Rep players being rested from NRL games

[ozjet1]

Fairly f**king ordinary situation now that it has come to this. Clubs pay the wages, have an investment in the player, yet feel as though they need to cotton wool players because the powers that be at NRL HQ think it's fine to have the entertainers (the players) back up overnight or after a couple of days break.

In the end, the fans and the game as a whole are cheated when coaches feel they need to manage the squad in such a way at this time of the year, or as usual, have no access to their players in the lead-up to origin.

These 8 weeks during origin reduces the NRL competition to second rate status. It's no wonder general interest in it falls and subsequently, crowd numbers fall too.

It's one thing to maximise the value of Origin and NRL games to the broadcaster. But it's another to protect the long-term quality and status of the competition and protect the bread & butter league.

 

[Boofhead]

Bird and Harrison will likely be ruled out, will also rule out the Titans of making any contest things...

 

[DecoyRunner]

The season has sputtered badly these last few weeks. Four or five teams having a bye leading up to Origin is piss poor scheduling. To do it twice in four weeks is self sabotage. It'll be round 18 before we see some first-grade quality football again.

 

[Pigskin]

no Lockyer and no Thaiday for us tonight ... doesn't rule us out completely, but its a massive leg up for Manly

pretty standard for us at this time of year, we have been dealing with it since our inception

Oink !

 

[ozjet1]

no Lockyer and no Thaiday for us tonight ... doesn't rule us out completely, but its a massive leg up for Manly

pretty standard for us at this time of year, we have been dealing with it since our inception

Oink !

the point is not how long a particular club has had to deal with it, or how it does deal with it. The point is its effect on the status and standard of the NRL competition. Many matches in these two months will be affected by the absence of players. It can affect the performance of the club, the quality of the game, the size of the crowd, and gives the overall perception that the competition isnt important at this stage of the year.

 

[user_nat]

If a player has a niggling injury which doesn't allow them to backup (such as Thaiday), maybe they shouldn't be allowed to play rep games in the first place.

 

[Jono1987]

Yep.

Yet we still have nuff bag personalities in the media (usually ex-players) who believe players should be backing up. Only in rugby league...

SoO should be played after a shortened regular season with finals. Despite being the best scenario it will never eventuate. There fore when the next TV rights deal is being negotiated, stand-alone SoO weekends is a MUST.

 

[sting]

to be fair i'd rather my club be in the position to have 8 origin quality players for 20 games a year and without for a couple. Positives outweight negatives imo

 

[magpie_man]

damn straight, it makes the nrl season look second rate.
there should be a mid-season 3 week break in the competition for origin, nz vs pacific islands and some sort of country football gala.
it can't keep going along the way it's going anyway...

 

[bomberman]

If any of the rep players arnt playing in the games, they should be walking around the ground signing autographs and getting pictures with people.

 

[Dingus]

The argument against stand-alone is it will extend the season. But obviously that will be where all teams have the bye, so it might increase the season by one week.

Clubs are impacted for about 10 weeks during origin, impossible to get any momentum going, and most club games suffer.

 

[docbrown]

The argument against stand-alone is it will extend the season. But obviously that will be where all teams have the bye, so it might increase the season by one week.

Clubs are impacted for about 10 weeks during origin, impossible to get any momentum going, and most club games suffer.

That why I think the trade off is between balancing the loss of income to clubs against the impact on players.

The best solution to this that I have heard thus far is playing knockout games during the rep weeks. Playing a mini-finals type series midseason could generate more income (even with fewer matches and teams involved) than just the regular NRL games we have at the moment.

I think though it would have to impact the overall ladder in order for it be treated as anything else than a novelty.

 

[Sam H]

The argument against stand-alone is it will extend the season. But obviously that will be where all teams have the bye, so it might increase the season by one week.

Clubs are impacted for about 10 weeks during origin, impossible to get any momentum going, and most club games suffer.

Precisely.

A three week mid-season Origin window would a) end the ridiculous situation of below strength NRL for two months every year b) reduce the strain on the best players in the game and c) create a window for NZ and Pacific Island teams to actually play some games with decent preparation.

And it would have a negligible impact on the length of the season.

The nonsense argument from the NRL is that you can't have three weekends free of club football because other codes will get a leg up. So instead we have about eight weeks with the lowest quality club football of the year -painful for all involved, and not exactly a great advertisement for the code.

This could easily be turned into a big positive for the NRL but it is just heads in the sand stuff as usual.

The only legitimate concern in my book is that a 7 day prep / turnaround would have a negative impact on the quality of Origin footy itself. But against that you'd have the prospect of a team strengthening dramatically over the course of a three-week series a la NZ. Either way, as good as Origin footy is, it isn't worth needlessly tearing the guts out of a third of the NRL season every year.

 

[Gaba]

stand alone was tried and failed people dont want it


they want to watch their club


state of origin needs to be move to the beginning or end the club matches, league to have some balls and do this then there will be no disadvantaged, unless injuries

 

[Sam H]

That why I think the trade off is between balancing the loss of income to clubs against the impact on players.

I don't see how the clubs lose out from a switch to stand-alone Origin. Lose the byes, have a mid season break, but ensure that you won't have several home games every year with the best players from the home and away teams not available. I think that would be a wash, even if you shortened the season by a game. At most you might have some cash flow issues, but you'd think the NRL might be able to sort something out on that front given all the money Origin generates.

And there are other options for broadcasters and people worried about no footy for the rest of the weekend: Under 20s Origin/Tests, Pacific Cup, NZ tests - maybe even a NH inbound/outbound tour for the Kiwis if the RFL eventually decided to play ball with a rep window.

 

[Raider_69]

Its not as if the clubs go uncompensated by the rep players

sponsorship, fta tv games, memberships and even club aura in a sense of retaining and signing talented players

if your a club with no rep players, your likely to have less talent, less wins, which results in less fans and less money in the coffers, also if your unlikely to be able to retain and attract talent.

the clubs are adaquately compensated for rep players imo... if you've got 8 rep players, chances are your season might stumble a bit around origin but its highly unlikely that you wont be there come the business end of the season and if you're not, blaming rep footy is a pretty rank excuse

 

[Gaba]

stand alone weekend does no good for the clubs , there should always be club games on

people can have these u/20 , pacific cup during the pre-season not during the season proper

 

[Sam H]

Gaba, stand alone weekends would be the opposite of punishing clubs.

It would mean that their rep-level players - the guys they are forking huge bucks out for - are available for all games, and aren't put in the position of backing up and risking injury days after the toughest match in the code.

 

[Geohood]

Just make the byes for all clubs during these stand alone weeks instead of spread over the season? Either way supporters will be missing out on seeing their teams play during their byes.

 

[docbrown]

I don't see how the clubs lose out from a switch to stand-alone Origin. Lose the byes, have a mid season break, but ensure that you won't have several home games every year with the best players from the home and away teams not available. I think that would be a wash, even if you shortened the season by a game. At most you might have some cash flow issues, but you'd think the NRL might be able to sort something out on that front given all the money Origin generates.

And there are other options for broadcasters and people worried about no footy for the rest of the weekend: Under 20s Origin/Tests, Pacific Cup, NZ tests - maybe even a NH inbound/outbound tour for the Kiwis if the RFL eventually decided to play ball with a rep window.

Well two byes won't accomodate 3 weeks of standalone Origin unless you extended the season. And if we only play 1 game for 3 weeks, expect to see the AFL and other sports fill up the rest of that weekend in a heartbeat. If people in NSW and QLD pay to attend those other sports, that's less money they'd tend to be willing to spend on rugby league.

If you shorten the season by one game per club, that's income that they lose.

As for Under 20's Origin/Tests, Pacific Cup, NZ tests - all those things are fine - but they won't generate the same amount of income as club games.

I think you still need club games during Origin, either be it with the use of byes or some other format. The Knockout Cup concept suggested on here is the best I've heard so far to maximise fan interest when all those major stars are missing.

By having Origin midweek, not only are the rep players missing from the club round the week before (3 weeks) but if they're rested the following weekend that's up to 3 more games they miss.

But by having Origin on a Sunday and reverting back to a 7 day Origin camp, they woud only miss the 3 weeks.