f.html

Some interesting detail in there about who controls the money, and the game.

If Michael Chammas and the Brisbane Times (owned by Nine Publishing, ftr) are right, Fox may be the big losers in this.

 

[TruSaint]

Here you go Tru...

Nine have now gone public. Apparently they don't see the NRL proposal as too ambitious after all.

Nine targets NRL's digital arm as part of revised broadcast deal
By Michael Chammas
May 2, 2020 — 12.01am

Nine Entertainment Co has expressed interest in taking over the NRL’s digital arm as part of cost-cutting measures in a revised broadcast deal.

Sources close to the negotiations say Nine’s proposal for an extended deal until the end of 2025 includes the code’s digital arm, led by NRL.com, which the free-to-air network believes currently runs in direct competition with its two broadcast partners.

Nine, which is the publisher of this masthead, has proposed it takes over the NRL’s profitable digital network, which was recently valued at $50m and costs about $15m a year to run, including $10m to provide clubs with digital services.

The proposal nullifies the potential competition, but also gives Nine access to the NRL’s 1.6 million account holders and the largest social media footprint (5 million people) of any sport in the country.

The proposal also fits in with Nine chief executive Hugh Marks’s aim of redirecting funds away from head office back to the clubs.

Nine and Foxtel have been at loggerheads with the NRL for three years, arguing that their rights investments have been used to prop up a digital division that would in the future be pitted against them in a battle over broadcast deals.

In a statement earlier this month, Nine criticised the NRL for its "bloated head office" and "years of mismanagement" and now the company has asked ARLC chairman Peter V’landys to provide a breakdown of how he intends to significantly reduce costs at Rugby League Central. That breakdown has not yet been outlined.

The NRL’s 70-person strong digital department is one area Nine has targeted. It believes it can operate the websites and apps of the 16 clubs, the two states and the governing body under a more cost-efficient model, while also providing content through its Wide World of Sports production empire.

Nine, through rights and production costs, invests about $140m a year in rugby league, which is the equivalent of what it spends on all its news, current affair and breakfast shows across five major cities. It is now wondering if that money could be better spent elsewhere to ensure its own long-term viability.

Marks has put the argument to V’landys that if the broadcast deal is not significantly reduced, the network will not be in a position to bid for future rugby league rights.

As it stands, the NRL is facing losing at least $80m of the $330m in anticipated broadcast revenue from Foxtel and Nine in 2020.

Both broadcasters, using the current state of affairs around the coronavirus pandemic as leverage, want to renegotiate the deal.

Nine, which had pledged $575m to the NRL for a five-year broadcast deal that expires in 2022, will also spend about $125m in production costs over the same period. It says that model is no longer sustainable and is seeking a significant reduction in the deal.

Foxtel had been pleading with the NRL for weeks to ensure it gets as many of the 24 rounds to provide its dwindling pay television subscribers, but on Thursday the pay TV network had a change of heart in regards to how much it was willing to pay.

Foxtel now agrees with Nine that the product is severely diminished without a crowd and is of lesser value in a weak advertising market.

URL link: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sp...f-revised-broadcast-deal-20200501-p54p5f.html

Some interesting detail in there about who controls the money, and the game.

If Michael Chammas and the Brisbane Times (owned by Nine Publishing, ftr) are right, Fox may be the big losers in this.

Thanks mate. Good read. Nine and the NRL digital arm seem to be winners.

 

[Willow]

Nice thought Willow..but you wont have much longer to wait.past then here....not sure abt QLD?
But I am waiting for the chorus of people to slam the NT govt about "What about the 2nd wave"!...what happens if?.
May 15 is a bit of a milestone day for some large retail business announcing they will likely re open their doors. Are we seeing the boom gates open.

Actually, I've got a little trick. There's a local brewery that does takeaway. On Saturday afternoons I've been going there to fill up a couple of jugs. I have a chat with the brewery owner while tasting a few samples... usually 2 or 3 samples. I joked with him it's the closest we can get to going to the pub. Apparently I'm not the first one to say that.

Really well run brewery. Wide open space, everyone MUST wipe their hands with some supplied sanitiser before approaching the bar, and it's a wide bar with a waiting line marked on the floor. Bartender is wearing gloves, everything is spotless.

When the pubs do re-open, I believe they'll still limit the numbers for a while yet.

NT is a bit different. Lower population, bigger areas. Hard to see a second wave going through there. They've only had 27 confirmed cases and zero deaths [Source]. Their border restrictions are still in place, so new arrivals are being quarantined.

 

[BLM01]

Actually, I've got a little trick. There's a local brewery that does takeaway. On Saturday afternoons I've been going there to fill up a couple of jugs. I have a chat with the brewery owner while tasting a few samples... usually 2 or 3 samples. I joked with him it's the closest we can get to going to the pub. Apparently I'm not the first one to say that.

Really well run brewery. Wide open space, everyone MUST wipe their hands with some supplied sanitiser before approaching the bar, and it's a wide bar with a waiting line marked on the floor. Bartender is wearing gloves, everything is spotless.

When the pubs do re-open, I believe they'll still limit the numbers for a while yet.

NT is a bit different. Lower population, bigger areas. Hard to see a second wave going through there. They've only had 27 confirmed cases and zero deaths [Source]. Their border restrictions are still in place, so new arrivals are being quarantined.

Sorry Willow!. Did i say 2nd wave?..thats media speak......and I agree
How many normal flu cases or even deaths have they had this year. ....just wondering that too!
Here is a little article i have posted from February this year speaking about last years flu
You might find interesting the states of its origin...is it true?..who knows. Food for thouight
And I know this article does not say it but we had over 200 deaths from the flu between Jan & May last year before we got tp main flu season....even with a flu vaccine.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02...blame-for-worst-flu-season-on-record/11949320

 

[Old Timer]

Heard an interesting interview yesterday which talked about Covid 19, measures taken thus far, were they necessary, some talking it up re potency, some talking it down re lack there of and some discussion re it v flu.
The interesting thing out of all it was that many of those spoken to that derided the measures taken and seen them as almost totally un-necessary and poo haa'd the actual results and lack of deaths failed to acknowledge that the very things that were done actually played any role in minimising any of it.
Interesting concept to argue that the good results were not as a result of anything other than "overstating" the situation or in fact that the entire thing should have been relegated to little more problematic than the flu.
Flu deaths are minimised to some extent these days due to it having been around for many many many years and that we have found ways to live with it and prevent it and the deaths incurred are over a much longer time frame namely the wither season whereas Covid19 has been with us for 5 minutes and clearly killed very efficiently over little more than a 60 - 90 day period and no doubt has caused lots of ongoing health issues for many of those that had it and so called recovered.

 

[Willow]

Sorry Willow!. Did i say 2nd wave?..thats media speak......and I agree
How many normal flu cases or even deaths have they had this year. ....just wondering that too!
Here is a little article i have posted from February this year speaking about last years flu
You might find interesting the states of its origin...is it true?..who knows. Food for thouight
And I know this article does not say it but we had over 200 deaths from the flu between Jan & May last year before we got tp main flu season....even with a flu vaccine.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02...blame-for-worst-flu-season-on-record/11949320

Of course the flu and covid-19 are completely separate issues.

But there's an interesting story about the Spanish Flu of 1918-19, that it did not originate in Spain.

Spain reported on the Flu because they were neutral in World War I and therefore didn't have any war censorship. Because they reported it, they got lumbered with the name.

One possible origin for the 'Spanish' Flu was an army base in Kansas, USA. The view is that soldiers brought back diseases from the trenches and it came down to where and when it was going to be left unchecked.

More:
https://www.history.com/news/why-was-it-called-the-spanish-flu

 

[BLM01]

Of course the flu and covid-19 are completely separate issues.

But there's an interesting story about the Spanish Flu of 1918-19, that it did not originate in Spain.

Spain reported on the Flu because they were neutral in World War I and therefore didn't have any war censorship. Because they reported it, they got lumbered with the name.

One possible origin for the 'Spanish' Flu was an army base in Kansas, USA. The view is that soldiers brought back diseases from the trenches and it came down to where and when it was going to be left unchecked.

More:
https://www.history.com/news/why-was-it-called-the-spanish-flu

Interesting. Straight after WW1 and just before the Roaring 20's as they called it
What I find also interesting without the travel available between countries how did it kill a reportedly 30mill - 50mill people...1/5th of the earth's population at the time. And they call Covid the worst ever!
You say of course Covid 19 and the flu are seperate issues....are they?...why...apart from being different type of flu virus and transmitted a similar way?

 

[BLM01]

Heard an interesting interview yesterday which talked about Covid 19, measures taken thus far, were they necessary, some talking it up re potency, some talking it down re lack there of and some discussion re it v flu.
The interesting thing out of all it was that many of those spoken to that derided the measures taken and seen them as almost totally un-necessary and poo haa'd the actual results and lack of deaths failed to acknowledge that the very things that were done actually played any role in minimising any of it.
Interesting concept to argue that the good results were not as a result of anything other than "overstating" the situation or in fact that the entire thing should have been relegated to little more problematic than the flu.
Flu deaths are minimised to some extent these days due to it having been around for many many many years and that we have found ways to live with it and prevent it and the deaths incurred are over a much longer time frame namely the wither season whereas Covid19 has been with us for 5 minutes and clearly killed very efficiently over little more than a 60 - 90 day period and no doubt has caused lots of ongoing health issues for many of those that had it and so called recovered.

The problem is OT....we will never know now who is right and who is wrong. The lockdowns and taking away of our liberties and livlihood were done agreeing with it or not.
I have my opinion as do others.
Read the stats on last years flu...It killed more in the same 60-90 day timeframe in this country from the 1st death known. (i.e. more than double Covid did between Feb end of April.)..with some sort of flu vaccine available.....as will Covid have in time just another flu strain that we can vaccine against..it may work for some and not all as happens with flu strains... as you say for years and years and years
Influenza and pneumonia also causes ongoing health issues for many that have it and recoiver from it.

 

[Willow]

Interesting. Straight after WW1 and just before the Roaring 20's as they called it
What I find also interesting without the travel available between countries how did it kill a reportedly 30mill - 50mill people...1/5th of the earth's population at the time. And they call Covid the worst ever!
You say of course Covid 19 and the flu are seperate issues....are they?...why...apart from being different type of flu virus and transmitted a similar way?

Closer to 1/40th of the world's population. There were less than 2 billion people in 1919.

I don't know who is calling covid-19 the worst ever but there are reasons why the Flu killed so many 100 years ago. For a start they didn't have flu shots back in 1919.

The potential for covid-19 to be just as deadly is there to see. That's what the experts are saying and I don't consider myself qualified to argue with them.

In the UK, they were slow to act and are paying the price. I have a sister-in-law who is a nurse in the Midlands. She is in the front line helping to save lives, She caught the virus. Her whole family were infected. Luckily they were all healthy enough and recovered, but it's pretty scary just the same.

We're very fortunate in Australia. We live on a big bloody island continent and action was taken earlier enough to stop it getting to UK proportions. We have to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that covid-19 is/was overstated. It's only because of hard work, modern medical science and good luck that we find ourselves in a relatively good position.

 

[BLM01]

Closer to 1/40th of the world's population. There were less than 2 billion people in 1919.

I don't know who is calling covid-19 the worst ever but there are reasons why the Flu killed so many 100 years ago. For a start they didn't have flu shots back in 1919.

The potential for covid-19 to be just as deadly is there to see. That's what the experts are saying and I don't consider myself qualified to argue with them.

In the UK, they were slow to act and are paying the price. I have a sister-in-law who is a nurse in the Midlands. She is the front line helping to save lives, She caught the virus. Her whole family were infected. Luckily they were all healthy enough and recovered, but it's pretty scary just the same.

We're very fortunate in Australia. We live on a big bloody island continent and action was taken earlier enough to stop it getting to UK proportions. We have to careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that covid-19 is/was overstated. It's only because of hard work, modern medical science and good luck that we find ourselves in a relatively good position.

Good insight and good to see opinions do vary.
If UK were slow...so were we to shut our borders. after NZ decided to.
If you are right in what you believe we could of been in a better position.