Look, the SL/News Ltd. bashing gets rather tiresome. They have done plenty wrong, and they certainly are not perfect, but at least they are trying.
As we all know, News Ltd. continues to own and fund the Nth Qld Cowboys and the Melbourne Storm.
They bailed out the Cowboys when they were in deep doggy-doo-doo, helped them along, and now the future looks very rosy.
The Melbourne Storm are the code's gateway into the Victorian market, and last year we saw 900,000 odd Victorians watch the NRL GF, a remarkable effort IMO. Despite the fact the club has cost an untold amount of millions, News Ltd. continues to pick up the bill. We need the Storm to grow out code - and News Ltd. are the ones picking up the huge tab.
People always like to bash News Ltd. - but in respect to these two clubs, I don't think the fans are complaining. At least they are prepared to back the code in this instance.
When's James Packer going to put his hand in his own pocket to grow the code? When is Packer going to foot the bill for an expansion club? The prick never will - the 'best friends of Rugby League' don't give a f**k about us or the code. Why can't Packer do a little bit for Rugby League - he's mooched off the code forever, and he still isn't prepared to do his bit to expand the game (being aligned with the Sydney Roosters simply isn't enough).
Packer/Channel Nine will gladly pay a pittance for the broadcasting rights, do nothing for the promotion of the code, give the public a tawdry and cringe-worthy primetime RL program (Thusday Night Footy Show) - and then to top it all off, deliberately genius the growth of our code by shutting out prime-time (or anytime) FTA broadcasting of the Melbourne Storm in Victoria. It's a f**king disgrace.
