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NRL Finals 2023

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Penrose Warrior

First Grade
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9,464
I don't buy into some of the stuff flying about how our game should be in a better time zone for NZ. It's always been this way, we've followed finals and games at 950pm forever.
 
Beavers Headgear

Beavers Headgear

Coach
Messages
10,074
Penrose Warrior said:
I don't buy into some of the stuff flying about how our game should be in a better time zone for NZ. It's always been this way, we've followed finals and games at 950pm forever.
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Yeah there has been way too much hot air about that sort of stuff, the club is going well enough now to shed the whole “the nrl hates us and don’t want us to succeed” stuff

George was in the press saying how the NRL wanted them to play at Eden Park, never eventuated and Abdo was on SENZ saying it was never considered. George was saying how the club was going to be forced into a late kick off, never happened, NRL moved both kick off times to a more NZ friendly time slot. At the end of the day an Australian Comp that we entered into will always be set up for Australian audiences. Some clubs operate well under the siege mentality, guys like Gould and Hasler were masters of it, but I don’t think it suits the Warriors culture

What the Breakers have always done well is just head down and getting on with it, and I think Webster fits that bill
 
Manu Vatuvei

Manu Vatuvei

Coach
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17,221
Beavers Headgear said:
Had a pretty nice draw this season as well, and 15/24 games in NZ and it all mixes together into the perfect storm.
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We only had 12/24 games in NZ (and for what it’s worth only 9/24 games at ‘home’). Far from a favourable draw in that respect.
 
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Manu Vatuvei

Manu Vatuvei

Coach
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17,221
The NRL actually hit us with an 11/12 split of home/away, 11/13 if you include Magic Round as an away game. The Tigers were the only side to take their home game to NZ which made it 12/12.
 
Beavers Headgear

Beavers Headgear

Coach
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10,074
Manu Vatuvei said:
The NRL actually hit us with an 11/12 split of home/away, 11/13 if you include Magic Round as an away game. The Tigers were the only side to take their home game to NZ which made it 12/12.
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that’s actually made me bloody happy, one of my biggest bugbears with the Warriors has been a lack of engagement with the rest of the country, for example in Chch have seen Sharks, Tigers, Panthers and Manly bring games here and not the Warriors, and they are actively looking to change that, and with the success it has been a perfect storm. Never thought id see the day where league is riding the crest of the wave while a rugby World Cup in seemingly in the doldrums
 
SpaceMonkey

SpaceMonkey

Immortal
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40,539
Penrose Warrior said:
I don't buy into some of the stuff flying about how our game should be in a better time zone for NZ. It's always been this way, we've followed finals and games at 950pm forever.
Click to expand...
I think it’s a fair point as far as wanting better exposure in NZ but it somewhat bemused me that it’s only this year that there has been much noise about it. But with a second NZ side being discussed for some point in the future the NRL would probably be wise to get a clause written into the next broadcast agreement for earlier kickoff times if NZ sides are involved. Would be pretty ridiculous if the warriors ended up playing a grand final against NZ2 in Sydney at 9pm on a sunday night NZ time!
 
Matua

Matua

First Grade
Messages
5,208
SpaceMonkey said:
I think it’s a fair point as far as wanting better exposure in NZ but it somewhat bemused me that it’s only this year that there has been much noise about it. But with a second NZ side being discussed for some point in the future the NRL would probably be wise to get a clause written into the next broadcast agreement for earlier kickoff times if NZ sides are involved. Would be pretty ridiculous if the warriors ended up playing a grand final against NZ2 in Sydney at 9pm on a sunday night NZ time!
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Be easy to get tickets though. :D
 
SpaceMonkey

SpaceMonkey

Immortal
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40,539
Matua said:
Be easy to get tickets though. :D
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Haha yeah… and a half empty Accor wouldn’t be a great look if that happened. TBH I think there should probably be some provision to change the grand final venue in certain circumstances.
 
P

Penrose Warrior

First Grade
Messages
9,464
SpaceMonkey said:
I think it’s a fair point as far as wanting better exposure in NZ but it somewhat bemused me that it’s only this year that there has been much noise about it. But with a second NZ side being discussed for some point in the future the NRL would probably be wise to get a clause written into the next broadcast agreement for earlier kickoff times if NZ sides are involved. Would be pretty ridiculous if the warriors ended up playing a grand final against NZ2 in Sydney at 9pm on a sunday night NZ time!
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I thought about the clause today, and I agree in part. But how I'd differ is that I think the clause would only apply to home games. I don't think we deserve that kick-off to be moved if it is a Sydney/Brisbane game - as I believe for this week. CH9 paid top dollar to have the biggest games of the season in their prime weekend spots. We hate that TV dictates what happens but without TV $ we don't have well-paid players, money for grassroots, potentially a second NZ side (which I definitely don't want, incidentally) etc. They want it at 7.50pm over there. It's a Sydney comp. I think we have to know that, and work on that basis.

If that NZ v NZ GF happened at 9pm, so be it. We'd be rapt. Bring it on.

The other point is that the GF is always in school holidays, so if the kids have to stay up until midnight, so be it. It's not the end of the world. Mine won't because they're 8 & 6. And I always fall asleep for regular season 9.50pm games...but I won't this week. I'll be that fired up.
 
SpaceMonkey

SpaceMonkey

Immortal
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40,539
It’s not really about what we deserve - it’s about what gets the most bums on seats and eyes on screens. There’s probably a pretty good argument that an earlier kickoff would provide a bigger boost in viewers in NZ than it’d lose in Aus, provided it was a Saturday game (you wouldn’t schedule it for a Friday).
you could even do a Saturday finals double header with 5:30 and 7:30 games.
 
P

Penrose Warrior

First Grade
Messages
9,464
SpaceMonkey said:
It’s not really about what we deserve - it’s about what gets the most bums on seats and eyes on screens. There’s probably a pretty good argument that an earlier kickoff would provide a bigger boost in viewers in NZ than it’d lose in Aus, provided it was a Saturday game (you wouldn’t schedule it for a Friday).
you could even do a Saturday finals double header with 5:30 and 7:30 games.
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100% it is. I think CH9 would have done enough research to know that 7.50pm Fri/Sat is their sweet spot.
 
SpaceMonkey

SpaceMonkey

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40,539
Penrose Warrior said:
100% it is. I think CH9 would have done enough research to know that 7.50pm Fri/Sat is their sweet spot.
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Channel 9 know that for sure, because NZ numbers don’t benefit them. But it’s about the NRLs interests not theirs.
But because the contract is signed the NRL can’t make 9 shift from what benefits them.
 
Beavers Headgear

Beavers Headgear

Coach
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10,074
Game day, Up the Pahs, sooner Melbourne is gone the better

Had enough of Brisbane too, my hatred for them isn’t as strong as back in the day, but over Tallis on 360 in regards to them. Big upgrades for Walsh and Mam about to be signed which will mean finding over 1 million a year in the cap, “no drama at all, people will stay for less” etc, later in the show they run a story about Olakau’atu extending with Manly, “gee their cap must be tight”. Chat about the ridiculous broncos draw which saw 3/24 games played in Sydney when half the comp is based there, “so, what’s wrong with that, it isn’t the NSWRL any more”
 
TheDMC

TheDMC

Bench
Messages
3,419
I don't think we fear Brisbane, we are a chance. They have better players overall. Feels a bit like the preliminary against the Storm in Melbourne in '11. We need a performance like that. Super exciting, anything now is gravy for us. What a great year. Hope it's not over this weekend or if it is, we go down in style.
 
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