brooksy19
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This time Nick Walshaw gets in on the act. Why don't these clowns understand that Rugby League pays their bills.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,24327020-5016307,00.html
SONNY Bill Williams fled to France and Willie Mason busted his leg.Now it's time for the rest of us to offer our own excuse.
Because the 2008 World Cup is only 45 days away and the biggest question facing organisers is: Does anybody even care? Does anyone really want to throw themselves into an event already shaping as the biggest no-contest since the Christians versus the lions?
Or some Choc Mundine fight against another crock, cabbie or some struggler named Crazy?
Because right now, there's about as much interest in this international knockout as, say, a World Cup in AFL. Or thong throwing.
One where the only guarantee is Australia first, daylight second.
Not convinced? Well, have a look at the RLWC odds currently posted by TAB Sportsbet. The ones that already have Australia $1.20 odds on favourites, with England and New Zealand their nearest rivals at $6.50. France are fourth at $65 - yep, sixty five - while Samoa, the supposed competition smokies, are paying 100s. Then it's write your own ticket for the rest.
"And there's just been no interest," a TAB Sportsbet employee confirms.
"In fact, we would've taken more on first tryscorer in any one of the NRL games last weekend than we have on the entire World Cup. I mean, who wants to back Fiji at $500? But you never know . . . maybe there will be more interest on the games themselves."
Don't hold your breath.
Because we Aussie sports fans aren't like our American counterparts. Those great sporting zealots who cheer end zone dances, bashing helmets and as much pointing, bagging, thrusting and general belittling of rivals as possible.
This is a world where sport isn't only about winning, but embarrassing your opponent. Where dominance, indulgence and excess are king.
It's why they call their baseball decider the World Series. Why they compare Olympic medal tallies with population to beat China. And why a bloke like Ferris Bueller can't simply have his day off, he has to steal cars, get the girl, outwit the principal and lead some German parade while singing Danke Shoen.
This isn't to say Australians don't crave success. But only when it comes with a fight.
It's why the Socceroos finishing top 16 in Germany 2006 means more to national pride than any Kangaroo triumph will come October. Ditto a Sally McLellan silver.
It's also why our nation became cricketing gods and fewer people wanted to watch. Crowds down around the country last summer not just because CA officials were serving light beer while beefed up stadium guards treated beach balls like terror suspects.
But because Aussies demand a contest. Take recent attendances for the one-day series played between Australia and international easybeats Bangladesh in Darwin. Where the question wasn't if Australia would win, but whether they'd inflict the most pain on tourists since the last croc attack?
Game one: 3993. Game two: 4232 (half of which were school kids). Game three: 3149.
"It is disappointing that more people didn't turn up," Aussie superstar Michael Clarke lamented, perhaps unable to comprehend how playing substandard opposition in the middle of footy season hadn't been a more attractive proposition to all Territorians.
Sadly, the RLWC offers little more. Sure, it provides a night out with friends and the competition between smaller nations should be fierce. But since 1979, Australia have played 127 Tests and World Cup matches, winning 85 per cent.
In the same period, Great Britain have beaten Australia just eight times. A success rate of 19 per cent. So what hope now when split into England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales?
The other major concern is the fact league officialdom aren't just happy staging a forgone conclusion, they want to slug you a bucketload to see it.
In The Daily Telegraph's exclusive 2008 fan survey, a worrying 38 per cent of supporters said NRL ticket prices were too expensive.
But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe after 30 weeks of the best league competition on the planet, supporters will still be happy to halve their paypackets while watching Scotland, France or Fiji.
History, however, suggests otherwise. Like how many of you really watched Australia beat up on Bangladesh in Darwin last week? C'mon, be honest. Anyone . . . anyone . . . Bueller?
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,24327020-5016307,00.html
SONNY Bill Williams fled to France and Willie Mason busted his leg.Now it's time for the rest of us to offer our own excuse.
Because the 2008 World Cup is only 45 days away and the biggest question facing organisers is: Does anybody even care? Does anyone really want to throw themselves into an event already shaping as the biggest no-contest since the Christians versus the lions?
Or some Choc Mundine fight against another crock, cabbie or some struggler named Crazy?
Because right now, there's about as much interest in this international knockout as, say, a World Cup in AFL. Or thong throwing.
One where the only guarantee is Australia first, daylight second.
Not convinced? Well, have a look at the RLWC odds currently posted by TAB Sportsbet. The ones that already have Australia $1.20 odds on favourites, with England and New Zealand their nearest rivals at $6.50. France are fourth at $65 - yep, sixty five - while Samoa, the supposed competition smokies, are paying 100s. Then it's write your own ticket for the rest.
"And there's just been no interest," a TAB Sportsbet employee confirms.
"In fact, we would've taken more on first tryscorer in any one of the NRL games last weekend than we have on the entire World Cup. I mean, who wants to back Fiji at $500? But you never know . . . maybe there will be more interest on the games themselves."
Don't hold your breath.
Because we Aussie sports fans aren't like our American counterparts. Those great sporting zealots who cheer end zone dances, bashing helmets and as much pointing, bagging, thrusting and general belittling of rivals as possible.
This is a world where sport isn't only about winning, but embarrassing your opponent. Where dominance, indulgence and excess are king.
It's why they call their baseball decider the World Series. Why they compare Olympic medal tallies with population to beat China. And why a bloke like Ferris Bueller can't simply have his day off, he has to steal cars, get the girl, outwit the principal and lead some German parade while singing Danke Shoen.
This isn't to say Australians don't crave success. But only when it comes with a fight.
It's why the Socceroos finishing top 16 in Germany 2006 means more to national pride than any Kangaroo triumph will come October. Ditto a Sally McLellan silver.
It's also why our nation became cricketing gods and fewer people wanted to watch. Crowds down around the country last summer not just because CA officials were serving light beer while beefed up stadium guards treated beach balls like terror suspects.
But because Aussies demand a contest. Take recent attendances for the one-day series played between Australia and international easybeats Bangladesh in Darwin. Where the question wasn't if Australia would win, but whether they'd inflict the most pain on tourists since the last croc attack?
Game one: 3993. Game two: 4232 (half of which were school kids). Game three: 3149.
"It is disappointing that more people didn't turn up," Aussie superstar Michael Clarke lamented, perhaps unable to comprehend how playing substandard opposition in the middle of footy season hadn't been a more attractive proposition to all Territorians.
Sadly, the RLWC offers little more. Sure, it provides a night out with friends and the competition between smaller nations should be fierce. But since 1979, Australia have played 127 Tests and World Cup matches, winning 85 per cent.
In the same period, Great Britain have beaten Australia just eight times. A success rate of 19 per cent. So what hope now when split into England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales?
The other major concern is the fact league officialdom aren't just happy staging a forgone conclusion, they want to slug you a bucketload to see it.
In The Daily Telegraph's exclusive 2008 fan survey, a worrying 38 per cent of supporters said NRL ticket prices were too expensive.
But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe after 30 weeks of the best league competition on the planet, supporters will still be happy to halve their paypackets while watching Scotland, France or Fiji.
History, however, suggests otherwise. Like how many of you really watched Australia beat up on Bangladesh in Darwin last week? C'mon, be honest. Anyone . . . anyone . . . Bueller?
