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It's a vicious circle, this 'I'm not going because England/France aren't picking the best players,' situation. If more fans turned up to support international fixtures, there would be greater pressure on clubs to release their best players and greater incentive for the governing bodies to schedule more such fixtures and throw more resources into marketing them. As it is, sadly, it seems few people in rugby league at any level give a toss about the international game at all, beyond paying lip service to it, and will always find an excuse to not attend, not play or not bother doing much promo for it. And then we wonder why the national profile of this sport is so negligible... Someone asked earlier why there appears to be no radio coverage. Well, why would any radio station devote its scarce resources to covering a game the sport's own fans are saying they're not interested in? If WE don't care, why would anyone else? Before anyone asks, yeah, I'm going on Saturday, to watch both games, and I paid for my own ticket, it's not a media freebie.

Brilliant video of the abandoned Fartown if anyone likes that sort of thing. Very sad seeing the place I have so many wonderful teenage memories in that state. If only Ken Davy had come along 5 years earlier!

Build it and they will come. This sounds great for the womens game and along with the salary cap changes, that will see an average wage of $50k by 2027, will surely propel it onwards and upwards: The NRLW will enter a brand new era this season after the announcement of a ground-breaking broadcast deal for the competition. With 10 clubs now in the expanded NRLW, Nine has secured a deal to show every match live and free on the TV network and 9Now. The 2023 season will go for 11 weeks with 48 matches to be played, as the Newcastle Knights look to retain the title.  Nine's coverage will include a new NRLW production unit with over 100 hours of live coverage, the dedicated weekly magazine show NRLWrap to be shown on Nine and 9Now along with a weekly NRLW podcast. https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/news-2023-nrlw-draw-new-broadcast-deal-channel-nine-expanded-competition-salary-cap-exclusive/683f82ec-7b02-407f-bc6e-7c1760312ae3

We have an area of the country with around 10 community clubs sitting underneath a couple of semi-pro clubs, one of which runs an RFL-accredited academy. The same area generates strong TV viewer numbers and delivers strong attendances for 'event' RL. It has different demographics to any other RL stronghold in the country. But there is no plan to exploit any of this.

‘Confirmed’. https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/england-line-up-tonga-test-26797145 Progress for the international game. Decent, realistic venues.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrgcoUrN-tR/?igshid=YjNmNGQ3MDY= That’s 2-3 players from Woodhouse Grove private school who are in Leeds academy. There’s a good link up with the school

Cougars will be disappointed with that - hair today, gone tomorrow

It's almost as run down as Odsal......

Best of luck to him.. https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/65301067.amp Isaac Nokes: The rugby league 'Geordie' chasing NRL dreams in Australia …….. "It had always been my aim, I've never really watched Super League growing up," Nokes told BBC Sport. "Super League was on satellite television and we didn't have that. "There was a streaming website which had all the NRL on, the games and the talk shows. So I just fell in love with all that.”

As a League fan, I'm disappointed IRL have chosen France as hosts for the WC. No offense but it's totally unsuitable due to the time difference to where the game is strongest, Australia and NZ. The games are early or midnight Australia time.

Reading the business plan there's no pretence that this money isn't primarily to solve a cashflow issue which is refreshingly honest in a sense. However, what is also important to note is that this was always the long term intention, albeit circumstances have dictated it's very much now or never. The thrust of it seems to be that they need this liquidity to survive but once they survive they have a robust plan to grow revenue through a re-negotiated stadium agreement amongst other things. But that can't happen if they go bump in two months time so they need this now. Another aspect to this is the favour of the council. Salford being a basketcase owned by a string of wealthy/not so wealthy businessmen with no purpose other than to put a team on the pitch doesn't enamour the council. But a thriving community asset with a strong co-operative base is another feather in the cap of the council and their socialism on a local level aspirations. It's no coincidence that they ran a story in Tribune they're courting this audience. I doubt if this plan wasn't in the offing whether they'd be so keen to buy the remainder of the stadium and save Salford from being forced out by richer cuckoo clubs.

This is an interesting article on the geopolitics that might make a once outlandish idea genuinely feasible... https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/why-rugby-league-can-bring-peace-to-the-pacific-20230426-p5d3ht China's expansive Belt & Road initiative, buying influence and barely-hidden military reach through civilian infrastructure projects, needs to be countered by Australia if it is to have confidence in its sea route security. The soft power of an NRL team would be a very cheap way of countering this in PNGs case.

Beat me to it! Was just about to post this myself! Quite agree, good venues, should get really good crowds at all 3 and have some full stadiums on TV. Great to be playing someone different in a series to have a bit of variety and hopefully get people a little more intrigued than they maybe would playing the usual opponents. Yep, really looking forward to it, will probably travel across to Huddersfield for that game!

You're right about the potential in London AG, but exploiting this cannot be left to the clubs here, which is what has happened so far. The only way a club could grow the game in the capital is in a discrete area, which Bronco's endless moves and what (from the outside) looks like poor (zero) promotion amongst local communities has prevented them from doing. Skolars are much more rooted in Tottenham and, despite very limited resources, do their best to promote the club and sport locally (links with colleges, schools, local MPs, local businesses etc,) Unfortunately despite the owners personal investments we've never had enough money to really promote the sport (you'd need an expert marketing firm to do that effectively) or secure or keep competitive players. Hopefully there will be new investment and some of that will used for marketing but RL needs to attract some big bucks to really grow the game here. The rewards could be substantial but it needs vision and creativity. One thing that could be done is bringing some SL games down here. Big names would attract interest.

Nah. That backs up my point of view on this. With the greatest of respect, this game was never going to be a great sell to people who are already going to dozens of matches this year. England could be at full strength and so could France and that wouldn't change. This needed a bit of effort, needed to be an event - and it needed to be played somewhere which won't have twenty odd other opportunities to see top class rugby league this year.

The point of a WatchNRL subscription is mainly to watch live matches outside Australia/New Zealand. At least, that's why I pay for it. Okay, with many NRLW matches being played earlier in the day, that's silly o'clock for us UK viewers, but I'd still welcome the convenience of a single destination for both live and catch-up coverage.

I don't to be honest. They were doing an in-store visit at a local branch in the town next weeks international is, which is the sort of stuff you need to do to add value for sponsors. They then appear to have done a pre-match conference there which 1. would have been filmed to just show the hoardings behind them, and, 2. would have just been held in a rented function room around the corner otherwise. In of itself there's nothing wrong here, they get plenty of other stuff wrong lets not get too bent out of shape about this.

A PNG team can work and would be a good addition to the NRL. But it has to PNG only - not a generic ‘Pacific’ team. Otherwise it fall into the trap of trying to be all things to all people (and end up being not much) PNG has twice as many people as New Zealand. It doesn’t need to share a club with other Pacific nations

That's one definition which gets used in academia but there's a more every day definition which is everything after the basic necessities are covered i.e. rent, bills, food.

I believe there is prize money at each stage. That is unless you are a championship team and all that prize fund goes in to a pool to be distributed amongst SL teams after the final to make it fairer.

...and the reason for the sad look on the faces is that they've just been told that the TRL fans forum posse is on its way.....

For some the idea of having TGG and something positive in the same sentence is just a bridge too far, isn't it?

Selco. It's where the trades go. The Talksport advert lives long in the memory.

A large group of NRL players in Vegas,what could possibly go wrong.

For anyone wanting to watch the Championship cheaply for the rest of the season Viaplay are offering 12 months for £59 if you subscribe by Sunday. https://viaplay.com/gb-en/

That proves its time to end the Summer bash.

I think the last 2 games are on via play

Oxford will cry foul, but I think it's fairly clear what is happening here. SRD are squeezing any funding they can out of their local govt. and fan base, in a desperate attempt to keep paying the bills until the end of this season, and don't be surprised to see Croft move for a fee, announced some time after SRD exit the cup/exit the play-offs. This is all to stave off the inevitable financial administration event that is looming. If it happens this season, SRD are automatically relegated for next year, but if it happens after the start of next season, they'll stay in SL based on the new IMG licencing. Their business plan is = make it the end of the season without going "pop".

Same as being able to have a few glasses of wine without it turning into a bottle of vodka a day starting when you wake up. Or being able to have a joint without becoming a crack addict. Some people can manage it, others not so much.

They may have retired before we play Australia again.

They will need to be competitive with almost exclusive locals, because you won’t be getting many (if any) non PNG players signing up. Do you think PNG can have a competitive home grown NRL side with a squad deep enough to go a full season? I’m not so sure. Then there’s the matter of finding them a capable head coach who will move there. Best thing for them, the Aus government and the NRL is to create another second tier league for PNG Hunters, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji Silktails, Warriors reserves and NZII. Maybe look to a third NZ side for a 24 round season. Then you have NSWRL, QRL and PRL all feeding into NRL.

Not even a top 10 championship half. Pretty desperate if true.

Woodhouse Grove Good to see the strength of the academy though, which should be the most attractive for the best young rugby players in Yorkshire and beyond.

I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with it, this is rugby league, not the England football team or the NFL.

"ChatGPT, write me a marketing brief for a rugby league international press launch, in the style of Brian Potter from Phoenix Nights"

Recent try from him for England RU if anyone is interested https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrLCs-xIbD1/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

There isn’t,so to state it’s doomed to failure is pure guesswork,both Haven & Town are dying a slow death so for me a new approach bringing both clubs together is worth trying,there is literally nothing to lose by doing so.

Hardly shone in the Championship. Sounds like a desparate move by Trin, if true.

Well, the obvious weakness to my mind is that they've raised £63000 so far with what appears to be a large scale bucket collection. And that's great. Well done to them. But they've not created a continuing income stream. So, at some point in the future, they'll need another bucket collection.

Fan ownership is a financial and operational handicap. Less money, slower decisions, high risk of political in-fighting. Good luck.

I was involved with Skolars for 25 years and I dont recognise this at all. first up I cant remember anytime the club tried to poach a cohort from greenwich. also I pushed coaches for years to get out and scout & no one ever did eventhough I personally always thought there was tons of talent out there in the amateur game. so I cant refute your specific claims but its something I dont recognise and I was around the club longer than anyone.

Luke Gale apparently going to Wakey

As did Steve Georgallis, Richard Henare, George Graham, Brad Hepi etc

Are you making the trip? Only asking as I think barring genuine barriers I think only those who are attending can moan about the low attendance I am attending .....it is a 380 mile round trip including a hotel stay over

OK, not international RL but this gives it a good run for it's money

TIPPING LADDER AFTER ROUND 8 1= Barney 40 1= Graham 40 1= Spotty Herbert 40 4= Dee Deuce 39 4= The Red Rooster 39 6= R L Winger 38 6= West Tigers Rule 38 8= Dunbar 37 8= Jeff Stein 37 10 Lucky 7 36 11 The Future is League 35 12= JimBronco 34 12= StormGirl 34 14 LlanWests 29 15 Irish Saint 26 16 StandOffHalf 20 17 Stoney100 12 18 Stomzzy143 10

Selco's turnover is north of 500 million, by the way.

I really don't get what the issue is with this

In the last day we've had a 'bring back the roses match' and 'Cumbria team in Super League' threads. Now the 'NRL in USA' thread. Are we sure it isn't November?