Richo's Vision

[ACTPanthers]

All good.

But they can piss it off altogether and make simple provisions if a player/players are injured and people are worried they will be sued in 20 yrs time.

It ain't that hard. They aren't in the trenches being shot at.

Yes, injuries will happen but it is by no means impossible to cater for that with a couple players on the bench able to be used in those cases.

If the HIA can be catered for so can a player unable to return to field of play due to other injury if people are going to do their nana over it.

HIA rules are already (seemingly) being used to get free interchanges. What's going to stop that from happening if your idea is put into production? (legitimate question).

 

[applesauce]

110% agree with the season being too long and having too many games that don't matter. I like the NFL less is more approach. A 16 game season where every game matters and every game is played with the intensity of a semi. Bigger games = bigger crowds = bigger TV audience.
You know our season is too long when Trent Robinson doesn't even bother getting the Roosters out of 3rd gear until a month before the semis.


I'm not surprised Richos plan was dumped by the NRL. Richo has great passion for the growth of the international game while the NRL doesn't see any value in it.

You have to pair it with divisions to increase the number of teams in play for finals spots throughout the season. Otherwise if becomes something more akin to college football where losses are so costly you won't make the playoffs even early in season.

 

[Spot On]

HIA rules are already (seemingly) being used to get free interchanges. What's going to stop that from happening if your idea is put into production? (legitimate question).

Happy for players to still use the HIA free interchange as that is now a no brainer. Parden the pun.

If that is being taken advantage of then the powers that be can tweak that but I'm pretty happy with it atm. No it is not perfect but the protocols seem apt.

I'd like to see interchange down to at least 4. I do not see an issue with that at all regardless of injuries during a match. Tough luck imo.

If we scaled it right back and teams carried 4 on the bench then you would need to be very careful who came off and when they were replaced during a match because once off the field that would be it.

If a player was to seek medical treatment ie stitches to a nasty gash or the like, dislocated finger etc than we can cater for that with a free injury interchange. Surely the medical staff are able to assess that situation. Will it be perfect?? No. But what is in the game atm?

Introduce pretty harsh penalties for teams who rort it.

Yes there will be holes in the idea that others can argue over but the current interchange number is still too high in my opinion and must be halved at the very least. And soon.

 

[siv]

9s (March)
NRL - First 11 rounds (March-May)
Mid-season rep window (Origin, test series) (May-June)
NRL - 2nd 11 rounds (June-August)
Finals (September)
8-10 week international season (October-November)

Today we have 3 club byes Mar 1st weekend and two during SOO

So not hard to go with
- 25 rounds with 18 teams
- 3 dedicated rep weekends
- 6 internationals rep weekends last 2 Oct & 4 in Nov

Good part of the proposal was to fund NZRL like the QRL or NSWRL Hopefully that stipulates that they must run a NZ Cup

 

[jim_57]

You wouldn't think it would be too hard

9s (March)
NRL - First 11 rounds (March-May)
Mid-season rep window (Origin, test series) (May-June)
NRL - 2nd 11 rounds (June-August)
Finals (September)
8-10 week international season (October-November)

While they're at it f**k half of the pre-season off too. I've never understood why clubs had to start training at the end of October with players busting their arse in the summer heat for 5 months before even playing a game, especially when the NRL and NRL clubs talk about how players can't play too many internationals because of player welfare. I'd much rather be playing for my country than running up hills for 3 hours in 45 degree heat.

I'd love to see the results of 1 club trying a different approach one year giving their players rest until after Christmas (obviously some form of exercise needed in to keep up basic fitness & strength).

I find it hard to see how players would ever feel refreshed coming in to a new season when they've been busting their ass every week since mid-October and their 2 weeks off.

 

[taste2taste]

You have to pair it with divisions to increase the number of teams in play for finals spots throughout the season. Otherwise if becomes something more akin to college football where losses are so costly you won't make the playoffs even early in season.

The last Big Bash season was a great example of more isn't always better.
They increased the number of games and the length of the season and had huge drops in crowds and TV audiences. For this upcoming season they have gone back to a short and sweet season.

For the NRL it would be a balancing act trying to find how many less games can be played without affecting the TV deal.

You have to pair it with divisions to increase the number of teams in play for finals spots throughout the season. Otherwise if becomes something more akin to college football where losses are so costly you won't make the playoffs even early in season.

The last Big Bash season was a great example of more isn't always better.
They increased the number of games and the length of the season and as a result suffered huge drops in crowds and TV audiences. For this upcoming season they have gone back to a short and sweet season.

For the NRL it would be a balancing act trying to find the right mix of decreasing games but not loosing TV ratings. In theory, the less games played = less overall people watching. But the Big Bash has showed that it is possible that less games can actually increase the audience.

 

[siv]

I'd love to see the results of 1 club trying a different approach one year giving their players rest until after Christmas (obviously some form of exercise needed in to keep up basic fitness & strength).

I find it hard to see how players would ever feel refreshed coming in to a new season when they've been busting their ass every week since mid-October and their 2 weeks off.

I think you will find that the RLPA rules state players must have 8 weeks off

Early Nov training is usually for players who ended their season in the last round in Sep

Players who finish in early Oct come back in Dec

While Nov rep players start in mid to late Jan

 

[Spot On]

I'd love to see the results of 1 club trying a different approach one year giving their players rest until after Christmas (obviously some form of exercise needed in to keep up basic fitness & strength).

I find it hard to see how players would ever feel refreshed coming in to a new season when they've been busting their ass every week since mid-October and their 2 weeks off.

8 weeks off.

 

[Generalzod]

Bring back the AMCO cup....

 

[jim_57]

8 weeks off.

I think you will find that the RLPA rules state players must have 8 weeks off

Early Nov training is usually for players who ended their season in the last round in Sep

Players who finish in early Oct come back in Dec

While Nov rep players start in mid to late Jan

Fair enough, there you go.

 

[yakstorm]

Richo wasn't pushed out of the NRL because of his strategy and ideas, although he was a bit disconnected from the rest of the business, it was because he was seen as a threat to Todd for the top job once Smith finished up.

Richardson was cluey enough to know that certain groups saw him as a threat and jump ship to Souths before certain people could push him under a bus.

Anyway, its a shame there isn't anyone pushing the strategic plan he put together anymore... QRL and NSWRL are still dragging their feet on getting to 16 teams in their State competition, with the likes of Fiji taking far longer than it should have, and interest from Wellington and Christchurch to join the NSW Premiership dropping away and as for the International scene, as Richo has said, there should be a strategy behind games, not just pulling together a random tour / matches for the sake of it like this GB Tour series.

 

[Batfan78]

I've said for years the format should change to something like an 18 team comp. Everyone plays each other once. If you play a team at your home ground this year, then you play them at their home ground the next year (ie if Canberra hosts Brisbane in Canberra in 2020, then they go to Brisbane in 2021). That way fans at least have an idea of where they are unless games are moved.

So you play each other once, have a break mid year for 3 stand alone origins and internationals.(Super League could also rearrange their comp to mirror the NRL but depending on the amount of clubs or the challenge cup format worked in)

Then you resume the season and have a 5 week finals series.

At either end of the season you can have internationals, nines, pre season camps etc etc

This argument of TV dollars is flawed...Yes they may take a hit initially however this format turns every game into an event that is easily marketed. Less is more. The NFL granted is in a very different market, however if anywhere was going to demand a longer season and all the garbage we put up with from out game...you would think it would be the US where everything is bigger and better. But they get it. And they are taking games to the UK for crying out loud...some fans here complain about taking games to the bush or Adelaide or Perth...

The game needs to do this. They will command just as much if not more in the long term if they do. And the NRL is happy to milk NZ when it needs to so it should give more money to grow the game till NZ can stand on it's own feet.

The AFL puts something like 4% of their TV deal into an international fund...and we do what???

 

[BadnMean]

Mostly sounds excellent.

The 9s circuit hasn't been thought through. When does it run? Is it NRL players? Where then does the talent come from? It's not a pathway league since the game is so different.

The nines was a dud to watch imo- but then again so is rugby 7s mostly. Sevens works because corporate & worldwide interest in union dwarfs RL. Businesses in HK & Singapore etc happily support them- but those types have no interest in league.

Where then? North America? Northern England? France? Ok, but it shoots international league in the foot by introducing them to a 3rd type of rugby to confuse the issue. Do we want Canada & France playing 9s or 13s?

How much is NRL willing to put into funding what would cost 10s of millions at least & run at a loss in a niche market of weird offshoot rugby types already owned by 7s.

T20 cricket worked because the cricket available went for 8 hours & had boring middle overs. League is already a perfect 2 hour entertainment package that works on TV. So there isn't the same space for a tweaked version to explode by solving the problem that the initial game is found boring by many fans.

They had to appeal to them by offering "not cricket". I haven't seen anyone from non-rugby country see league as it is & not be impressed as it is. Nines just removes a large part of the fun of huge tackles & impact & looks like basketball ease of scoring.

 

[Spot On]

Richo wasn't pushed out of the NRL because of his strategy and ideas, although he was a bit disconnected from the rest of the business, it was because he was seen as a threat to Todd for the top job once Smith finished up.

Richardson was cluey enough to know that certain groups saw him as a threat and jump ship to Souths before certain people could push him under a bus.

Anyway, its a shame there isn't anyone pushing the strategic plan he put together anymore... QRL and NSWRL are still dragging their feet on getting to 16 teams in their State competition, with the likes of Fiji taking far longer than it should have, and interest from Wellington and Christchurch to join the NSW Premiership dropping away and as for the International scene, as Richo has said, there should be a strategy behind games, not just pulling together a random tour / matches for the sake of it like this GB Tour series.

Really???

 

[TheFrog]

So you play each other once, have a break mid year for 3 stand alone origins and internationals.

Currently the Origin series takes 8 weeks from the time the sides are picked for game 1 until a week after game 3, having been condensed by 1 week in recent years. I doubt they'd want to condense it further. That's two months of no footy for a heck of a lot of players, smack bang in the middle of the footy season. Perhaps a Challenge Cup type of tournament during this period would fill the gap and create interest.

 

[Billythekid]

This pretty much reflects exactly what I think should happen. The only thing I’m not on board with is the 9s, I’m still not sure how I feel about it or how it should be employed.

Currently the Origin series takes 8 weeks from the time the sides are picked for game 1 until a week after game 3, having been condensed by 1 week in recent years. I doubt they'd want to condense it further. That's two months of no footy for a heck of a lot of players, smack bang in the middle of the footy season. Perhaps a Challenge Cup type of tournament during this period would fill the gap and create interest.

Why does it need to go over 8 weeks? The standalone period would be a 3-4 week period with each game being a week apart. SOO dragging on for 8 weeks is the biggest problem facing the NRL right now it just destroys the comp. SOO plus internationals should be more than enough to keep people interested.

I still think it’s a perfect marketing tool. You stop for the rep break and then you build up the return of the NRL and the run into the finals as a big event itself.

 

[Captain Apollo]

I think you will find that the RLPA rules state players must have 8 weeks off

Its not RLPA rules, it is what is in the RL Players Collective Bargaining Agreement. Hence it is "the law".

 

[TheFrog]

Why does it need to go over 8 weeks?

I think the game's brains trust believes that much of the intensity of the Origin series would be lost if you ran it over a shorter period. Three games two weeks apart brings it down to seven weeks, which isn't much different to now. You'd really have to play a week apart and I don't think either the sport or TV or probably the RLPA would go for that.

SOO plus internationals should be more than enough to keep people interested.

It's not so much keeping people interested, it's keeping the majority of players on the field, including lower graders.

 

[Travitoh]

Why is it the NRL's responsibility to grow the international game when the game still needs to grow in Australia?
There's no representation west of Melbourne and no sign of that changing anytime soon in what is meant to be a national competition.

 

[Perth Red]

Why is it the NRL's responsibility to grow the international game when the game still needs to grow in Australia?
There's no representation west of Melbourne and no sign of that changing anytime soon in what is meant to be a national competition.

because half of the nrl’s playing talent comes from NZ and PI.