34 replies to this topic

[Johnoco]

Vic Rules is a big threat to RL in Australia, so its not like they have it all their own way. What they have they have earned though. Superb footballers like Thurston etc deserve it and more besides.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

I agree with you to a certain extent but you have got to admit that a follower of a different sport looking in who doesn't know much about RL must be thinking what a mess.

I suggest that you check out what's goiung on in other sports: sports that don't face anything like the challenges that Rugby League has had to face during its history.

[Lounge Room Lizard]

SL is not the NRL and it should stop trying to be it! SL and the clubs need to first work out a way forward, what best not just for the clubs, but the game in general. It then needs to follow a framework that can be easily adjusted when something doesnt quite goes as planned. What works in Australia or elsewhere doesnt always work in Europe. Maybe a certain percentage of the Sky money received should be forced to be spent on other areas other than the playing staff. Maybe one or two Development Officers and better Ground / Training facilities for academy as well as first team etc. SL and the clubs certainly need to be better run and it may mean some tough short term measures are needed to get the SL comp and the clubs doing things way better than right now. SL has potential but its at a crossroads which could see it struggle along as it has for the past couple of years or go in a far more positive direction.

[Johnoco]

LRL: reasonable points. But how come all the failings of the games previous 100 years are laid at the door of todays game? Why weren't they doing all this 50-60 years ago? Why didn't they learn when clubs like Manningham turned to soccer? I aren't disagreeing with you that much but its a bit much to expect today's game to sort out historical failings - especially in today's sporting environment.

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Agree John with what you are saying. Many of the problems of today are things that have been around for decades and as such not just a SL problem. My problems with SL- both now and in history since 1996 is that the Clubs have wasted the money on players and not built for the future. The RFL have not helped. What happened in the past before SL is gone. SL was the chance for me for the game and not just SL to have a framework of what was needed and is still needed for the game to grow not just SL. I was critical of the way my club was ran during the SL years under Nigel Wood as CEO. It spent money it didnt have and caused many problems. Halifax problem is not unique. So many SL clubs have overspent and been badly run since 1996. This is why we see so many clubs in trouble. Sky money should have been used to upgrade stadia and facilities as well as help pay for things like Development Officers etc. Instead most of the Sky money which is hundreds of millions has been thrown away on players and their agents. I feel strongly that SL clubs should have been forced to run U18 and U20s/reserve grade since day one and work on helping the amateur teams in their service area to help more youngsters take up the sport. The RFL should have been spending more on Development Officers and helping teams both in and outside the heartland since 1996. The game now would have had a much stronger base and have a better players standard both at amateur and Pro level. The RFL and SL have done things well. But for me its not done it enough and why we see so many problems now in our game. Richard Lewis was great. I know many are upset he split GB up. But it benefitted the game by getting million in and it helped the Scots, Welsh and Irish to have their own identity. GB was all effect England with the odd exception.

Right now our game is at a crossroads. SL can keep struggling along like it has since 1996 and pretend to be a fulltime Professional sport or can make massive changes and redevelop and medium term have a positive future for all not just a select few. The RFL has to try and unify the various factions. It also has to find a way to help keep if not increase the number of Development Officers it has. The amateur game outside the heartlands in particular NEEDS them to progress. Currently I have no faith in SL due to some of the short term thinking and decisions being made and the fact that clubs have not learnt any lessons since 1996. We still have most clubs throwing too much money away on players. I dont like Leeds and never have. But praise to them for how they are doing things- Building new stands, supporting the development of the game in the city etc and often promoting from within the academy. I would like to see other clubs do the same by supporting the development of the game in their area more. By spending money on better facilities both at stadiums and training for example . Better facilities and the aim in 2015 or 2016 in returing back to U18 & U20s/Reserves. Sadly I cant see that happening and I cant see the RFL doing much under Wood and Rimmer who for me just look clueless and have no idea of where they aim to take the game and how they can help the International Scene, The amateur game, Student game etc and how all the various areas can work in harmony with one another and the game as a whole can progress

[Johnoco]

Very fair comment LRL. I'm sure we all want RL to do well at the end of the day.

[keighley]

LRL: reasonable points. But how come all the failings of the games previous 100 years are laid at the door of todays game? Why weren't they doing all this 50-60 years ago? Why didn't they learn when clubs like Manningham turned to soccer? I aren't disagreeing with you that much but its a bit much to expect today's game to sort out historical failings - especially in today's sporting environment.

The threat from soccer in the early 1900,s when Manningham flew the coop was certainly recognised and three things were done to hold back the tide. Firstly the game was radically altered to make it much more attractive to the spectator by the introduction of the play the ball and the reduction to 13 a side. Secondly, it was recognised that the game could not support full time professionalism and the rules supporting semi pro and anti full time pro were strengthened. Thirdly, it was recognised that there needed to a more dynamic and appealing face to the game than the constant revolving domestic fixtures and luckily for us, Baskerville wrote with his ideas for the All Golds tour and the NRU strongly supported it and the game was stabilised as a result of all those things being done.

The reason the recent failings can be attributed to the SL era, in my opinion, is that the full time professional league was a completely new concept for RL and it is the failure to properly implement a self sustaining, full time professional league, from the monies available, which as resulted in the present crisis afflicting the game in the UK.

[Johnoco]

Hang on, if it was a completely new concept for RL, then its surely possible that not everything was done as well as it could have been?

[keighley]

Hang on, if it was a completely new concept for RL, then its surely possible that not everything was done as well as it could have been?

I thought that was what I was saying.

[Johnoco]

I thought that was what I was saying.

You were just saying we are plumbing new depths and criticising people. You made no allowance for the fact everyone was new to full time sport and everything wasn't instantly A1.

[keighley]

You were just saying we are plumbing new depths and criticising people. You made no allowance for the fact everyone was new to full time sport and everything wasn't instantly A1.

Well the two statements are not mutually exclusive. The fact that everything was not done as well as it could be has resulted, after 17 years, in SL plumbing new depths. The contrast was with the NRL where, equally, full time professionalism was a new phenomenen but the game in Australia has gone from strength to strength. I fully agree they have no premier league soccer to contend with but still the results achieved by each league SL and NRL are polar opposites.

[M j M]

Same with the rhinos I notice when Leeds utd are doing badly the rhinos crowds improve and etc. But in Australia there isn't another sport as big as football to compete with it.

Can you provide some statistics to back that up please as it's not a correlation I recognise. The Rugby League club's crowds have gone up proportionately in line with success and in line with the more general growth of Super League crowds since 1996.

This whole thread appears to be another example of some fans apparently being surprised that British Rugby league is a battling regional sport. Did they not notice that in the past 117 years?

[JohnM]

Total spectators 2011 season
Australian Football League.............7,139,272
National Rugby League................. 3,465,851
A-League...................................... 1,536,231


millionaires are attracted to the game I.e Russell Crowe.

i.e. one millionaire. How many do we have? two at least I reckon.

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Total spectators 2011 season
Australian Football League.............7,139,272
National Rugby League................. 3,465,851
A-League...................................... 1,536,231


millionaires are attracted to the game I.e Russell Crowe.

i.e. one millionaire. How many do we have? two at least I reckon.

Are you saying that the NRL clubs only have one Millionaire backing/being involved at a club, that being Russell Crowe?

[CANETMAN]

Are you saying that the NRL clubs only have one Millionaire backing/being involved at a club, that being Russell Crowe?

Cuckoo ville in oz they have some big corporations backing RL.All we have is a few rich persons and the RFL run by 2 nutters (Wood/Rimmer) who will hold on for power like hitler in the bunker to the bitter end, as who else would employ them ??????CM