Knightmare
Coach
- Messages
- 10,716
I'm happy to keep in tune with the games/ team news/ the NRL in general, so long as:
a) The team plays at (or near) the best of their ability when you take into account the squad and circumstances,
b) They are given a fair opportunity to win
It's that second point that's turning me off the game of late. The Broncos, Roosters and Bulldogs can sign whoever they like. There is virtually a whole group of elite players that are only available to 5 clubs (the above named, plus Souths and the Storm). Then there's the players the rest get. Then there's players the Knights get. And I feel like even if this club saw the emergence of a new generation that rivalled our best 17 from 1988 to the end of the reign of Mick Mini-Bus, they'd only get snatched away by a handful of Sydney clubs or the Broncos while the NRL turned a blind-eye to it. As if they'd give a shit about a traditional Rugby League heartland being gouged when they can continue to appease the select few clubs with the biggest membership bases, sponsorship and TPA deals....
Not only that, but there's also the vicious circle this team is unable to break out of, much of it beyond their control. It goes like this:
People say Knights can't win a game "because they suck">>> Panellists on NRL shows and punters tip against the Knights, home or away, "because they suck">>> Match officials turn up expecting Knights to lose, home or away, because they usually lose, "because they suck">>> 50/50 calls go against the Knights 9 times out of 10, match officials subconsciously assuming the Knights are at fault because they can't win a game (and if Newcastle are leading or challenging for the lead then they must be doing a poor job of officiating)>>> Knights lose>>> People say Knights can't win a game "because they suck" etc etc
It would take this club folding for me to stop backing them, but I find it hard to justify investing my time or money in following this team when it seems like the organising body only cares about the time and money invested by those who follow The Big 5- and ensuring that they never have more than 1 poor season in a row. I love Rugby League as a game, but the NRL increasingly look like a corrupt boys' club who only care about the revenue from the consumers (sorry, the fans) who make the most $$$ for the NRL, keep subscribing to Foxtel, buying team merchandise and memberships, going to games and waving their official NRL (TM) club flag like a good consumer (sorry, PASSIONATE FAN)...
I mean f**k, the NRL knows full well that if the Broncos ever had 3 consecutive seasons like what we're going through, Superleague would have already been re-born and Queensland would have seceded from the rest of Australia by now...as far as the NRL is concerned, we are just like the Steelers, Magpies and Seagulls- except we've got coal and were responsible for producing one of Channel 9's panellists...
a) The team plays at (or near) the best of their ability when you take into account the squad and circumstances,
b) They are given a fair opportunity to win
It's that second point that's turning me off the game of late. The Broncos, Roosters and Bulldogs can sign whoever they like. There is virtually a whole group of elite players that are only available to 5 clubs (the above named, plus Souths and the Storm). Then there's the players the rest get. Then there's players the Knights get. And I feel like even if this club saw the emergence of a new generation that rivalled our best 17 from 1988 to the end of the reign of Mick Mini-Bus, they'd only get snatched away by a handful of Sydney clubs or the Broncos while the NRL turned a blind-eye to it. As if they'd give a shit about a traditional Rugby League heartland being gouged when they can continue to appease the select few clubs with the biggest membership bases, sponsorship and TPA deals....
Not only that, but there's also the vicious circle this team is unable to break out of, much of it beyond their control. It goes like this:
People say Knights can't win a game "because they suck">>> Panellists on NRL shows and punters tip against the Knights, home or away, "because they suck">>> Match officials turn up expecting Knights to lose, home or away, because they usually lose, "because they suck">>> 50/50 calls go against the Knights 9 times out of 10, match officials subconsciously assuming the Knights are at fault because they can't win a game (and if Newcastle are leading or challenging for the lead then they must be doing a poor job of officiating)>>> Knights lose>>> People say Knights can't win a game "because they suck" etc etc
It would take this club folding for me to stop backing them, but I find it hard to justify investing my time or money in following this team when it seems like the organising body only cares about the time and money invested by those who follow The Big 5- and ensuring that they never have more than 1 poor season in a row. I love Rugby League as a game, but the NRL increasingly look like a corrupt boys' club who only care about the revenue from the consumers (sorry, the fans) who make the most $$$ for the NRL, keep subscribing to Foxtel, buying team merchandise and memberships, going to games and waving their official NRL (TM) club flag like a good consumer (sorry, PASSIONATE FAN)...
I mean f**k, the NRL knows full well that if the Broncos ever had 3 consecutive seasons like what we're going through, Superleague would have already been re-born and Queensland would have seceded from the rest of Australia by now...as far as the NRL is concerned, we are just like the Steelers, Magpies and Seagulls- except we've got coal and were responsible for producing one of Channel 9's panellists...
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