Copa

South Sea Islanders are the descendants of pacific islanders who were kidnapped or recruited in the late 1800s to work in Queensland sugar cane fields. It’s not really expected anyone from outside Australia would know this. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sea_Islanders

Looks like V’landys gave a group a few minutes to make a pitch and a journalist is talking it up.

James Graham on kayo saying the only really 100% wrong call was the strip.

As a Canberra Raiders fan I think it’s brilliant to know panthers fans and players will be devastated because of poor camera angles, lack of quality slow motion cameras and a few interesting ref calls. Lol. Well done Wigan!!

Can’t Penrith count to 6?

The UK Sky commentary on kayo is fine .. switch over.

Brilliant!

Below the belt grooming products: https://www.roosters.com.au/news/2021/03/09/manscaped-extends-partnership-with-sydney-roosters/ Club toiletry bags : https://www.shavershop.com.au/brands/nrl/ Toothbrushes: https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/76633/nrl-toothbrush-new-zealand-warriors-2-pack cologne: https://cfdirect.com.au/products/nrl-sydeny-roosters-eau-de-toilette-100ml

I hope Wigan can destroy the Panthers. I’d love to see that happen.

Goodness.. it’s Matty Johns spreading rumours.

A great article about some of the athletes involved in the talent combine in Las Vegas. Link: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/make-it-out-of-poverty-the-us-combine-candidates-trialling-for-nrl-contracts-20240223-p5f78k.html no paywall: https://www.printfriendly.com/p/g/Cu5SYk

I feel my anti gambling rant building! Within 8km of my regular suburban Canberra home, there are 6 “clubs” packed with gambling machines. Most of them are open almost 24/7. They are aligned with things like rugby league, lawn bowls, soccer, political party etc. In NSW they can also be aligned with returned soldiers organisations and even fill up entire rooms, or even floors, of pubs. Must stop now..or I won’t stop.

Australia has been like that, and worse, for quite a few years now. We have the highest gambling losses per capita than any other nation on earth. We’re the highest by a good margin too. It’s almost incomprehensible to non-Australians when they realise what our normal is here. If NA is going all in and following the Australian path, then society better strap themselves in for the sadness and despair it brings to Australian society.

V’landys is certainly ambitious. https://www.afr.com/companies/sport/v-landys-outlines-vision-to-turn-nrl-toward-britain-hotels-20240221-p5f6lq Rugby league boss Peter V’landys has set his sights on expanding to England and turning the league into a major hotel operator – and handed his board a big pay rise – after the sport reported record revenue driven by broadcast and wagering fees. Talking down rivals, including rugby union and soccer, and declaring his chief executive to be one of the best in any business, Mr V’landys on Wednesday laid out an audacious vision to the NRL’s 17 clubs at the league’s annual meeting. The NRL reported revenue of $701 million, an increase of 18 per cent, and an operating surplus of $58.2 million, a 7 per cent fall, for the year to October 31. The revenue rise was driven by broadcast partners Foxtel and Nine Entertainment, the publisher of The Australian Financial Review, product fees from bookmakers and a $20 million uptick from sponsorship, game receipts and investment income. Mr V’landys and his fellow seven commissioners – including high-profile investor Gary Weiss, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie and Sydney silk Alan Sullivan, KC – were handed a $400,000 pay increase, bringing the total pool to $1.2 million. Mr V’landys declared CEO Andrew Abdo “one of the best chief executives in any industry” as he laid out his plan to grow the game, including a proposal to grant tax-free status to Australians involved in bringing Papua New Guinea into the NRL fold. “To be making three consecutive profits ... is an extraordinary result, especially if you compare us to other sports,” Mr V’landys said. “Excluding the AFL, who are performing strongly, you’ve got rugby union [with] an $80 million loan that it’s relying on to stay solvent, rugby union clubs going broke, A-League clubs going broke.” Future-proof the game The NRL’s asset base has also increased, the accounts showed, up 29 per cent to $260.1 million. The league has already started buying hotels and currently owns three: The Quest Hotel Woolooware Bay in Sydney, the Mercure Sunshine Coast and Gambaro Hotel in Brisbane. It plans to expand the portfolio. “The surplus is for reinvestment,” Mr Abdo said. “That new revenue stream will not only result in more funds available for distribution – more to clubs, more to players, more to grassroots football – it will future-proof the game against an impact on other revenue.” Mr Abdo said buying hotels was about cost and revenue synergies. Mr V’landys said he expected the hotels to generate a 10 per cent annual return on investment. “So far, all three [hotels] are bought in vicinity to where we play grassroots or elite rugby. The plan is to grow quite significantly using rugby league IP and our major events, which we place in these markets to drive the performance of these assets,” he said. The other element of the growth plan is building the NRL’s offshore fan base. The most ambitious part of the strategy – two matches in Las Vegas at the same venue the Super Bowl was played last week – will be played on March 2. The intent is to capture more of the hundreds of thousands of Australians living in the United States to pay $US160 ($242) for the NRL’s subscription app, Watch NRL. It now has 3000 US users. “Even if we just got a small percentage of them, that’s $25 million extra revenue,” Mr V’landys said. “We’re aiming for much higher than that, naturally.” ‘Big strategy, big risk’ The matches between Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and South Sydney Rabbitohs, and the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos, will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, the Murdoch family-controlled Fox Corp’s main cable sports television network. Mr V’landys said he wanted to be on Fox Sports 1 every week, but no deal has been signed. “If we can get 1 per cent of the market in America ... that’s 3 million subscribers,” he said. “It’s a big strategy, it’s a big risk. It could be a game changer.” Another element is plans to secure an NRL team in PNG, among the largest of South Pacific nations, where rugby codes are hugely popular. Mr V’landys signalled he also wants to penetrate the English market. “We already have Super League and there’s hardly a [Watch NRL] subscription sold in England,” he said. “So we’re going to attack that market as well.” Britain has its own national competition in rugby league, though it is generally considered the third most popular version of football after rugby union and the dominant soccer code.

In all my years in Australia watching the NRL and state of origin I’ve never once heard people complain about the origins of a ref. Refs are neutral because they are professionals. (edit:except for grasshopper… lol.. we loved to complain about him)

You’ve only got around 3 years left (could be more, could be less) where you can easily just pop out to the park with the kids to play and hang out together as a family. Make the most of it. While it doesn’t disappear completely when they turn 13/14, they increasingly turn to their friends and they start having other plans or just don’t want to hang out as much. Don’t forget you have to transition your own life when the kids start becoming more independent. That includes dating your partner again and building for a post small children life together.

These text to video AI examples are great. The entire advertising and onscreen entertainment industries must be feeling worried. https://openai.com/sora

I played varsity high school (American) football in the US. I found the stops in the US game more sudden and jarring. The hitting the ground and the tumble was less painful because of all the padding but the sudden stops felt vicious. The defenders hit really hard as they feel safer because of all the protective gear.

Some more details about the FTA coverage in Australia: https://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/2024/02/15/nitvs-flagship-footy-show-over-the-black-dot-returns-tuesday-5-march-live-and-in-high-definition/

I get the same.

The stats showing around a third of young soccer fans follow three teams or more is fascinating. They are following individual players regardless of what team they are in. It really shows the importance of having stories and profiles for players.

This was interesting. Some of the skill levels were higher than I expected. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1465468617654019&id=100063782460330

Looks impressive. $49.99 for the year. https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2024/02/02/nswrl-tv-to-showcase-more-than-250-games-to-fans/?fbclid=IwAR1PK-yDQgWFAnU2uNAhDD4DtnOyXLQSLvHsxHyhJrPeagF_Z2kcral4B-w_aem_AWbczYfiIyQjYkXf1ctRsxknJwHvuHbJxTPCvcqzcpG3ZvPqotsTgoyg_FxiGSlBlqk

It’s a major Australian cultural blind spot … we’re as blind as the US is to their gun problems.

Last time I checked the Raiders have over 800 machines and each one makes $30k to $50k profit per year. They also make a lot of money on property investments. https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/raiders-boot-property-goal-with-56m-bunnings-sale-20201211-p56msb