Why News Ltd is eager to quit the NRL ahead of time

[strider]

I would also eventually include Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart and then we are basically there. The number one sport in the whole South Pacific. Now that is a plan to work towards.

wow .... lets call it .... "Super League"

:-k

 

[Runaround Man]

Whilst making League more national sounds logical, it may not work.

As stated here, league is tribal. Everyday working folk need to be able to see their team regularly - even when playing away.

To make it work a conference system may be the answer. The local element must remain - then the best of each region can play off.

This is kind of what happened over the last two weeks of the premiership -

Most Sydney folks were going for the Eels because they were the best of Sydney teams playing the bet of the rest.

Must keep it primal and tribal - Us Versus them - essential -

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

Easy - simply brand the competition "Sydney vs the Rest".

Encourage people to either love Sydney or hate it. At the very least, run a NSW campaign to enocurage people to support Sydney teams against outside rivals.

Sydney loves being Sydney-centric. We love Sydney because it's better than all the other places in Australia which are comparatively sh*tholes.

It could work if done properly. It would build a second kind of tribalism to compliment our team-based tribalism.

 

[Casper The Ghost]

I would also eventually include Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart and then we are basically there. The number one sport in the whole South Pacific. Now that is a plan to work towards.

Naaaaahhh, The number 1 sport will be The Lions v The Christians coming to a Colosseum near you.

What will they sell in the canteens?

What info will their sport guide offer?

Will there be hot-dogs for sale outside?

What will the fans be wearing and what will their banners say??

Will black hawk and care flight helicopters make an appearance with pilots waving to the throngs?

Will WolfMother be playing?

And what about medical/ambulance support for mangled body parts?

And could an angry mob throw the referees and linesman to the Lions causing a controversy leading to demands by the powers that be for a new centralised commission?

Will the Fed govt put up an $11 million grant to assist in centralising the administration of this sport???

What photos will be found on the back pages (or front pages) of main stream media?

What will the news presenters be saying?

What issues will arise causing a mass debate?

Will there be a salary cap for both the lions and the christians?

Will there be a tribunal and will QC's be asked to perform whenever?

Aaahhhhhh the brain boggles!!!!

 

[Skeletor]

Melbourne are building a giant, beautiful new stadium. Let's give it a few years before we call it failed.

 

[strider]

Melbourne are building a giant, beautiful new stadium. Let's give it a few years before we call it failed.

and the only reason it happened was because there's a a-league team down there too :-s

 

[Play The Ball]

I'm a Storm supporter, well more of a league supporter who has lived in Melb for work for about the same time as the Storm has been in existence,who started supporting them as a way of getting a league fix, I come here in peace lol,

I think some of you lot may be under estimating how the Storm are growing in popularity in Melbourne, the avearge victorian has his AFL side as his number one team, but now has a quiet interest in the Storm, the names Slater , Inglis , Smith etc are now close to hosehold names now .Each year there are new supporters getting on board.

They now have 10,000 paid members which will grow due to moving out of the crap hole Olympic Park into the new flash stadium next year ,crowd figures arent great at around 10,000 - 15,000, but there would be some Sydney clubs who would'nt get alot more if it was'nt for the away supporters ,Melbourne crowds are all supporting the one team, likewise those figures should go up when moving into the new stadium.

900,000 Melbourne people watched the grand final on TV which was the main cause of the NRL final having a bigger TV audience this year than the AFL.

Its still a work in progress much like the Swans and the Lions were in their early years of existence, but to suggest it is a failure is way off the mark, the next few seasons will tell us alot though.

Cheers

 

[Goey Man]

and the only reason it happened was because there's a a-league team down there too :-s

And maybe a Super 15 team. But I'm with Skeletor, sure they've had "packed houses" at Olympic Park, but with a flashy new stadium opening next year I'm inclined to give them 2 to 3 years. If they can regularly get 25-30,000, I'd leave them be IF they can survive on their own. There putting in a Melbourne based side in the NSW Cup next year, (hopefully with Victorians, for the good of the game) and they were runners-up in the SG Ball.

But, as many of you have stated FTA coverage in Melbourne IS A MUST. I know Friday Night Football (AFL) rates well in Melbourne. But surely to God, live NRL would rate better than repeats of Calamity Jane FFS.

 

[parra-matters]

until they put NRL up against AFL in prime time in Melbourne then we will never know, sure the NRL GF rated well but what else was on sports wise at the same time?

 

[Haynzy]

Until Melb, Adelaide, Perth, Tassie and NT get improved exposure on fta tv the code will struggle to take hold in those places....

I don't totally agree with SCoops on Adelaide being a waste of time though.

The Rams were building decent support but were never on a level playing field when it came to player signings and in the year before they were booted they had finally picked up some decent players.
Support in the community was growing as was exposure. The way the Rams were sacrificed has left a bad taste in the mouth of many locals and it may take a while for that to be forgiven.
The rivalry between Adelaide and Melbourne is as intense as Syd v Bris though. more than Perth has with anyone and it would not be hard to capitalise on it.

Also, Adelaide seems to jump on any sporting bandwagon, ie; basketball, netball, soccer and is always well supported.

The ARL development people are always in the schools and we actually have a couple of schools where you can get rugby league scolarships and you can include rugby league in your year 11/12 studies.

I think there is a future for the game here in Adelaide provided it is done with support from tv, the club and the code admin.

 

[strider]

so wtf is channel 9's problem with putting it on TV when they don't have any other sport to occupy its timeslot anyway? .... do they get more sponsor $$$s by putting re-runs of old movies on? surely not - or is it politically motivated, with those within ch9 in other states trying to not give league a go?

 

[Haynzy]

so wtf is channel 9's problem with putting it on TV when they don't have any other sport to occupy its timeslot anyway? .... do they get more sponsor $$$s by putting re-runs of old movies on? surely not - or is it politically motivated, with those within ch9 in other states trying to not give league a go?

I would be inclined to say that it's politically motivated.

I think the AFL has a very sturdy grip on many people in high places in the media and in big business...they are very savvy, ruthless, petty and ambitious.

I can't substantiate this, just an observation and opinion.

 

[Play The Ball]

I live in Melb and have rung CH 9 on many occasions over the years to see if we are getting games televised, they have told me and have said publicly, rugby league rates well if it is'nt going head to head with AFL, and not so well when it is,

And therefore wont show it when it is,

Thats what they are telling us anyway.

 

[The Engineers Room]

The plan should be to split the teams into two pools, traditional Sydney based teams and others. Then have the pools play teams in their own pool twice and each team in the other once.

Finals would have the top three in each pool through and the next 2 best on points no matter the pool.

The recent club's choice could be applied.

The team with the more points between the top teams from the two pools is team 1 the other team 2. And also team 3 the higher points between the second teams in each pool. And so with the third in each pool become teams 5 and 6.

Team 1 gets first pick then team 2 until the games are decided.
The lowest two eliminated as usual and top two week off.

 

[Haynzy]

Whatever the makeup of the comp, there needs strong fta tv coverage in all the regions represented, especially those of the expansion clubs.

 

[strider]

the NRL need to push it at the next round of broadcasting rights ...... or maybe they are too incompetent to even ask :roll:

 

[Goey Man]

the NRL need to push it at the next round of broadcasting rights ...... or maybe they are too incompetent to even ask :roll:

He's hoping they will.

 

[hineyrulz]

the NRL need to push it at the next round of broadcasting rights ...... or maybe they are too incompetent to even ask :roll:

Well they just sold the radio rights for a Pie and Coke deal :roll: