63 replies to this topic

[South Wakefield Sharks]

Thought it was a good article really. Pretty balanced. Plenty of positive at the moment in the game, but a few negatives too.

Andy Wilson like most RL journalists though, often can't help but fall into the trap of focusing on the negatives.

I expect George Riley's piece on RL finances will fall into the same trap on the BBC tomorrow. I'll be surprised if he puts the shocking state of some club finances into context, eg how well some clubs do; how we compare to the scale of debt compared to other sports; or even how the financial success of rugby league clubs compares to household names such as Comet & Jessops.

[gingerjon]

Andy Wilson like most RL journalists though, often can't help but fall into the trap of focusing on the negatives.

For all that we should be pleased that folk like Wilson aren't airhead cheerleaders for the sport they are the only voices out there.

And so all the public ever hears is gloom, gloom, gloom.

[amh]

I hope the final para is the loudest message, even though it doesn't take away the fact that we are struggling (not as bad as some)
http://mobile.thetel...gue/?ref=twtrec

“The £60million combined debt of 11 Super League teams should be contextualised. The figure pales into insignificance compared to the debts accrued by Premiership and Championship football clubs and many Premiership rugby union clubs.”

Impeccable timing at season launch

Edited by amh, 28 January 2013 - 07:49 AM.

[gingerjon]

Impeccable timing at season launch

It'll be drowned out by the sheer volume of coverage we get about the actual sport and what to look out for on the field.

Oh.

[amh]

we need as fans to give a solid finger to this and talk about how excited we are for the season, drown it out

[faithfulbyname]

I hope the final para is the loudest message, even though it doesn't take away the fact that we are struggling (bot as bad as some)
http://mobile.thetel...gue/?ref=twtrec

“The £60million combined debt of 11 Super League teams should be contextualised. The figure pales into insignificance compared to the debts accrued by Premiership and Championship football clubs and many Premiership rugby union clubs.”

Impeccable timing at season launch

That'll have any potential sponsors queuing up to get involved for this season....

[gingerjon]

we need as fans to give a solid finger to this and talk about how excited we are for the season, drown it out

Hmmm ... have you met many RL fans?

[South Wakefield Sharks]

Hmmm ... have you met many RL fans?

Exactly! Jon Wilkin said the other week that if he could fix one thing in RL, it would be our own negativity about the sport. He likened the attitude of many people in RL to someone liking a cosy, quiet, little restaurant. They don't want to tell anyone else how good it is, in case more people start coming and it stops being the cosy, quite little restaurant.

[Griff9of13]

Reading Hadfield's piece I scrolled down the page looking for the rest of it..........

Not just me then.

Looks to me as though it's been heavily edited. It would be interesting to see these articles in their entirety as originally written before the papers editors get at them.

[Blind side johnny]

It'll be drowned out by the sheer volume of coverage we get about the actual sport and what to look out for on the field.

Oh.

On the same weekend that some RU internationals get played you mean?

[brooza]

Huddersfield are bigger than Catalans tbf

So Catalans big 8

Only for half of the season though.

So Big 7½

[dhw]

Exactly! Jon Wilkin said the other week that if he could fix one thing in RL, it would be our own negativity about the sport. He likened the attitude of many people in RL to someone liking a cosy, quiet, little restaurant. They don't want to tell anyone else how good it is, in case more people start coming and it stops being the cosy, quite little restaurant.

The same is true of most other sports. RL fans complain a lot less regularly than Football supporters. People in the UK like to complain it is not something specific to RL.

[ShotgunGold]

I see your point I think it is good that Warrington have come into things to spice it all up, but it is a shame to have lost Bradford out of the "Big" group.

But really that is not the way to see if you've got a good product. It doesn't matter whose winning the league it matters how competitive it is overall.

The fact is that Super League has been established for ages now, and needs to become more competitive if it ever wants to get bigger:

NRL 2012. Difference between #1 and #16 - 24 points.
NRL 2012. Difference between #2 and #15 - just 18 points.
SL 2012. Difference between #1 and #14 - 30 points.

NRL 2012. MATCH POINTS difference between best and worst - 461
SL 2012. MATCH POINTS difference between best and worst - a ridiculous 1,095

I don't wish to be pessimistic it's a great league to watch I'm just making a point that SL will never expand television-wise whilst there are cricket scores.

I don't care who wins 2013 or who becomes a 'big' club I would like to see a more united competitive league on the pitch for the new season.

Edited by ShotgunGold, 28 January 2013 - 11:31 PM.

[brooza]

NRL 2012. Difference between #1 and #16 - 24 points.
NRL 2012. Difference between #2 and #15 - just 18 points.
SL 2012. Difference between #1 and #14 - 30 points.

One thing to bear in mind is that there are more games in SL, so that will inflate the points gap

[The Parksider]

I see your point I think it is good that Warrington have come into things to spice it all up, but it is a shame to have lost Bradford out of the "Big" group.

But really that is not the way to see if you've got a good product. It doesn't matter whose winning the league it matters how competitive it is overall.

The fact is that Super League has been established for ages now, and needs to become more competitive if it ever wants to get bigger:

NRL 2012. Difference between #1 and #16 - 24 points.
NRL 2012. Difference between #2 and #15 - just 18 points.
SL 2012. Difference between #1 and #14 - 30 points.

NRL 2012. MATCH POINTS difference between best and worst - 461
SL 2012. MATCH POINTS difference between best and worst - a ridiculous 1,095

I don't wish to be pessimistic it's a great league to watch I'm just making a point that SL will never expand television-wise whilst there are cricket scores.

I don't care who wins 2013 or who becomes a 'big' club I would like to see a more united competitive league on the pitch for the new season.

Interesting post.

There will always be cricket scores when clubs are allowed into SL then don't compete from the outset by setting player budgets at a third below the salary spend norm, and when more clubs are allowed in than there are good enough players to stock them.

RFL/SLE clearly recognise this when the only suggestions from their power bases are a drop to 12 or 10 SL clubs.

Edited by The Parksider, 29 January 2013 - 09:50 AM.

[Marauder]

I hope the final para is the loudest message, even though it doesn't take away the fact that we are struggling (not as bad as some)
http://mobile.thetel...gue/?ref=twtrec

“The £60million combined debt of 11 Super League teams should be contextualised. The figure pales into insignificance compared to the debts accrued by Premiership and Championship football clubs and many Premiership rugby union clubs.”

Impeccable timing at season launch

Who do you believe, the guy from the RFL stated that the 60 million figure is actually 2 million and when divided by the clubs is nothing

[brooza]

Who do you believe, the guy from the RFL stated that the 60 million figure is actually 2 million and when divided by the clubs is nothing

Yup.

[Just to be clear]

One thing to bear in mind is that there are more games in SL, so that will inflate the points gap

Just to be clearer, they also all get four points because of the bye weeks, potentially inflating the point total for bottom NRL clubs compared to SL ones.

[brooza]

Just to be clearer, they also all get four points because of the bye weeks, potentially inflating the point total for bottom NRL clubs compared to SL ones.

Well that seems pointless. Do they all get the same number of byes? And all get 4 points added? Seems pointless to add the 4 points if so

[Just to be clear]

Well that seems pointless. Do they all get the same number of byes? And all get 4 points added? Seems pointless to add the 4 points if so

Just to be clear, I agree! Their season is 26 weeks long but teams only play 24 games so they all get two bye weeks. But they "earn" 2 points when on a bye, so Paramatta finished bottom on 16 points even though they only won 6 matches (and no draws). They make no difference to the table at all for deciding positions.

But had they been forced to play those weeks it is not inconceivable that Canterbury would have won their extra games (so still finish on 40 points) and Paramatta lose theirs, making the difference between top and bottom 28 points.