Rebecca Wilson says attempting to expand rugby league is a futile exercise

[adamkungl]

One off things like this won't do much. Sustained investment, and attempting to get some decent TV exposure (are NRL games shown on ESPN or anything, and at what hour?) could potentially gain a niche following. And if you think about it a niche following in a 200m+ population starts to sound worthwhile. If the 'Australia Day Challenge' become an annual fixture it could probably do some good things for the AMNRL. If Phonechucker really cares about the expansion of League into US markets, he'd try promoting this idea to the NRL/ESL to do every year. How about a game between the runners up of the ESL and NRL? Played in the home of a different AMNRL franchise every year, giving the team a boost and increasing local awareness and interest with some of the best clubs in the world on show.

 

[yakstorm]

She's bagging Ribot's vision for the game, yet that vision paid her wages for a time.

Exactly, she worked for Super League and was part of the vision of selling Super League as this game that would take over the world.

Anyway getting onto the game:
Channel 9 are showing the game on a delayed telecast, it is expected Sky Sports will do the same, so the match will get TV time.

Already a local radio station will be covering it, and there is no doubt the match has recieved some good press both here and over in Jacksonville.

The game will break even, over 7,000 seats have been sold and in the lead up to the game, Souths have sold close to $300,000 worth of merchandise to the US, so they are making a killing there, and honestly all in all the game is expected to put around $5 million into the Jacksonville economy, so expect them to underwrite future trips.

As far as I'm concerned this venture is a successful one.

 

[El Diablo]

Beccy has never been a league fan

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,21797943-5005371,00.html

A grand tradition

Rebecca Wilson, writing in The Sunday Times

May 26, 2007 03:00pm

SINCE I was a kid, Australian rules football has held a special place in my heart.
I am not a Victorian. I am from the Gold Coast and was introduced to the wonders of Aussie rules at the age of five by a Saturday afternoon television replay which invariably featured Carlton or Collingwood.

We became Carlton fans for three reasons: Mum's favourite colour was navy blue, Dad lived in Carlton and Mum reckoned Collingwood players were thugs. Her opinion of the Pies remains with me to this day.

On Sundays, Mum would take us to the local footy ground where we would watch the Surfers Paradise Demons take on their arch enemies from Southport (suitably wearing Collingwood colours) or the Palm Beach boys in purple and gold.

We sounded our horns when we scored a goal. My red and blue crepe paper streamers would last an entire season because it never rained in Surfers Paradise during winter.

The highlight back then was grand final day. Even if Carlton didn't make it to the last Saturday in September, they had invariably gone close.

In fact, one of my first memories of any football was actually not caring who was in the VFL Grand Final because it really didn't matter one zot who played in this amazing match.

Mum always did something special for her three kids on grand final day. She made a big fuss of it by whipping up a favourite toasted sandwich or making navy and white streamers if the Blues were playing. She would even take the phone off the hook for the whole afternoon.

My memories of those grand finals all fade into one because very little has changed in the 40 years I have been watching them. Sometimes change can be good. In the case of the AFL Grand Final, change is a terrible, terrible thing.

My memories of those Saturdays would be no different from most footy fans. Some of you might recall barbecues or breakfast picnics, or backyard re-enactments at half-time on grand final day.

Others will remember vividly the one time you got the chance to go to one or when your team finally won it.

It is one of those constants of Australian cultural life that I reckon stands above the Melbourne Cup.

I remember where I was sitting in my lounge room when the Blues made that miraculous comeback in 1970. I remember my devastation when Richmond won in 1973. I actually cried over a sporting event for the first time during a VFL grand final.

The National Rugby League succumbed to pressure from television when it moved its grand final from a Sunday afternoon to Sunday night six years ago. The NRL argues hundreds of thousands more fans watch the game now than when it was played during the day.

It is now held on a long weekend in the first weekend of October – another incentive, it says, to watch the game.

It tells you the entertainment, fireworks and atmosphere are much better at night. This is all stuff AFL fans will have to cop in the next few seasons as TV executives sink their claws into the AFL before the next rights deal is up for grabs. It is, of course, all rubbish.

Network Ten says this is not about TV ratings, it is about allowing people more access to the game. These two things are exactly the same. Whatever way they want to sell it, TV types want the ratings and the advertising revenue that only night-time sporting events can muster.

The AFL Grand Final is perfect in every way. It starts for me with work at the Sydney Swans breakfast in Melbourne and ends with the same people from the morning looking slightly worse for wear in a pub near the MCG.

My mum and my youngest son, 13, come with me now and plan the day down to the minute from around June each year.

We hold hands as we walk into the MCG (I think this could be the last year of that), my son in his Swans scarf, clutching his Record, and me with goose bumps, pinching myself that I am privileged enough to be able to call this work. Mum can't believe she isn't watching it back in her lounge room.

We cannot let this great day disappear into the ether of evening sport. It is the most wonderful sporting event in Australia every single year.

The AFL Grand Final is about holding on to something from our childhoods and never letting it go.

It ain't broke, so let's not fix it.

 

[STSAE]

Again I will state I cant stand the gossip columnist, bourbon bekky.

But read the article by Walter, paid to go over by souffs to cover the phonechukka cup.

Ive bolded the important bits, the rest is fluff.

I asked these questions repeatedly to souffs fans to be met with were promoting the game, the fantastic expierence, were getting on US TV etc propaganda garbage.

Again I ask why is this being even played???? Its a disruption to the preseason, the coach doesnt really want it, the players arent training anywhere near the standard they would at home, theres been injuries to key players b4 the games on and its only a MAYBE the game will be covered on TV (I got that info from the souffs site).

And it would seem even though I agree bourbon bekkys tripe was hate and garbage mostly, she isnt incorrect in what she said with some of the facts.

The phonechukka ego cup. :crazy:

Link: http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/bunnies-bond-amid-glitz-and-wealth-of-american-football/2008/01/25/1201157667336.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1


Bunnies bond amid glitz and wealth of American football

Brad Walter in Jacksonville | January 26, 2008

WHEN Russell Crowe first told Jason Taylor he wanted to take South Sydney to the US for a pre-season camp, the coach had some reservations about how it would affect their preparations so close to the premiership kick-off.
But any drop off in the intensity of training has been more than compensated by the way the players have bonded during the 10-day trip, and Taylor believes that will prove invaluable during a long, hard NRL campaign that begins for the Rabbitohs with this weekend's match against Super League champions Leeds at the University of North Florida.
"With the weather and the time difference, we haven't been able to get the quality in our sessions that we would have at home, and that was a concern of mine at the start, but the time the guys are spending with each other and the things we're getting to do here are right now top of the list for me," Taylor said after touring the facilities of local NFL side, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"There's great spirit here, and everyone we come across, including the guys at the Jaguars, have said that they can tell there is a great chemistry with the guys, and that's what we're trying to build because if you've got a team that loves spending time together and wants to play for each other, that's a big step.
"This whole thing was Russell's idea, and one of the things he said was that when you ask a player years after they retire about the highlights of their career, they talk about Test matches and grand finals, and the next thing they'll talk about is trips that they went on, so for us to do this at this time of the year … and take that sort of feeling into the season is massive."
Centre Nigel Vagana believes the camp has refreshed the players when they would usually be tiring of the off-season routine.
"Most years at the end of January, you're still slogging away on the sandhills at Wanda and thinking, 'How am I going to do this?', so it's great to be in a different environment, and everyone has got a new lease of life," he said.
Vagana described the visit to the Jaguars headquarters at the 67,000-seat Jacksonville Municipal Stadium as his highlight of the trip so far. Players spent over two hours touring the facilities, and were allowed to try on the helmets, shoulder pads and playing uniforms of their NFL counterparts. They were also shown the lecture theatre-styled rooms where the Jaguars players meet for about four hours a day, including one boasting the biggest high-definition television screen in the city. The whole set-up resembled a theme park for athletes. The Rabbitohs were soon digesting plenty of statistical curiosities - such as how Jaguars players are given two new pairs of training shoes each week, have their helmet replaced after every game and used 190 miles (306km) of strapping this season.

But what really caught their attention was hearing the salary cap for the 53 players on each NFL team is about $US110 million ($124 million), with a minimum wage of $US385,000.
"What you get for a year, that's what our whole team gets," Taylor joked with star defensive linebacker Mike Petersen, who responded by declaring that NRL wages should start at $300,000.
Vagana said their visit had given the players plenty to aspire to, but Souths' more immediate concern was playing a Leeds side missing only one player from the team that beat St Helens in last season's Super League grand final.
The Rhinos' line-up features Great Britain stars Jamie Peacock, Danny McGuire, Rob Burrow, Gareth Ellis and Kevin Sinfield, and Kiwis Brent Webb, Ali Lauitiiti and Clinton Toopi.
Craig Wing (Achilles strain) is one of a number of players with niggling injuries. Taylor is undecided whether Wing will make his first appearance for the club since 1999. Scott Geddes, Dean Widders, Ben Rogers (all hamstring), Eddie Paea (groin) and Fetuli Talanoa (finger) are in doubt, while Nathan Merritt is recovering from a knee reconstruction. David Fa'alogo has returned home for personal reasons.
Brad Walter's trip to America was funded by the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

:lol: :lol:

 

[In-goal]

It starts for me with work at the Sydney Swans breakfast in Melbourne and ends with the same people from the morning looking slightly worse for wear in a pub near the MCG.

I don't think she has a clue about anything in life or any of our major sports, afterall it's the North Melbourne Breakfast. All she is trying to do is get a job with the Herald-Sun judging by the crap she sprouts, truley if your from the Gold Coast you ain't gonna get a look in when it comes to the Melbourne papers.

 

[Dr Crane]

But any drop off in the intensity of training has been more than compensated by the way the players have bonded during the 10-day trip, and Taylor believes that will prove invaluable during a long, hard NRL campaign that begins for the Rabbitohs with this weekend's match against Super League champions Leeds at the University of North Florida.

"With the weather and the time difference, we haven't been able to get the quality in our sessions that we would have at home, and that was a concern of mine at the start, but the time the guys are spending with each other and the things we're getting to do here are right now top of the list for me," Taylor said after touring the facilities of local NFL side, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"There's great spirit here, and everyone we come across, including the guys at the Jaguars, have said that they can tell there is a great chemistry with the guys, and that's what we're trying to build because if you've got a team that loves spending time together and wants to play for each other, that's a big step.

"This whole thing was Russell's idea, and one of the things he said was that when you ask a player years after they retire about the highlights of their career, they talk about Test matches and grand finals, and the next thing they'll talk about is trips that they went on, so for us to do this at this time of the year … and take that sort of feeling into the season is massive."
Centre Nigel Vagana believes the camp has refreshed the players when they would usually be tiring of the off-season routine.
"Most years at the end of January, you're still slogging away on the sandhills at Wanda and thinking, 'How am I going to do this?', so it's great to be in a different environment, and everyone has got a new lease of life," he said.

:lol: :lol:

All depends on which parts you highlight, you wally

 

[STSAE]

All depends on which parts you highlight, you wally

No it doesnt the rest is FLUFF. Propaganda to make souffs fans feel warm and fuzzy.

Fact is the coach isnt happy with the distruptions to the preseason, what coach would be???

Fact is theres been injuries b4 a balls been kicked.

Fact is bondings fine, but in the preseason its about getting a base for the grind of 26 rnds of Footy, especially when January starts.

You can delude yourself all you like.

Fact is if it was ANY other club thered be plenty souffs fans saying the ecact same thing.

All over what phonechukkas ego???:crazy:

Good luck with it though. Hold aloft the phonechukka cup in front of Greg Norman and Layne Beechley. And a few thousand NFIs. Oh and I really hope you dont sustain any more injuries.:shock:

:lol: :lol:

 

[Dr Crane]

Fact is theres been injuries b4 a balls been kicked.

Firstly, you lose all credibility by spelling 'before' as 'b4'

Secondly, um, i think injuries happen in preseason anyway.

 

[STSAE]

Firstly, you lose all credibility by spelling 'before' as 'b4'

Secondly, um, i think injuries happen in preseason anyway.

LMFAO.

You have nothing left I see its being a wordnazi now.:crazy:

And injuries shouldnt happen like that in preseason. Id understand in a trial match, but this is b4 a balls been kicked. All those hammy pulls. Thats cold weather. And do you realise when you fly so far it takes the body 3-4 days to acclimatise??? In that period the risk of injury increases dramatically. Same wil occur when they return.

Its a useless game at the wrong time. Maybe at the end of the season, combined with holiday etc would be usefull and rewarding for a good season. But to disrupt the preseason for an ego, its :crazy: .

:lol: :lol:

 

[wittyfan]

At least the players have bonded, though that's maybe where the injuries have come from?

 

[Dr Crane]

LMFAO.

You have nothing left I see its being a wordnazi now.:crazy:

And injuries shouldnt happen like that in preseason. Id understand in a trial match, but this is b4 a balls been kicked. All those hammy pulls. Thats cold weather. And do you realise when you fly so far it takes the body 3-4 days to acclimatise??? In that period the risk of injury increases dramatically. Same wil occur when they return.

Its a useless game at the wrong time. Maybe at the end of the season, combined with holiday etc would be usefull and rewarding for a good season. But to disrupt the preseason for an ego, its :crazy: .

:lol: :lol:

Yes, i'm the one with nothing left and you're filling your post with emoticons.

Cold weather, what the f**k do they play in all year.

 

[dallymessenger]

LMFAO.

You have nothing left I see its being a wordnazi now.:crazy:

And injuries shouldnt happen like that in preseason. Id understand in a trial match, but this is b4 a balls been kicked. All those hammy pulls. Thats cold weather. And do you realise when you fly so far it takes the body 3-4 days to acclimatise??? In that period the risk of injury increases dramatically. Same wil occur when they return.

Its a useless game at the wrong time. Maybe at the end of the season, combined with holiday etc would be usefull and rewarding for a good season. But to disrupt the preseason for an ego, its :crazy: .

:lol: :lol:

rather than take a childish attitude towards this why not realize that wilson is an enemy of the game. last time i checked your club was a RL one.

letting people get away with stuff like this gives rival sports an unfair advantage

 

[Calixte]

This is yet another pathetic excuse of an article from a journalist with no credibility.

Why even bother posting it here?

 

[STSAE]

rather than take a childish attitude towards this why not realize that wilson is an enemy of the game. last time i checked your club was a RL one.

letting people get away with stuff like this gives rival sports an unfair advantage

From my 1st post in this thread ive stated I dislike the gossipgoose. Did you read them mate??? I also highlighted the bits I found interesting.

In fact I havent read a Telecrapp since SL. I only see her dribble on forums.

No-one reads her stuff and believes it, so where would it give an unfair advantage to a rival sport???

Fact remains Walter said basically the same stuff, the facts. So I asked was she so wrong??? Look at the bolded bits again. Thats what Walter said. Souffs have PAID him to go across and write these articles.

:lol: :lol:

 

[dallymessenger]

From my 1st post in this thread ive stated I dislike the gossipgoose. Did you read them mate??? I also highlighted the bits I found interesting.

In fact I havent read a Telecrapp since SL. I only see her dribble on forums.

No-one reads her stuff and believes it, so where would it give an unfair advantage to a rival sport???

Fact remains Walter said basically the same stuff, the facts. So I asked was she so wrong??? Look at the bolded bits again. Thats what Walter said. Souffs have PAID him to go across and write these articles.

:lol: :lol:

your wrong about this trip being a waste of time for RL.

its all free publicity.

and it sounds like you agree with some of the article. its all BS.

 

[Sonic Star]

From my 1st post in this thread ive stated I dislike the gossipgoose. Did you read them mate??? I also highlighted the bits I found interesting.

In fact I havent read a Telecrapp since SL. I only see her dribble on forums.

No-one reads her stuff and believes it, so where would it give an unfair advantage to a rival sport???

Fact remains Walter said basically the same stuff, the facts. So I asked was she so wrong??? Look at the bolded bits again. Thats what Walter said. Souffs have PAID him to go across and write these articles.

:lol: :lol:

Why do you believe what she has said in this article then?
there are plenty of journos over there, masscord, wilder and others. She wasn't invited or sent over, shes a bitter.

Keep fighting for her :crazy:

 

[dallymessenger]

This is yet another pathetic excuse of an article from a journalist with no credibility.

Why even bother posting it here?

because this went out in sydney and lots of people will read it.

for years RL put up with articles like this eg RU world cup will kill off RL etc and no one from RL challenged it.

the public perception was that RL was a weak sport with a bad future, unlike union or AFL.

off the back of that those 2 sports get higher sponsorship and TV contracts than RL partly due to that negative perception of RL.

if people point out why wilson is dumb, she will be less likely to repeat those comments in the future

 

[thommo4pm]

This is yet another pathetic excuse of an article from a journalist with no credibility.

Why even bother posting it here?

Pretty much sums it up really.
The article was trash much like Rebecca Wilson.

The editors of the paper also need to be shot, for letting such garbage be published.
How on earth is she allowed to write such filth, and utter garbage which is nothing but lies.

 

[STSAE]

your wrong about this trip being a waste of time for RL.

its all free publicity.

and it sounds like you agree with some of the article. its all BS.

Well there were injuries. Theres no live TV coverage. So she got some facts correct.

And I do agree with her in theory as to the total waste of time playing the game is.

Sorry its not a waste to phonechukkas ego.

Geez mate, your own coach isnt keen. The journo you paid quoted him saying it.

Doesnt that at least worry you???? Not withstanding the injuries b4 the game and the risk of more during???

On top of that theres no point to the game. None. Zip. Nadda.

Why didnt Leeds and Melba organise the WCC in the US???? Now Id see the logic there. The superbowl (thats promotion the seppos will get) of the 2 best league clubs in the US of A.

I know the answer they dont have a phonechukka, the reason of this game. And the ONLY reason its raised an eyebrow over there. And thats debatable an eyebrows been raised.

:lol: :lol:

 

[Dave Q]

At least the players have bonded, though that's maybe where the injuries have come from?

:lol: