K
Kipper
Guest
Hello all. I haven't been invited to come here (probably for very good reason!), but I've dared to climb upand have a look atthis cozy little tree-house all the same. I know I was one of the worst protagonists for the crap that you're all running away from, but please don't chuck me out, please! I must say it'sgood to see you've got that "where everybody knows your name.." feeling going nicely. Are there any plans to invite any more old regulars to come over? Anyway, back to my topic. I've always been convinced that league faces the biggest battle of all NZ's major sports, with not only with the usual weight of high expectations onits shoulders, but also plenty of prejudice still around to counter as well. After all, it's going to take a lot to impress the sort of people who still think of league as "state house rugby". I was listening to general talkback a fewdays ago (yes, sad for someone my age I know), and I was disappointed to hear it full of people saying what a disaster it would be if Jonah did somehow sign with the Warriors. The general feeling was that even if the Warriors did win lotto7 times in a row so they could afford him, the planned promotional dream would backfire because Lomu would go from hero to zero overnight. Of course, there are a lot of tall poppy cutters that have been waiting a long time to really crucify Lomu for something, despite him doing more for the All Blacks and their favourite code than any other individual in modern times. A little bit of knocking whenever the guy's name is mentioned should be expected because of this, but so much for an professional athlete having the freedom to do what he wants to in life, let alone pursue a career in the sport he played into his late teens and still enjoys today. Instead, it's his duty to deploy his talents in the best way he can serve the country! Following on from Bronco's post, this is in my opinion one of the reasons NZ's major sports teams "can't handle the hype"- it's become some kind of couched potatoes' equivalent of a war effort. Australia sets the standard formaking all top level sport a great excuse for flag-waving patriotism (e.g. the Wallabies- I'm convinced 90% of their fans don'thave even a basic understanding of thesport the team plays!), but it's seemingly even more important to many New Zealanders' self-esteem and pride in their nation. So, my question to put to this community is- do you think Lomu would really become a villain in many Kiwis' eyes if he did go to league? There's not a realistic chance of it happening, but that's really not the point. There's a definite chance he'll go somewhere overseas at the end of the year though, and I think if it happens itwill produce the worst example of childish crap from NZ rugby fans since the '99 World Cup semi-final.
