Marketing and promotion

[moffla]

Not sure if this creates a conflict of interest, but I wonder if they should start pumping up the opening game as the last time the big 3 will play together in Melbourne?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Not sure if this creates a conflict of interest, but I wonder if they should start pumping up the opening game as the last time the big 3 will play together in Melbourne?

Why would it be a conflict? I don't know what you mean.

It's true and relevant and they'd be mad not to play to that angle.

 

[adamkungl]

These players swapping nations has been the best publicity international league has seen in years. It dominated the news and is getting front page on the papers. It has finally put the RLWC in the limelight.

A small minority of journalists are kicking and screaming desperate to drum up some outrage so they can keep running the International League is a joke/farce/embarrassment angle

 

[miguel de cervantes]

Genius ploy by the RLIF to encourage nation swapping.....

 

[Desert Qlder]

A small minority of journalists are kicking and screaming desperate to drum up some outrage so they can keep running the International League is a joke/farce/embarrassment angle

If this hadn't occurred, they would have found some other spurious angle to hang shit on the World Cup.

 

[cleary89]

If this hadn't occurred, they would have found some other spurious angle to hang shit on the World Cup.

They would have been putting shit on Tongan's playing in the Aus/NZ team. They want it both ways these "journalists".

 

[kiwileaguefan]

If this hadn't occurred, they would have found some other spurious angle to hang shit on the World Cup.

It's not hard to find something is it? I mean we are looking at Samoa, Tonga, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Lebanon being mainly heritage based nations....that's a big percentage of the teams playing in the World Cup that are heritage based/fake, to be honest.

Why i call them fake is because i would say the majority of them are not born in that country, have been to that country or even played footy in that country.

While this player eligibility has bought the RLWC amazing press coverage, unfortunately, a lot of it here in NZ has been negative and in all honesty an embarrassment for the credibility for the RLWC.

 

[Stallion]

It's not hard to find something is it? I mean we are looking at Samoa, Tonga, Ireland, Italy, and Lebanon being mainly heritage based nations....that's a big percentage of the teams playing in the World Cup that are heritage based/fake, to be honest.

Why i call them fake is because i would say the majority of them are not born in that country, have been to that country or even played footy in that country.

While this player eligibility has bought the RLWC amazing press coverage, unfortunately, a lot of it here in NZ has been negative and in all honesty an embarrassment for the credibility for the RLWC.

That's a shame the NZ press has been negative. Most of the OZ press has been positive. Even from people I wouldnt expect like Buzz Rothfield!

 

[kiwileaguefan]

That's a shame the NZ press has been negative. Most of the OZ press has been positive. Even from people I wouldnt expect like Buzz Rothfield!

A lot of the press has hammered the ability for players to swap in the same year or on the day. Apparently one of the Tongan players confirmed with NZRL on the morning of the naming of the kiwis then pulled out just before the press conference.

If these players committed last year and played for Tonga during the Pacific Test, then I doubt there would be many complaints. We all know the eligibility in the International league is an absolute joke...now its just getting the limelight because of our game again taking the easiest approach to try and make our Nations competitive. And I use the word Nations lightly...

I mean let's look at Samoa, Tonga, Scotland, Ireland and Italy....what have they done to improve since the last world cup in terms of developing players from their country to play at this level? Or for the first four nations since the 08 RLWC? At least USA sees the big picture.

 

[Burns]

Sounds like its more the NZRL being incompetent then anything else.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

A lot of the press has hammered the ability for players to swap in the same year or on the day. Apparently one of the Tongan players confirmed with NZRL on the morning of the naming of the kiwis then pulled out just before the press conference.

If these players committed last year and played for Tonga during the Pacific Test, then I doubt there would be many complaints. We all know the eligibility in the International league is an absolute joke...now its just getting the limelight because of our game again taking the easiest approach to try and make our Nations competitive. And I use the word Nations lightly...

I mean let's look at Samoa, Tonga, Scotland, Ireland and Italy....what have they done to improve since the last world cup in terms of developing players from their country to play at this level? Or for the first four nations since the 08 RLWC? At least USA sees the big picture.

You're right, but you won't get much traction on here. The game decided competitiveness trumps authenticity a while ago and most people have been swayed by it, but on largely flawed logic. The general excuse is it makes for a more competitive tournament, which makes more money, which can be spent on international development and competitions between world cups. It might be mildly acceptable if it really did all of that to any real extent, but only the first part is close to true. The tournaments haven't been that much more competitive, the money made doesn't seem to have been converted into any significant develpment, international competition between cups is sporadic, limited and largely still self-funded and exposure in emerging countries doesn't seem to have converted to local support or growth.

Look at Scotland in particular. They've played in three world cups in a row and this will be their fourth, plus the Four Nations where they drew with NZ. Domestically the game has gone backwards to the point of near extinction, they almost never play an international game in Scotland and public support or recognition is as low as ever.

A few countries might have benefited, like the islands, to some extent. But what it also does is prevent more legitimate teams who don't have the luxury of large diasporas in Australia and England such as PNG and France and emerging countries who are doing good work on the ground like Serbia and Jamaica from getting to major events. Apart from the ability to ring-in "competitive" teams the notion that a Scotland can walk into the WC at the expense of a Serbia is virtually the opposite of international development.

But anyway, this has been said many times and will be said again but the superficial facade of an international game will continue. The tournament will be dogged by eligibility issues but will be mildly successful by RL's low standards and we'll do it all again in four years, by which time I expect there to be modest growth worldwide, but mostly on the back of Canada/US club growth and more hard work from neglected countries like Serbia, not so much from WC money or "legacy" (remember that?).

 

[Stallion]

You're right, but you won't get much traction on here. The game decided competitiveness trumps authenticity a while ago and most people have been swayed by it, but on largely flawed logic. The general excuse is it makes for a more competitive tournament, which makes more money, which can be spent on international development and competitions between world cups. It might be mildly acceptable if it really did all of that to any real extent, but only the first part is close to true. The tournaments haven't been that much more competitive, the money made doesn't seem to have been converted into any significant develpment, international competition between cups is sporadic, limited and largely still self-funded and exposure in emerging countries doesn't seem to have converted to local support or growth.

Look at Scotland in particular. They've played in three world cups in a row and this will be their fourth, plus the Four Nations where they drew with NZ. Domestically the game has gone backwards to the point of near extinction, they almost never play an international game in Scotland and public support or recognition is as low as ever.

A few countries might have benefited, like the islands, to some extent. But what it also does is prevent more legitimate teams who don't have the luxury of large diasporas in Australia and England such as PNG and France and emerging countries who are doing good work on the ground like Serbia and Jamaica from getting to major events. Apart from the ability to ring-in "competitive" teams the notion that a Scotland can walk into the WC at the expense of a Serbia is virtually the opposite of international development.

But anyway, this has been said many times and will be said again but the superficial facade of an international game will continue. The tournament will be dogged by eligibility issues but will be mildly successful by RL's low standards and we'll do it all again in four years, by which time I expect there to be modest growth worldwide, but mostly on the back of Canada/US club growth and more hard work from neglected countries like Serbia, not so much from WC money or "legacy" (remember that?).

Their are plenty of sports that have facades. And are propagated by dubious methods and support.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Their are plenty of sports that have facades. And are propagated by dubious methods and support.

The "but but but other sports" argument is another go to excuse I left out. No other sport I'm aware of allows such loose eligibility or nations to compete in world cups without that sport having any real presence in their country. Not that I care what other sport do anyway.

 

[Stallion]

The "but but but other sports" argument is another go to excuse I left out. No other sport I'm aware of allows such loose eligibility or nations to compete in world cups without that sport having any real presence in their country. Not that I care what other sport do anyway.

Their is evidence of other sports minimising/eliminating another sport that could possibly be more popular than the established sport. Think its been happening against the code of rugby league for some time?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Their is evidence of other sports minimising/eliminating another sport that could possibly be more popular than the estsblished sport. Think its been happening against the code of rugby league for some time?

Irrelevant to this issue.

 

[Stallion]

I question your response? If a sport isnt given a fair go to conduct a domestic competition then that sport must be negatively impacted in its ability to produce local playing talent. I would think that rugby league deserves latitude given the circumstances the code faces in many parts of the world. After looking at it from such an angle, think its fair to cut the code some slack dont you?

 

[morningstar]

NZ media bashing league, colour me surprised.

I hate the nation swapping too, but let's reiterate there is nothing wrong with RL's eligibility rules.

They are in line with all other major sports and we were ahead of the curve on Union on extending the residency rule.

Despite the oft repeated joke you can't just rock up and play for Italy because you had a bowl of pasta.

The "legitimacy" of some of the tier two teams can be questioned due to the work (or lack there of) on the ground but you can't say the players aren't entitled to play under conventional rules of international sport.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I question your response? If a sport isnt given a fair go to conduct a domestic competition then that sport must be negatively impacted in its ability to produce local playing talent. I would think that rugby league deserves latitude given the circumstances the code faces in many parts of the world. After looking at it from such an angle, think its fair to cut the code some slack dont you?

No. It's got nothing to do with eligibility. If you want to give RL a fair go, give Serbian RL a fair go, or Jamaica, or Russia.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

NZ media bashing league, colour me surprised.

I hate the nation swapping too, but let's reiterate there is nothing wrong with RL's eligibility rules.

They are in line with all other major sports and we were ahead of the curve on Union on extending the residency rule.

Despite the oft repeated joke you can't just rock up and play for Italy because you had a bowl of pasta.

The "legitimacy" of some of the tier two teams can be questioned due to the work (or lack there of) on the ground but you can't say the players aren't qualified to play.

But there is something wrong. Other sports generally have domestic competitions and include domestic players. Trying to fall back on technicalities instead of looking at reality is doing us no favours. Just because players are allowed to play for any country their granny was born in under the rules doesn't mean we should allow whole teams of heritage players representing countries with minuscule local activity to fill most of the places in the biggest international event on out calander. There is not enough balance in the rules because in reality they produce something inauthentic and unfair. There needs to be more balance.

 

[Stallion]

But there is something wrong. Other sports generally have domestic competitions and include domestic players. Trying to fall back on technicalities instead of looking at reality is doing us no favours. Just because players are allowed to play for any country their granny was born in under the rules doesn't mean we should allow whole teams of heritage players representing countries with minuscule local activity to fill most of the places in the biggest international event on out calander. There is not enough balance in the rules because in reality they produce something inauthentic and unfair. There needs to be more balance.

Once again I refer to the difficulties faced by rugby league in being allowed to develop, receive recognition and govt funding. This absolutely matters to rugby league's ability to field locals for a given nation.