Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent - Lomax case settled

[BuffaloRules]

I get the reasons for extending it so much. It gives the press loads of stuff to talk about for 6 weeks. I just would prefer that the focus is on that event for the 4 weeks with a few club games on the side (Thats 4 weeks with teams going into what I would presume is a 30 day camp, plus selection articles leading into it).

I would like to see the impact of origin on teams lessen and as you said, it's the common sense approach. Wayne has been around the game for donkeys and he believes this is the best way, and a camp like this just makes so much sense. It will still dominate the headlines during this period, while all teams get a nice little rest for 2 weeks to freshen up their squads.

Only problems arise when we have an uneven number of teams like this year, cause it would mean a team would have to have either 2 byes in that period, or play twice in that period.

I’d prefer it too … but the powers that be seemingly don’t … despite the logic

 

[Dogs Of War]

I’d prefer it too … but the powers that be seemingly don’t … despite the logic

It's channel 9 who don't. They want these fixtures to be drawn out so they can promote it being on their TV station and it moves through different months to inflate viewing figures for them. The NRL needs to put it's foot down and dictate terms.

 

[BuffaloRules]

It's channel 9 who don't. They want these fixtures to be drawn out so they can promote it being on their TV station and it moves through different months to inflate viewing figures for them. The NRL needs to put its thifoot down and dictate terms.

Yes as I suggested initially …

considering Nine are paying way unders .., I suspect they haven’t been the sole drivers of this … the rest of the media laps up Origin too, and this longer media stranglehold must appeal to the NRL as well..

the club season may have gone through the “mid season blues” a few years back … but I doubt that’s the case as much these days …time to give the 5 week Orign period ianother go

 

[Steel Saints]

The best way is the one Wayne Bennett said. Play the matches 10 days apart. First on a Wednesday, then Sunday week, then Wednesday week for the decider. Have a squad of 22-4 players who all stand down from club matches. All teams get a bye during this period. At best players only miss one club game (If they are asked to backup the week after the last Origin). The match on a Sunday can be a bye for all clubs, and have whatever other events like a Women's state of Origin on the weekend Origin is on the Sunday night.

Gives the series more intensity rather than drawing it out as long as it does now.

Over a one month period, have 3 NRL games per week. And origin played every Wednesday night. So three consecutive weeks of origin and only 12 NRL games are impacted by it.

Now sure, with 19 teams, five clubs could play twice. But the following year, get a different five teams to play twice during that period.

Also helps if in the next tv deal, each team plays 23 games instead of 24. With expansion to 19 teams, it could be a possibility for a reduction of season games per club.

 

[Dogs Of War]

Over a one month period, have 3 NRL games per week. And origin played every Wednesday night. So three consecutive weeks of origin and only 12 NRL games are impacted by it.

Now sure, with 19 teams, five clubs could play twice. But the following year, get a different five teams to play twice during that period.

Also helps if in the next tv deal, each team plays 23 games instead of 24. With expansion to 19 teams, it could be a possibility for a reduction of season games per club.

You'd hope once they go to 20 teams, we would go to conferences. 19 games playing all teams. Plus the return fixtures for your conference (another 3-4 games depending if they go for 4 or 5 team conferences). There is 22 or 23 game season. I'm not sure there is much appetite with the length of the AFL season to go any shorter.

Personally I'd go with 4 team conferences. Conference winners in the finals and the next best 5 teams. All seeded by actual season record with any records that are the same decided by the head to head result first, then points against etc. If they still want to go with having a longer season, then add extra byes and artificially extend the season by having a mid season international round as proposed in somewhere warmer like Hawaii/Dubai/Singapore like how we are kicking off the season with 2-3 games taken over that weekend.

 

[Steel Saints]

You'd hope once they go to 20 teams, we would go to conferences. 19 games playing all teams. Plus the return fixtures for your conference (another 3-4 games depending if they go for 4 or 5 team conferences). There is 22 or 23 game season. I'm not sure there is much appetite with the length of the AFL season to go any shorter.

Personally I'd go with 4 team conferences. Conference winners in the finals and the next best 5 teams. All seeded by actual season record with any records that are the same decided by the head to head result first, then points against etc. If they still want to go with having a longer season, then add extra byes and artificially extend the season by having a mid season international round as proposed in somewhere warmer like Hawaii/Dubai/Singapore like how we are kicking off the season with 2-3 games taken over that weekend.

When it goes to 20 teams, it could have four conferences with five teams in each of them.

Northern conference
PNG Chiefs, Broncos, Dolphins, Titans, Cowboys

Eastern Conference
Knights, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Dragons, Rabbitohs

Southern Conference
Sharks, Raiders, Storm, Warriors, NZ 2 ((Christchurch)

Western Conference
Perth Bears, Panthers, Eels, Tigers, Bulldogs

Play four teams twice and season length could be 23 games per club. Top two in each conference make finals.

 

[Dogs Of War]

When it goes to 20 teams, it could have four conferences with five teams in each of them.

Northern conference
PNG Chiefs, Broncos, Dolphins, Titans, Cowboys

Eastern Conference
Knights, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Dragons, Rabbitohs

Southern Conference
Sharks, Raiders, Storm, Warriors, NZ 2 ((Christchurch)

Western Conference
Perth Bears, Panthers, Eels, Tigers, Bulldogs

Play four teams twice and season length could be 23 games per club. Top two in each conference make finals.

I thought 5 as well to start with. But less games, smaller conferences with more division winners is a good selling point. Always more chance of a close comp at the top of the division with some serious winner takes all conference games.

So something like this.

Meninga conference
PNG
Broncos
Cowboys
Dolphins

Langlands Conference
Gold Coast
Newcastle
Manly
Perth

Messenger Conference
Souths
Roosters
Dragons
Sharks

Gasiner Conference
Bulldogs
Eels
Tigers
Panthers

Churchhill Conference
Melbourne
Canberra
NZ 1
NZ 2

Conferences can move teams around for realignment. So if say Ipswich got the nod over NZ2, then maybe Perth moves to the Churchill conference, PNG to the Langlands conference, and Ipswich to the Meninga conference.

Or the Dragons and Sharks get sent to the Churchill conference, with both NZ teams moving to the Messenger conference.

And no to the top 2. Top of the division for sure. But some years you will have weak divisions, so top only with the next best 5 teams into the finals.

 

[BODISGOD]

Projections are pointing towards a billion.
Most watched event for an entire year.
Most watched sport in the Pacific.
Spanning 3 counties.
Twice the size in attendance than the next biggest Rugby comp in the world.

Growing revenue, growing attendance, growing TV ratings , growing asset base, upgrading facility, growing Australian and international footprint, growing social media engagement, set to have a team represent 11 million people with 600 million dollar investment secured.. on track to reach a revenue of a billion dollars within a few years will likely coincide with a proposed global round.

Kicking off the season in the best facility in the world - Las Vegas.

Getting pretty bohemithy

“Projections”

The latest financial results were for $800m AUD for the ARLC, ie commercial revenue of the sport across Australia, NZ etc.

Vegas? The Leeds Rhinos are talking about how they can barely afford to feed the players ffs. This the league you are crowing that you are going to take over but you aren’t even feeding the players going properly. Listen I know going outside of 3 to 4 markets for rugby league, but this is embarrassing.

 

[BODISGOD]

Ladies and gentlemen, just a gentle reminder that this Irish troll should be treated like any financial information posted by Perth Red, with utter disdain. Unsurprisingly the above is bullshit.

To confirm, and as someone on the ground here, R360 was a major rugby union story in the British Isles.

As you were.

This isn’t bullshit. It got some attention, but comparatively a minuscule amount in comparison to the obsession of NRL journalists and administrators. People were talking about the actual sport. This is partly down to the low rent soap opera that they sell the proles of Sydney and Brisbane with when they’re munching on their KFC on the way to work. They fill air. And of course PVL is consumer in chief (in so many ways ) of that. He just hired a gossip columnist to run an expansion franchise ffs.

 

[BuffaloRules]

“Projections”

The latest financial results were for $800m AUD for the ARLC, ie commercial revenue of the sport across Australia, NZ etc.

Yeah … they are about to sign a new TV deal … a billion should be on the cards come 2028

 

[BuffaloRules]

This isn’t bullshit. It got some attention, but comparatively a minuscule amount in comparison to the obsession of NRL journalists and administrators. People were talking about the actual sport. This is partly down to the low rent soap opera that they sell the proles of Sydney and Brisbane with when they’re munching on their KFC on the way to work. They fill air. And of course PVL is consumer in chief (in so many ways ) of that. He just hired a gossip columnist to run an expansion franchise ffs.

Tell us what fast food the 5 million Irish people are eating these days ?

 

[BODISGOD]

interesting that PVL lives in a “goldfish bowl” but is also capable at the same time of “giving something oxygen “ to the extent it’s on your radar… You probably should be blaming the local media instead of PVL..they are the ones asking him about it and reporting on it every day back when it was deemed newsworthy…

You have got to understand that in Australia, anything RL related is going to get a lot of news ..,it’s the most viewed sport in a country of 27 million people.., media wouldn’t be reporting on the sport these days if it wasn’t driving the clicks… the fact this story is as big as it was extending two months into the offseason speaks volumes

compared with Rugby Union , Rugby League is a a sporting behemoth here … no one would give the slightest shit here if dozens of unknown Rugby players left to go to 360 …so there is no oxygen there to harness from any media in the country… Rugby Union in Australia is a snow globe … that dreams one day of becoming a fish bowl

Aren’t you Irish by the way ? If Australia is a “gold fish bowl” WTF is Ireland ? More people live in Sydney than your whole country… NZ is bigger these days …. if Ireland was a State of Australia it would be a smallish one

It’s on my radar because I follow the NRL. Nobody has a clue who that guy is outside of Australia, he is barely known by those into Super League in the U.K. (outside a minority on here, they mostly just like the sport, not the nonsense element of it).

He went off and played Billy Big Bollix to NRL players and rolled over straight away. Come on now, it’s embarrassing.

Gold fish bowl and the NRL is not my expression. Australian journalists pathetically aping British tabloids in your isolated timezone is where it comes from.

 

[BODISGOD]

We had useless CEOs prior just saying.Just like the ARU who had a huge amount of cash after their 2003 world cup and blew the lot. And their asset base nothing to write home about.
Where did I suggest we were a behemoth? We are the biggest rugby code in the South Pacific, that's all.
Your code in England has clubs falling over financially.
We don't claim as your code does to be a world game ,when India, China,Pakistan,Indonesia etc are among the biggest populations going around and have minimal union being played.Play rugby & see the world , in reality where union is strong.
And let's face it if Vichy and union hadn't been buddy buddies in France ,league would have been in a far superior position there than it is now. Oh don't"mention the war", it's history & French sport was part of it.
"First dramatic thing "try the 5 year Las Vegas planning.
Next the opening round on the agenda to be played in other countries in the planning stage.
Hate to bring up history and what's in the pipeline but thanks for the opportunity.

David Gallop was a brilliant CEO.

Playing a game abroad and not being able to feed the players without losing money is not big time mate, it’s small time.

Again it’s like the hotel thing, deeply impressive when you come from a low base.

 

[BuffaloRules]

It’s on my radar because I follow the NRL. Nobody has a clue who that guy is outside of Australia, he is barely known by those into Super League in the U.K. (outside a minority on here, they mostly just like the sport, not the nonsense element of it).

He went off and played Billy Big Bollix to NRL players and rolled over straight away. Come on now, it’s embarrassing.

Gold fish bowl and the NRL is not my expression. Australian journalists pathetically aping British tabloids in your isolated timezone is where it comes from.

I’m embarrassed for you … an Irishman trying to lecture Australians about “gold fish bowls”

 

[BODISGOD]

Yeah … they are about to sign a new TV deal … a billion should be on the cards come 2028

“About to” is not now.

Again we’ll see what the tv deal will be.

As I’ve pointed out on here, not as much of a slam dunk as you all have been fed by the succulent lambs in the media.

 

[BuffaloRules]

“About to” is not now.

Again we’ll see what the tv deal will be.

As I’ve pointed out on here, not as much of a slam dunk as you all have been fed by the succulent lambs in the media.

Ok brother ..,

Is there anything NRL related you aren’t an expert on ?

 

[BODISGOD]

I’m embarrassed for you … an Irishman trying to lecture Australians about “gold fish bowls”

“Lecture”- I’m just repeating what your area has self described itself as.

Isolated timezone. Hyper local media. It’s not in anyway controversial but you keep on being offfended.

 

[BuffaloRules]

“Lecture”- I’m just repeating what your area has self described itself as.

Isolated timezone. Hyper local media. It’s not in anyway controversial but you keep on being offfended.

Just laughing is all …maybe stop consuming the media then …I’m sure you aren’t coming across it by chance

 

[BODISGOD]

Ok brother ..,

Is there anything NRL related you aren’t an expert on ?

I am talking about tv rights generally.

If you think the factors that have driven the NRL’s rights upwards are unique, you are proving my point on being an insular type.

Again, Premier League rights in the U.K. are static to falling. DAZN (the great white hope) have cut rights fees dramatically for football in Europe. The new NBA rights are losing significant money. Sports rights have rationalised - you like to slate Super League in the U.K. but that’s just reality.

Sports rights generally have gone from being a so so funded part of tv networks to being the main piece over the last few decades. Sports have continually been used as a loss leader for first cable and now streaming services. Free to Air networks have been paying more for rights to pretend as though it’s still 1995. The party will stop for this eventually - the Netflix’s of the world care about events, not big bundles of exclusive league rights. Because they are basically going back to being the generic entertainment tv networks of old, the same ones who did not pay big rights for sports back in the day.

I expect the NRL to get an increase, mostly because of the extra game. Will it outstrip inflation and the cost of two new teams? Maybe, but I doubt there’ll be the depth of discussion out there about that within the goldfish bowl.

 

[BODISGOD]

Just laughing is all …maybe stop consuming the media then …I’m sure you aren’t coming across it by chance

Sure thing, the classic variant of “I know you are but what am I” on display here yet again.