The game is bigger than it has ever been

[The Axe of Druss]

I mentioned Shepperd because its a proven case of heat stroke back in the "old days" when things like that hadn't happened before. Temperatures in Sydney on Grand Final day are often 30 degrees or hotter through the mid-afternoon for probably the last 10-20 years. As such people want to go backwards to a daytime GF and have NRL players, who these days play a faster paced game, in 30 or greater degree temperatures? Yeah, there'll be no health issues there eh

Yet we are happy for our Cup and NRLW girls to do it?

Comon mate

 

[Penrose Warrior]

The game just needs to work on its presentation a bit better. For instance, what the f**k was with the music at the ground during every break? Amateurish mickey mouse shit, it's not the local High school Basketball game ffs. The dimwits from 9 with their cringe interviews seconds after the final siren is gone, no time to let the players celebrate and get out some emotion. Don't get me started on the park level caller Matt Thompson. Definitely a few tweaks the game could do there by working with its stakeholders.

Yeah agreed, that is an absolute scourge on modern sport. It's to tailor to the latest generation, whatever the F they're called (Gen Z? Whatever). Because they listen to music ALL THE TIME. I went to a T20 international last summer, and honestly there was music between every ball. Not every over. Every ball. It was a nightmare.

All halftime interviews, in-game interviews are an absolute waste of time and really just a circle jerk for 'hey look we can speak to big names when we want'. Having said that, I thought the Walsh interview after fulltime was pretty good and they can be good for capturing the mood. TV stations do need to do that, to stop people turning off.

But yeah a lot of the TV stuff is really bad fluff. You should try living in NZ, the SKY Sport pre-game and halftime show, I hear the CIA is thinking of replacing waterboarding and other torture techniques with hour after hour of the NZ league coverage. They predict 100% confession in a very short period of time

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Yet we are happy for our Cup and NRLW girls to do it?

Comon mate

Yeah, I can't buy that. The AFL start at 2.30pm. And most people are talking 6.30pm here

 

[Manurewa_Marlins]

F

Yeah agreed, that is an absolute scourge on modern sport. It's to tailor to the latest generation, whatever the F they're called (Gen Z? Whatever). Because they listen to music ALL THE TIME. I went to a T20 international last summer, and honestly there was music between every ball. Not every over. Every ball. It was a nightmare.

All halftime interviews, in-game interviews are an absolute waste of time and really just a circle jerk for 'hey look we can speak to big names when we want'. Having said that, I thought the Walsh interview after fulltime was pretty good and they can be good for capturing the mood. TV stations do need to do that, to stop people turning off.

But yeah a lot of the TV stuff is really bad fluff. You should try living in NZ, the SKY Sport pre-game and halftime show, I hear the CIA is thinking of replacing waterboarding and other torture techniques with hour after hour of the NZ league coverage. They predict 100% confession in a very short period of time

Painful doesn't even begin to describe it.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Yeah agreed, that is an absolute scourge on modern sport. It's to tailor to the latest generation, whatever the F they're called (Gen Z? Whatever). Because they listen to music ALL THE TIME. I went to a T20 international last summer, and honestly there was music between every ball. Not every over. Every ball. It was a nightmare.

All halftime interviews, in-game interviews are an absolute waste of time and really just a circle jerk for 'hey look we can speak to big names when we want'. Having said that, I thought the Walsh interview after fulltime was pretty good and they can be good for capturing the mood. TV stations do need to do that, to stop people turning off.

But yeah a lot of the TV stuff is really bad fluff. You should try living in NZ, the SKY Sport pre-game and halftime show, I hear the CIA is thinking of replacing waterboarding and other torture techniques with hour after hour of the NZ league coverage. They predict 100% confession in a very short period of time

LOL. Not a fan of Honey, Montz, Richie or Willie Poching?

 

[Penrose Warrior]

LOL. Not a fan of Honey, Montz, Richie or Willie Poching?

No more so than I am a fan of sticking bamboo shoots through my Jap's eye

 

[T-Boon]

the NRL should also get into high end restaurants also maybe burger joints, wing joints etc that become the place to be where people (young honeys) are likely to run into sports stars. Olympic Park and Paxston Street should be known for sports and young honeys.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Paxston St?

 

[T-Boon]

Yeah agreed, that is an absolute scourge on modern sport. It's to tailor to the latest generation, whatever the F they're called (Gen Z? Whatever). Because they listen to music ALL THE TIME. I went to a T20 international last summer, and honestly there was music between every ball. Not every over. Every ball. It was a nightmare.

All halftime interviews, in-game interviews are an absolute waste of time and really just a circle jerk for 'hey look we can speak to big names when we want'. Having said that, I thought the Walsh interview after fulltime was pretty good and they can be good for capturing the mood. TV stations do need to do that, to stop people turning off.

But yeah a lot of the TV stuff is really bad fluff. You should try living in NZ, the SKY Sport pre-game and halftime show, I hear the CIA is thinking of replacing waterboarding and other torture techniques with hour after hour of the NZ league coverage. They predict 100% confession in a very short period of time

I could not agree with you more about the LOUD music. Fans in part are catching up with friends they haven't seen since the last home game and want to chat and also talk about the game when there is a down minute.
With regards to interviews I've notice in American sports (at least college football and MLB) they interview the coach during the game, EG straight after half time as the ball is in play. I wouldn't mind that.
The NRL head coaches do next to nothing on game day except maybe a speech at half time.

 

[T-Boon]

Names like Arsenal, Chelsea, Tot work for those clubs but likely would not have anywhere near as well if there was an uber successful London based first division team called London that was around for ages in the top division before they were allowed to be in the top competition. Try getting a soccer club going in Barcelona called some suburb in that city.
The Dolphins need to have Brisbane in their name. Brisbane Dolphins, North Brisbane Dolphins, Brisbane City Dolphins, Greater Brisbane Dolphins.

 

[beave]

the NRL should also get into high end restaurants also maybe burger joints, wing joints etc that become the place to be where people (young honeys) are likely to run into sports stars. Olympic Park and Paxston Street should be known for sports and young honeys.

wtf is a Paxston St?

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

Ftzsmmns revealing that he watches a lot of Rugby League once again:

The final 90 seconds of the NRL grand final was sporting theatre at its finest

Of all the extraordinary things Reece Walsh did on grand final night, his try-saving tackle with less than two minutes to go might just be the best of all.

www.smh.com.au

"The most staggering thing about “rugba league” in the modern age is its capacity to generate tension, and often high drama, in the final throes of a match.

"Time and again in recent seasons, and never more than in 2025 and in these very finals, as the clock ticks down to the final whistle, the whole match is up in the air.

"Time and again we see a version of this exact scenario in the last seconds, in a manner all other football codes must envy for the capacity to keep the match absorbing to the very end.

"Drama! Drama! Drama! And great sporting theatre."

Poor old Pete, watching the working man`s game up there in his mansion, getting all excited every week, and then he puts on the union, must be so disheartening.

 

[Wb1234]

Ftzsmmns revealing that he watches a lot of Rugby League once again:

The final 90 seconds of the NRL grand final was sporting theatre at its finest

Of all the extraordinary things Reece Walsh did on grand final night, his try-saving tackle with less than two minutes to go might just be the best of all.

www.smh.com.au

"The most staggering thing about “rugba league” in the modern age is its capacity to generate tension, and often high drama, in the final throes of a match.

"Time and again in recent seasons, and never more than in 2025 and in these very finals, as the clock ticks down to the final whistle, the whole match is up in the air.

"Time and again we see a version of this exact scenario in the last seconds, in a manner all other football codes must envy for the capacity to keep the match absorbing to the very end.

"Drama! Drama! Drama! And great sporting theatre."

Poor old Pete, watching the working man`s game up there in his mansion, getting all excited every week, and then he puts on the union, must be so disheartening.

Fitzstupid always watches a lot of league he’s talked about it constantly

See loads of Union fans commenting on the nrl even if they are jealous

Nrl could capture a decent intentional audience from Union fans around the world the way it’s going

 

[Stinkfinger]

All the nrl has done in 20 years is add teams that were previously culled (Gold Coast souths Brisbane 2 Perth bears)

PNG will be the only real expansion the game has done and only because the Aussie govt is paying so much

Nz needs another team asap and the stadium situation in nsw and Brisbane need sorting

But with png in the nrl league will basically rate close to double what afl does

The game is set for decades of growth

Vegas is the most exciting thing that could be a game changer for the sport globally especially with major league rugby collapsing give half the league just killed off

They got the locations right but tried to do far too much at once. And their timing was terrible with the SL War brewing.

 

[flippikat]

They got the locations right but tried to do far too much at once. And their timing was terrible with the SL War brewing.

I recall the original plan was just to add 2 teams in the mid '90s, and Auckland was chosen early on with Perth, North Queensland & Brisbane 2 asked to refine their bids.. then the ARL surprised everyone by adding all three instead of picking just one to join with Auckland.

There absolutely wasn't the player or coaching depth for 20 teams in 1995, but pre-superleague war I remember that Arko & Quayle mentioned the possibility of Sydney rationalizing.. but in pretty broad & non-committal ways - probably trying not to rock the boat too much, while they suspected expansion would put pressure on some Sydney clubs.

 

[T to the T]

They got the locations right but tried to do far too much at once. And their timing was terrible with the SL War brewing.

This.

This season and indeed the result in the final has been perfect for the NRL with the Brisbane Lions AFL win has been totally overshadowed and Suncorp expansion confirmed by the state premier.

I'm coming round to the view that Ipswich/Brisbane 3 should be #20, on the caveat that the sport will expand to 22 teams (NZ2 and Adelaide). If that door is closed then NZ2 should be #20.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

I'm coming round to the view that Ipswich/Brisbane 3 should be #20, on the caveat that the sport will expand to 22 teams (NZ2 and Adelaide). If that door is closed then NZ2 should be #20

The fumbles are throwing everything at QLD, NSW isn`t working and there`s no where else to go. Queensland is the big hope on the growth front. Countering it with Brissy3 soaking up more fans and critically sponsors would help stymie their plans.

 

[Wb1234]

This.

This season and indeed the result in the final has been perfect for the NRL with the Brisbane Lions AFL win has been totally overshadowed and Suncorp expansion confirmed by the state premier.

I'm coming round to the view that Ipswich/Brisbane 3 should be #20, on the caveat that the sport will expand to 22 teams (NZ2 and Adelaide). If that door is closed then NZ2 should be #20.

Ipswich post Olympics makes more sense

If nz2 isn’t next the Pvl has rocks in his head

 

[Jetka100]

It has to be West Brisbane (Ipswich) for team 20. If a team fell over, NZ2 could come in. I’m not actually that opposed to having a 21 team comp with NZ 2 either. Play each team once for 20 matches in the year.

 

[newc18]

Ftzsmmns revealing that he watches a lot of Rugby League once again:

The final 90 seconds of the NRL grand final was sporting theatre at its finest

Of all the extraordinary things Reece Walsh did on grand final night, his try-saving tackle with less than two minutes to go might just be the best of all.

www.smh.com.au

"The most staggering thing about “rugba league” in the modern age is its capacity to generate tension, and often high drama, in the final throes of a match.

"Time and again in recent seasons, and never more than in 2025 and in these very finals, as the clock ticks down to the final whistle, the whole match is up in the air.

"Time and again we see a version of this exact scenario in the last seconds, in a manner all other football codes must envy for the capacity to keep the match absorbing to the very end.

"Drama! Drama! Drama! And great sporting theatre."

Poor old Pete, watching the working man`s game up there in his mansion, getting all excited every week, and then he puts on the union, must be so disheartening.

Why is it Union fans in this country will happily shit on League, but then also watch it?