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You think wrong.
Not totally false.Potentially the rugby union in France is more important than the rugby league in Australia.
You think wrong.
Not totally false.Potentially the rugby union in France is more important than the rugby league in Australia.
Potentially yes, in actual fact, no.
pillaging? wtf?! Players were not slaves... if old union blazers refused to hand over money to their players then the union mob got what they deserved... RL didn't steal anybody... the union mobs treated their athletes so badly they left of their own accord...
The old NSL decided a few years ago that a major re-structure was in order. They achieved that and despite the best players in Australia playing overseas the game is thriving. Rugby league needs a major restructure but one thing is clearly evident; RL salaries are way out of kilter for what they game produces. We expect poker machines to proper up the likes of SBW and Willie Mason then we are in a dream world.
Soccer Australia has placed a cap of $1.5 million on its players and they still lose them overseas but the game is growing. Albeit we do not see the best players in the competition but tribalism is what keeps it going. Let us remember that RL is only the national sport of PNG, and nowehere else does it dominate its market.
.The second source is the sporting sugar-daddy to beat them all: television. When I was in France, we were on TV once or twice a season. Now, every first division game, every week, is on the tube and achieving good ratings, so the networks are happy to pay huge amounts for the broadcasting rights
Virtually none of that is true.
Soccer has great publicity at the moment, but it is largely illusory. The A-league grand final got slaughtered in the ratings by a RL trial game. All A-league clubs are running at large losses.
Tribalism is not what keeps the A-league going. They sacrificed the tribalism to bring the sport together.
If anything, RL salaries are under what the game produces. Fox Sports and Foxtel are only making money off the back of RL subscriptions. They aren't paying the NRL what the game is worth.
RL dominates the Eastern seaboard of Australia, the largest market in the region.
No, but if you want to look into history, we have been pillaging rugby players for 90 years and we didnt mind one bit.
Plus the fact ALOT of these Union players only took up the sport when they were shipped off to pwivate school.
Scott Gourley,Craig Wing ,Ryan Cross,Wally Lewis,Ricky Stuart etc,etc were all league juniors.
Hell all the Ella brothers were league players until 17 years of age.
pillaging? wtf?! Players were not slaves... if old union blazers refused to hand over money to their players then the union mob got what they deserved... RL didn't steal anybody... the union mobs treated their athletes so badly they left of their own accord...
Yes...any organisation who's motto is "...if you can't afford to get injured, you shouldn't be playing..." deserve everything they get / got.
The whole tit for tat argument is flawed.
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Totally agree - not one RU player was ever "poached" (by that word they mean "stolen") by RL.
The whole misguided premise is based on an inference that every RU player who crossed to RL was a poor simple fool, who didn't know what they were doing, and were dragged away to RL against their free will.
Today is a completely different situation - players are free to earn a well paid salary in RL, or an obscene amount at the top of RU - hardly comparable to pre-1995 situation of RU players earning nothing, and then being offered a fair reward for their labour by playing RL.
The whole argument begs the answers to: (a) How many top paying positions are really available to RL players in Yawnion? (b) How many of those would attract experienced Yawnion players before they would look further afield at RL players? (c) Do French Yawnion or ESL really want or need to be full of ex-NRL players?
Imho this is a quantifiable group which once the French and so on have had their fill then that door will be nearly closed and only a handful of players will be able to take advantage of the big pay outs.
Virtually none of that is true.
Soccer has great publicity at the moment, but it is largely illusory. The A-league grand final got slaughtered in the ratings by a RL trial game.
Have a comparison of the Victory crowd over the Storm. Remember, the Storm are far and away the best team in league and if they arent getting crowds now, when will they?
All A-league clubs are running at large losses.
What losses are RL clubs running at. You heard Fitzgerald complain about Parra, Souths have problems, Tigers need a club extension, Saints, Melbourne lose millions per year. Be fair at least mate.
Tribalism is not what keeps the A-league going. They sacrificed the tribalism to bring the sport together.
Really, Sydney FC vs Victory is tribalism isnt it?
If anything, RL salaries are under what the game produces. Fox Sports and Foxtel are only making money off the back of RL subscriptions. They aren't paying the NRL what the game is worth.
In the end it is still chicken feed. Mark Gasnier left because the so called thrid party sponsors could not produce the money. Like it or leave it, RU and Soccer has money behind it.
RL dominates the Eastern seaboard of Australia, the largest market in the region.
Last time I looked Victoria is on the Eastern sea board and they are parochial AFL supporters. The divide between popularity between RL and AFL is slowly moving north mind you. I know you mention Fox ratings but have you had a look at the Friday Channel 9 ratings lately? Sydney swans crowds are huge, as are most AFL games.
Now I know I will get get sworn at, flamed etc but you need to realise that I love RL but to quote Clint Eastwood; " Youre a good man, and a good man always knows thier limitations". RL is fighting well above its weight but will definitely struggle if money becomes an option for players as it seems to be.
Check out the Lions and Swans ratings, genius.
More at the game than watching on TV.
Non-entities in 58% of the country...