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News NRL Plans to Fund Regional Academies

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,546
CoE concept is good but needs to be done for all region clubs

Even if its one big one for the region hub and smaller ones for others. But I would do this for regional clubs that do not have LC backing

You need to help the weaker clubs more than the stronger LC backed clubs
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,723
A bunch of elite academies aren’t going to mean shit if all the local clubs that feed them disband because of lack of players and/or funds and resources.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with setting up academies across the bush, in fact it’s a great idea, but the problems the sport is facing in the bush are much deeper and more complex than a bunch of academies alone can fix. They won’t even scratch the surface of the problems.

What really needs to happen is we need to find a way to get the majority of people that proclaim to be RL fans in any given town/region actively supporting a local club. If we can figure out how to do that then 80-90% of the issues would instantly go away and it would massively subsidise the cost of maintaining the sport across the country.

How you achieve that is open to debate, but it should be the goal.
 

The_Frog

First Grade
Messages
6,390
I think Richardson actually started to put forward a path to sorting out the mess but the leagues clubs baulked at it.
It was going to cost them money and they'd rather just let someone else spend all the money and then swoop in and poach the players that are produced. This is why the governing body has to step in and make sure all clubs pull their weight.
 

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,182
The game is a far better better product to watch than pre-2020. Even the worst games of the round are still entertaining for neutral fans.

May PVL live on. I hope he brings back proper half time entertainment. Even an egg and spoon race.
 

franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
the spread of talent in the esl is much much narrower

Without lower grades here it is very similar.

Take the Dogs. Older guys clearly weren't cutting it so a new coach is going to want to bring in new blood either from other clubs or lower grades.

4 week smaller pre-season means those recruits have less time to build combinations.

The All Stars game was Topine's 1st game in 12 months. So those younger guys have no match fitness.

Will take time. Broncos lost to GC early in the year. This Round beat them

Manly lost by 40 to Penrith. Then won 3 in a row then instead of losing by 40 were a try away with 5 mins left.

Teams that had major change are around a month or so behind a normal season
 

franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
A bunch of elite academies aren’t going to mean shit if all the local clubs that feed them disband because of lack of players and/or funds and resources.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with setting up academies across the bush, in fact it’s a great idea, but the problems the sport is facing in the bush are much deeper and more complex than a bunch of academies alone can fix. They won’t even scratch the surface of the problems.

What really needs to happen is we need to find a way to get the majority of people that proclaim to be RL fans in any given town/region actively supporting a local club. If we can figure out how to do that then 80-90% of the issues would instantly go away and it would massively subsidise the cost of maintaining the sport across the country.

How you achieve that is open to debate, but it should be the goal.

The bush is struggling across the board not just sport. Hopefully a few jobs are created with this and stops a few extra people for the city.
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,723
It was going to cost them money and they'd rather just let someone else spend all the money and then swoop in and poach the players that are produced. This is why the governing body has to step in and make sure all clubs pull their weight.
That and they were terrified that they’d lose some of their power over the game, with more clubs and leagues getting a bigger say.

The clubs fear of new competition is really weak frankly.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,457
'Wrestle-a-thon' fmd. Just because the Tele said it was so, doesn't make it true.

Do you consider most people who have eyes that can see, the tele?

Mate, the game is cleaner in the ruck, faster, and has less breaks. If your team and the other 7 clubs can't keep up or compete in a world where the footy isn't a lump of 5 or 6 boofheads grappling each other, then tuff.

The rules are the same for everyone. Sorry mate, catch up or be left behind like a loser. It is what it is and now it's your time to...

Suffa baby, suffaaaa!...
 
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The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,723
The game is a far better better product to watch than pre-2020. Even the worst games of the round are still entertaining for neutral fans.
I totally disagree.

Most of rule changes are ill thought out gimmicks that will grow old quickly, like the BBL people will get tired of them pretty quickly.

Some of them, particularly six agains, are frankly corrupting the game because of how easily they are manipulated (god help us if a ref ever “manipulates” them, because currently it’d be so easy for them to do and almost impossible to detect) and further cementing refereeing issues they were meant to fix.

And I haven’t looked at the numbers, but so far this year has to have been one the most lopsided competitions in years with more blowouts on average than in a long time.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,457
I don't know how clear it needs to be for you - Canterbury have been a shit team since at least 2017-18, well before these rules became an issue. That's incredibly clear to see and bears no relevance on this discussion or my opinion of these rules :joy:.

Yes they have been and it is a beautiful thing. Just keep getting worse and these brilliant new rules have put a few extra nails in the coffin.

Isn't footy wonderful?
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,723
Mate, the game is cleaner in the ruck, faster, and has less breaks. If your team and the other 7 clubs can't keep up or compete in a world where the footy isn't a lump of 5 or 6 boofheads grappling each other, then tuff.
The refereeing is also less consistent and more confusing than ever and the games are less competitive then they have been in ages.

The wrestle was bad, but the way you fixed that problem was simply to consistently enforce the rules we had and ignore morons like Buzz Rothfield and Gus Gould cynically moaning about stoppages in the media to try and get their clubs an advantage in the ruck.

After a couple of weeks all the teams would have been forced to adapt or be penalised out of the game, then you wouldn’t have had a problem anymore.

Instead we created vague rules that created as many problems as they fixed, and didn’t fix any of the big issues they were created to fix, and are now in a phase of pretending that all is great ‘because the game is faster and there’re less stoppages’.
 

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,182
I totally disagree.

Most of rule changes are ill thought out gimmicks that will grow old quickly, like the BBL people will get tired of them pretty quickly.

Some of them, particularly six agains, are frankly corrupting the game because of how easily they are manipulated (god help us if a ref ever “manipulates” them, because currently it’d be so easy for them to do and almost impossible to detect) and further cementing refereeing issues they were meant to fix.

And I haven’t looked at the numbers, but so far this year has to have been one the most lopsided competitions in years with more blowouts on average than in a long time.

Captains challenge and all that is crap no one really cares about. Superficial and yes gimmicky.

It's the 6 again rule. With its downsides of course but league is far more watchable in my eyes. It's not the same game as pre-2020 and that makes me a happy fan.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,457
I totally disagree.

Most of rule changes are ill thought out gimmicks that will grow old quickly, like the BBL people will get tired of them pretty quickly.

Some of them, particularly six agains, are frankly corrupting the game because of how easily they are manipulated (god help us if a ref ever “manipulates” them, because currently it’d be so easy for them to do and almost impossible to detect) and further cementing refereeing issues they were meant to fix.

And I haven’t looked at the numbers, but so far this year has to have been one the most lopsided competitions in years with more blowouts on average than in a long time.

You do realize that the rules are the same for everyone? So if half the comps teams are consistently getting hammered on the scoreboard, then how is that a rules issue when the other half the comps teams don't?

How often have the top teams been blown away on the score board this year?

So if the better teams are not getting blown away on a regular basis or weekly like the lower teams, maybe the depth of quality players in the competition just isn't there? Just a thought...remember we are all playing under the same rules.

This is why the 2 conference thing that they are putting up the flagpole will be a complete disaster unless they do the hard yards and restructure the lower grades and make all clubs have reserves and a U20 something competitions again and spend big time in junior development and this time no loafers getting a free ride.

Once you have a very solid base of quality players always coming through, then and only then can you realistically start to expand and morph into a conference type of league.

I mean think about it? Imagine a conference system right now. Melbourne would be the only decent team in the interstate side one. Who thinks that that would work? It would instantly be regarded as the worst idea ever and a total joke and the media networks would be demanding changes and or a massive reduction in the rights fee due to the massive ratings nosedive that would happen.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,457
The refereeing is also less consistent and more confusing than ever and the games are less competitive then they have been in ages.

The wrestle was bad, but the way you fixed that problem was simply to consistently enforce the rules we had and ignore morons like Buzz Rothfield and Gus Gould cynically moaning about stoppages in the media to try and get their clubs an advantage in the ruck.

After a couple of weeks all the teams would have been forced to adapt or be penalised out of the game, then you wouldn’t have had a problem anymore.

Instead we created vague rules that created as many problems as they fixed, and didn’t fix any of the big issues they were created to fix, and are now in a phase of pretending that all is great ‘because the game is faster and there’re less stoppages’.

Well I must admit that I agree whole heartedly agree with these sentiments and was royally pissed off too with the imbeciles that would criticise the ref and NRL for enforcing the rules only to then criticise them for allowing the wrestle to takeover the game.

Yes if they had stuck at it for longer and even been harsher on players wrestling, especially teams like the Storm(take down the top dog first) and sin binned them out of the game if necessary, then manipulators like Bellamy would have been forced to stop or be penalised out of the game.

All the media had to do was be in line with the edict until it was sorted. It wouldn't of taken longer then a month. Like I said I would have penalised a team out of being able to win a game. I would have sent every player off(sin bin) on the 3rd infringement. But I would have made a point of really hammering Melbourne the most. I would have ground them into the ground so to speak.

Take them out and the rest would have fallen. But instead the media are absolute tossers looking for a headline over the good of the game that feeds them. Squealed like a stuck pig and the fans(cattle) followed.

Instead, the press should have all been singing from the same music sheet and pointed out that this needs to be done and that we will all have to put up with it until these cancerous coaching tactics are removed from the game once and for all.

But that never happened and never will so the next best thing are these new rule changes that at least give us a game that is constantly moving. I started to tune out of games in the old wrestle era. At least now I watch games until the blowout happens. But that can be addressed in future seasons with better player development. The wrestle was never going to get better only worse.

Now it is up to the Clubs to start to develop players to be able to compete in this new NRL reality. I believe that they will. They will be forced to or die at the cellar of the ladder forever and have massive scores constantly put on them. No club can survive in the NRL if that is continually happening to them.

They will incur to many monetary losses and then talk will eventually be relocation or die. Clubs have a way of clicking into gear when that starts to happen. But way before that happens, I believe that the weaker clubs will firstly try to buy their way out of trouble and when that doesn't work will start to look around and eventually try to mimic what the most successful clubs are doing. That being going big on player development.

Some media types have already stated that that is what is slowly happening right now in fact. Which if true is the best thing that can happen to the NRL for its long term successful and prosperous existence.

But we will see.
 
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franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
The refereeing is also less consistent and more confusing than ever and the games are less competitive then they have been in ages.

The wrestle was bad, but the way you fixed that problem was simply to consistently enforce the rules we had and ignore morons like Buzz Rothfield and Gus Gould cynically moaning about stoppages in the media to try and get their clubs an advantage in the ruck.

After a couple of weeks all the teams would have been forced to adapt or be penalised out of the game, then you wouldn’t have had a problem anymore.

Instead we created vague rules that created as many problems as they fixed, and didn’t fix any of the big issues they were created to fix, and are now in a phase of pretending that all is great ‘because the game is faster and there’re less stoppages’.

As an attacking player give me the 6 again over the old school penalty any day
 

franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
Well I must admit that I agree whole heartedly agree with these sentiments and was royally pissed off too with the imbeciles that would criticise the ref and NRL for enforcing the rules only to then criticise them for allowing the wrestle to takeover the game.

Yes if they had stuck at it for longer and even been harsher on players wrestling, especially teams like the Storm(take down the top dog first) and sin binned them out of the game if necessary, then manipulators like Bellamy would have been forced to stop or be penalised out of the game.

All the media had to do was be in line with the edict until it was sorted. It wouldn't of taken longer then a month. Like I said I would have penalised a team out of being able to win a game. I would have sent every player off(sin bin) on the 3rd infringement. But I would have made a point of really hammering Melbourne the most. I would have ground them into the ground so to speak.

Take them out and the rest would have fallen. But instead the media are absolute tossers looking for a headline over the good of the game that feeds them. Squealed like a stuck pig and the fans(cattle) followed.

Instead, the press should have all been singing from the same music sheet and pointed out that this needs to be done and that we will all have to put up with it until these cancerous coaching tactics are removed from the game once and for all.

But that never happened and never will so the next best thing are these new rule changes that at least give us a game that is constantly moving. I started to tune out of games in the old wrestle era. At least now I watch games until the blowout happens. But that can be addressed in future seasons with better player development. The wrestle was never going to get better only worse.

Now it is up to the Clubs to start to develop players to be able to compete in this new NRL reality. I believe that they will. They will be forced to or die at the cellar of the ladder forever and have massive scores constantly put on them. No club can survive in the NRL if that is continually happening to them.

They will incur to many monetary losses and then talk will eventually be relocation or die. Clubs have a way of clicking into gear when that starts to happen. But way before that happens, I believe that the weaker clubs will firstly try to buy their way out of trouble and when that doesn't work will start to look around and eventually try to mimic what the most successful clubs are doing. That being going big on player development.

Some media types have already stated that that is what is slowly happening right now in fact. Which if true is the best thing that can happen to the NRL for its long term successful and prosperous existence.

But we will see.

Penalties were good for those defending. I don't think sides cared giving them away.

Now you don't have the arguing with the ref. The committee meeting to decide what to do. The jog up field while 4 officals and 26 players get to mark.

Meanwhile the team that conceded the penalty gets 20-30 secs to get their breath back and get their line set.

Compare to the 6 again. The defending side still has the staggered defence line and stay on the back foot

Far less benefit to purposely break the rules
 

typicalfan

Coach
Messages
15,430
Just remember as well that Melbourne the undisputed kings of the wrestle won last season which highlights the fact that the best teams and most adaptable teams will win regardless.
 

franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
Just remember as well that Melbourne the undisputed kings of the wrestle won last season which highlights the fact that the best teams and most adaptable teams will win regardless.

Yep the good teams are good because they are good. Giving the bad teams way to waste time to keep the scores close won't change it
 

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,546
I have just witnessed first had the demise of our local club as it pulled out of the regional A grade comp, because the big clubs take all the players

While the few local kids who are too old to play juniors and want to train locally are not being given an opportunity as ciaches go out and bring outsiders. So I can see these 21y old kids who want to play social RL and stay fit, walking away
 

Spanner in the works

First Grade
Messages
6,073
I don't think it should be just NSW and QLD; needs to be viewed from the prism of competition expansion. My thinking is (and find the money for the additional CoE):

  1. Far North Queensland
  2. North Queensland
  3. Central Queensland
  4. Central West Queensland
  5. Sunshine Coast
  6. South East Queensland
  7. Northern NSW
  8. Mid North Coast NSW
  9. Newcastle/Central Coast
  10. Central NSW
  11. Illawarra/Nowra region
  12. Southern NSW
  13. Melbourne
  14. Adelaide
  15. Perth
  16. Darwin
  17. New Zealand
  18. Pacific Nations (Fiji or PNG-based)
Don't let the clubs run it, run it centrally, and have councils bid for the right to host. If clubs run it there'll unfoubtedly be stacking, particularly by rich clubs, and an open bid process helps avoid cronyism and encourages local engagement. The goal of this should be to build our footprint and identify players so we can expand imo.
 

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