Yelling at Clouds: Fox NRL is Overrated

[Perth Red]

Great episode of the fan this week.

 

[The Great Dane]

I couldn't agree more and it's magnified having to listen to him 2/3 or even 4 times a weekend. I get that sinking 'not him again' feeling.

There's being enthusiastic and there's having a degree of objectivity, a quality all the great commentators possess and which he singularly lacks.

Going off like a rocket as the Roosters are predictably slaughtering the Knights, I wonder how on earth he'll manage to contain himself during the finals.

A lack of objectivity, and often out and out bias, is an almost universal problem in NRL commentary at the moment.

Rarely does a game go by where it doesn't fell like at least some of the commentators are pulling for something to happen in the game, a certain player to go well, a certain side to win, etc, etc.

 

[TheRam]

All the new commentators suck!

 

[mongoose]

Hes got a lot of talent but he probably does overdo that a bit. It works better on radio

yeah i think Ginnane's got potential but he goes way over the top. A team will be down by 40 with 10 minutes to go and score a try and he's like "HOLD ON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE HAVE A GAME ON OUR HANDS!!!!" or some nonsense

 

[adamkungl]

Every time i'm frustrated at Fox commentary I switch back to Channel 9 for a bit to remind myself how much worse it can be.

 

[some11]

lmao, perfect

 

[saint.nick]

Early this year he compared Roosters v Rabbitohs to Celtic-Rangers. I can't take anyone seriously who tries to compare any rivalry in the NRL to one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports thats been marred by sectarian violence and the matches are heavily policed and quick off midday to lessen the chances of violence.

Australians always overhype what they've got. Journalists always clamour for US celebrities' thoughts on the country the minute they land, and they call Bondi Beach 'world famous'. It's really not.

 

[AJB1102]

yeah i think Ginnane's got potential but he goes way over the top. A team will be down by 40 with 10 minutes to go and score a try and he's like "HOLD ON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE HAVE A GAME ON OUR HANDS!!!!" or some nonsense

f**k doesn't he loves a winger on debut too! Lost his shit calling "The Hammer" and that Pat Rafter looking Dragon the other week.

 

[saint.nick]

The way Paul Kent raises his voice and talks over the top of the other panelists on NRL360 like a drunk trying to start a fight really annoys me.
I don't know they put up with his rudeness and arrogance.

During the pre game, half time or post game shows, I've noticed they sometimes repeat each other, but use slightly different words. It's like they can't think of anything to add, so they copy the first person.

Because they encourage it, they are trying to make it like ESPN with Stephen A Smith and etc

 

[saint.nick]

Matt Nable is so cringe f**k me f**king dead. He epitomises everything I find wrong with Fox NRL right now.

 

[saint.nick]

Yeah there's no such thing as rivalries and tribalism in Australian sport, not real ones anyway, and anybody that's tried to build a culture of it in Australian sport has been snuffed out by the government and sport authorities as quickly as possible.

What's kinda funny though is that the same people who tend to go on and on about the importance of "rivalries" and "tribalism" in Australian sport tend to be the first ones to panic and condemn it when actual serious tribalism and rivalries starts to build in a sport.

To be fair it certainly exists in A-League, particularly for the Big Blue and Sydney Derby. But this is only because Australian soccer fans have made a conscious effort to be unAustralian.

Peter V'Landys thankfully agrees, he's stated that the NRL needs better tribalism and that has partly motivated their new suburban ground strategy

 

[PARRA_FAN]

I dont know what it is but it seems a bit pointless having Sunday night with Matty Johns and Big League Wrap on the same night, talking about the same games and running through the same controversies. A Also Id rather the game finish and have big league wrap, maybe Matty Johns on Monday night.

I like Matty Johns but his jokes are repeated on both his shows, plus why have a half hour dedicated to him the next night?

I hope it all changes next year.

 

[mozza91]

They should get rid of about half of the current crop of former players, journos and analysts and just play old games during the week. They’d save a ton of money.

I’d be far more inclined to watch an old game than an idiot like Hooper embarrass himself trying to talk Rugby League.

 

[The Great Dane]

To be fair it certainly exists in A-League, particularly for the Big Blue and Sydney Derby. But this is only because Australian soccer fans have made a conscious effort to be unAustralian.

Yeah no.

Some A-league fans tried to create real tribalism by forming Ultras groups, but it's been totally undermined by both the FFA and the NSW government.

Peter V'Landys thankfully agrees, he's stated that the NRL needs better tribalism and that has partly motivated their new suburban ground strategy

The only change that a move to suburban grounds will have is to lower the crowd averages...

 

[edabomb]

yeah i think Ginnane's got potential but he goes way over the top. A team will be down by 40 with 10 minutes to go and score a try and he's like "HOLD ON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE HAVE A GAME ON OUR HANDS!!!!" or some nonsense

The fake voice he launches into when a team scores points grinds my gears.

 

[saint.nick]

Yeah no.

Some A-league fans tried to create real tribalism by forming Ultras groups, but it's been totally undermined by both the FFA and the NSW government.

The only change that a move to suburban grounds will have is to lower the crowd averages...

I don't agree with that. The Big Blue rivalry endures without any controversial ultras groups, and the two tribes absolutely hate eachother. That dickhead MVFC supporting celebrity chef George Calambaris even had an altercation with a Sydney fan.

Suburban grounds foster tribalism by packing everyone close in together and creating atmosphere. It works. The peak I've personally witnessed is Dragons vs Bulldogs at Kogarah when there's a split between the 'armies' on the hill.

 

[The Great Dane]

I don't agree with that. The Big Blue rivalry endures without any controversial ultras groups, and the two tribes absolutely hate eachother. That dickhead MVFC supporting celebrity chef George Calambaris even had an altercation with a Sydney fan.

About something that had absolutely nothing to do with soccer...

The 'tribalism' in the A-league is just as shallow as it is in the NRL, AFL, RU, etc.

Suburban grounds foster tribalism by packing everyone close in together and creating atmosphere. It works. The peak I've personally witnessed is Dragons vs Bulldogs at Kogarah when there's a split between the 'armies' on the hill.

Every study ever produced on this subject shows that modern centralised stadiums are cheaper to maintain, cheaper to rent, and have higher average attendances than suburban grounds.
Basically they are better than suburban grounds in every way.

Besides plenty of leagues across the world have clubs in large modern stadia and have tribalism in spades to boot, so aside from a 'this is our house' attitude I don't really think that tribalism is connected to the stadium it's self as it is to the club.

 

[saint.nick]

About something that had absolutely nothing to do with soccer...

The 'tribalism' in the A-league is just as shallow as it is in the NRL, AFL, RU, etc.

What does Old Firm sectarianism have to do with soccer? Or the historical Liverpool/Manchester divide? Or the War of the Roses?

Obviously George Calambaris being a business shonk isn't near the same level as those contexts, but the point is that a Sydney fan leveraged it to fuel his hate for Melbourne Victory.

Every study ever produced on this subject shows that modern centralised stadiums are cheaper to maintain, cheaper to rent, and have higher average attendances than suburban grounds.
Basically they are better than suburban grounds in every way.

Besides plenty of leagues across the world have clubs in large modern stadia and have tribalism in spades to boot, so aside from a 'this is our house' attitude I don't really think that tribalism is connected to the stadium it's self as it is to the club.

What studies???

So you're telling me that the ANZ stadium dustbowl is better than a rebuilt Brookvale or Leicchardt in every way? That's a very bold claim. Suburban grounds have attracted smaller crowds because the infrastructures have been old and dilapidated and hence uninviting.

Just about every Premier League stadium is essentially a local, suburban ground on steroids, so I'm not sure where you're going with the international argument.

If suburban grounds are so inferior then why is V'Landy's diverting the NRL away from a big stadium strategy?

 

[Perth Red]

What does Old Firm sectarianism have to do with soccer? Or the historical Liverpool/Manchester divide? Or the War of the Roses?

Obviously George Calambaris being a business shonk isn't near the same level as those contexts, but the point is that a Sydney fan leveraged it to fuel his hate for Melbourne Victory.



What studies???

So you're telling me that the ANZ stadium dustbowl is better than a rebuilt Brookvale or Leicchardt in every way? That's a very bold claim. Suburban grounds have attracted smaller crowds because the infrastructures have been old and dilapidated and hence uninviting.

Just about every Premier League stadium is essentially a local, suburban ground on steroids, so I'm not sure where you're going with the international argument.

If suburban grounds are so inferior then why is V'Landy's diverting the NRL away from a big stadium strategy?

But they aren't rebulit suburban grounds so its a mute argument. Sure if the NSW Govt was willing to throw $600mill at 4 suburban grounds then wed all probably agree (though some of these grounds would still struggle to accommodate 20,000 people turning up to them on a regular basis due to their locations). Yes EPL grounds are, becuase they can affor to rebuild them into 30-60k modern stadiums, not run down local parks with grass hills that struggle to accommodate 15k people.
Vlandys is a dinosaur after the populous vote with no vision for what the future could be.

In the ideal world we would see the 3 outer suburban grounds (Cronulla, Panthers and Manly) with 25k modern rebuilds but in the real world that isnt going to happen.

The best attended stadiums in Sydney are Allianz, ANZ and Bankwest. Its not a coincidence I think! Once Canberra and Auckland gets its act together then the only clubs playing out of sht old grounds will be a handful of Sydney ones.

 

[The Great Dane]

What does Old Firm sectarianism have to do with soccer? Or the historical Liverpool/Manchester divide? Or the War of the Roses?

Obviously George Calambaris being a business shonk isn't near the same level as those contexts, but the point is that a Sydney fan leveraged it to fuel his hate for Melbourne Victory.

No he didn't, he had a go a celebrity that was in some legal trouble because he had a chance to have a go at a celebrity in some legal trouble, and it had zero effect on either fan bases opinion of each other.

Seriously find me the MV fans who cared about the incident at all, let alone one that considered it a slight against MV or would come to Calombaris's defence simply out of loyalty to the club.

It was a cheap pop that got caught on camera, nothing more, nothing less.

What studies???

So you're telling me that the ANZ stadium dustbowl is better than a rebuilt Brookvale or Leicchardt in every way? That's a very bold claim. Suburban grounds have attracted smaller crowds because the infrastructures have been old and dilapidated and hence uninviting.

Just about every Premier League stadium is essentially a local, suburban ground on steroids, so I'm not sure where you're going with the international argument.

If suburban grounds are so inferior then why is V'Landy's diverting the NRL away from a big stadium strategy?

Just about every Premier League stadium is a large modern stadium that is well connected to public transport with access to modern amenities, i.e. exactly the type of stadiums that are better than small dilapidated suburban grounds in every way.

There's no way in hell that all the Suburban grounds in Sydney will ever see the investment necessary to get them all built up to the point they need to be to be serviceable, that would literally cost close to half a billion dollars each for most of them, and that just for the stadium, not for all the infrastructure you'd need built around most of them.

It's simply not realistic to expect that kind of investment from the taxpayer across half a dozen stadiums, and all that will happen by moving the focus back to the suburban stadiums is that instead of the investment we do get going to making two or three really good stadiums it will be split between all the suburban grounds, and as a result some of them will get half arsed face lifts that will have little to no effect on extending their lifespan or making them more accessible venues to a greater audience.