clubs bring in the nrl revenue, why shouldn’t they get a decent cut? They get a lower % of the tv revenue than in a lot of sports. Tbf in most sports the top tier competition body is not responsible for grass roots funding, even in afl most of the grass roots funding is paid for by the state league who generate significant revenue in their own right. The question we maybe should be asking is why isn’t the nswrl, QRL etc generating same revenue as wafl, vafl, etc to be funding grass roots better.
Because this is RL and the game can't afford the over the top payments given to the clubs without it having a detrimental affect on the growth and well being of the game.
Our sport is in the most competitive football market in the world. AFL in particular is coming to get it big time. It has already encroached into formerly traditionally RL markets incrementally year on year and gaining momentum without any signs of slowing down. RL is riddled with internal jealousy, State and club orientated factions and rivalries. So far there hasn't been anyone strong enough or good enough to rein them in and do what is needed to get us back to steering the ship away from the rocks and into clear water.
Sure the passion is still there for many fans, but I get a sense that it is slowly dying down and eroding somewhat. With the retirement of most of the greatest players of this era in Thurston, Cronk, Inglis, Slater, Burgess and Smith probably after this coming season, it has and will leave a massive hole in the talent pool of the game. Sure the game will replace them, but other then D. Fifita and Haas, who are the once in a generation players coming through right now? Especially play makers of the calibre of Smith, Cronk and Thurston? Also with the incessant controversies with the referees it is having a very negative affect on the fan enjoyment of the game. No other sport I know of makes such a big deal over on field official errors. We constantly are eating our own.
But anyway, the game needs to grow on so many fronts and giving myopic selfish clubs an equal and massive football grant without binding stipulations and KPI's is suicide in this market place. Clubs should not have been given these grants equally and without massive stings attached that would have forced them to grow, relocate or die. The problem at the time the grants were agreed upon D. Grant was bribing the stakeholders to save his own skin and now that he is no longer there who is great enough and strong enough to do what need to be done?
I hope V'landys is, but I'm not holding my breath after the racing knackery debacle.
