What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Fitzy's league Sledge

sensesmaybenumbed

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
28,740
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/peter-...r-crowds/b0d776b4-219c-48bd-9339-6c657a497725

Respected sports journalist Peter FitzSimons fears the extraordinary ability of Peter V'landys to get his way could see governments "cave" to his ambition to have crowds back at NRL games in July.

Speaking on Wide World of Sports Five Minutes with Fitzy, the former Wallaby marvelled at the ability of the "most influential" sports administrator in Australia to bend even the most formidable opponent to his will.

He said that the return of crowds would risk a public health disaster but conceded V'landys was capable of making it a reality after doing the seemingly impossible by getting the NRL back on the field on May 28, a date that was initially scoffed at as over ambitious.

"The worst that can happen is the government says, 'Oh Mr V'landys, yes Mr V'landys, yes that will be done, May 28 will be done, yes we'll go to July 1st, crowds are open, let the turnstiles spin'," FitzSimons responded when challenged by James Bracey, before citing the disastrous consequences of a European football match between Italian club Atalanta and Spanish club Valencia back in February.

"And then the worst that can happen is, what happened when that team in Italy played that team in Spain – the biological time bomb that went off.


"The worst that can happen is, the government once again caves in, and says 'everybody through the gates,' and somebody in the crowd has got it and then it spreads around.

"Say it for what it is James (Bracey), that's madness."

That answer led to a robust conversation with Bracey, who said he trusted the government processes that led to public health regulations being loosened.

Bracey: I'm just trusting the process If the government is ticking off on whatever they want to happen.

FitzSimons: So, you thought it was fine everyone stopped at the traffic lights for two months, and the premier and the prime minister go, 'rugby league, you've been observing all the protocols, you come forward'

You what thought was fine?

Bracey: Absolutely, the footy is back

FitzSimons: That will do me.

NRL wants crowds back at games
The Sydney Morning Herald columnist and best-selling author then admitted to a grudging respect for V'landys for pushing the boundaries to try to get the best result for his sport.

"Most influential, there would be nobody that would get close to him in terms of his power and influence," he added.

"He's arguing his turf, pushing his corner. From the view of sport, rugby league – you bloody beauty.

"I choose to think there are wider concerns than just the narrow band of what's good for sport.

"I'm not alone on this whatsoever, the broad mass of the populist thinks it doesn't make sense that sport be the one that goes first.

"The truth of it is, at the point that the government caved in on sport, they had to cave on pretty much everything else, which is more or less what they're doing.

"I hope everything turns out fine."
Respected sports journalist?

Nah.
 

taipan

Referee
Messages
22,402
There is Pete, Foxtel making a buck.

Pete wouldn't earn extra by bagging rugby league.It's just not his go.
The guy kept raving on about who the hell is this bio security expert , week after week.
I had the temerity to send him an e-mail, giving Bandana Boy the name of the Professor who has been advising the NRL, and stating the guy's name has been mentioned many times in the past in the print media.Naturally, he didn't respond to my info.
 

Cactus

Juniors
Messages
677
I wont be clicking on it either. Virtually nothing he writes in the tabloids interest me however I do have one question about this latest rant.

Does his outburst in any way even consider referencing the ever so small fact about a contractual agreement between the NSW Gov & the NRL on the issue of funding stadiums ? If not then why would anyone take that seriously
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,154
I wont be clicking on it either. Virtually nothing he writes in the tabloids interest me however I do have one question about this latest rant.

Does his outburst in any way even consider referencing the ever so small fact about a contractual agreement between the NSW Gov & the NRL on the issue of funding stadiums ? If not then why would anyone take that seriously

It does but he says as the NSW govt has delivered on 2/3rds of it then it is greedy for the NRL to want more and threaten to take GF's away. The bit about no one going to a GF in Perth or Melbourne made me laugh, he has clearly been under a rock when SOO has been played in those cities!
 

taipan

Referee
Messages
22,402
That article was the first of his and from now on not the last , avoided being used as click bait.It's just the same old, same old, sink the slipper into rugby league by Bandana Bro.

The guy is an obsessive NRL hater, yet gets a weekly gig on the HOME OF RUGBY LEAGUE"S)(sic) Sport Sunday.Just flaming hypocrisy at its finest.

It would be akin to having North Korea's Kim Jon Un, as speaker in the South Korean Parliament. Telling all and sundry ,democracy sucks.
 

Rhino_NQ

Immortal
Messages
33,044
If the 2nd wave of covid happens you know whose fault it will automatically be. He would already have it drafted up.and ready to submit
 
Top