Sports Prophet

Noting @John Drake’s comments on the Leigh thread (open at the moment) about removed posts etc, I would love to see an end of year score or table of posts removed per person. All poster’s with a minimum number of 100 annual posts that has had none of them removed for the year would be dubbed ”Best and Fairest” and then receive a vote in the Finals. The ”Final 5” series would consist of the top 5 individuals with most removed posts who each give their individual pitch to save themselves from the title of TotalRL WC of Shame Champion. A rabid crowd of Best and Fairest could all air personal grievances against the Final 5 under strict ”Carte Blanche” freedom laws, where there will be no reprisal for any posts on the TRLWCS thread. Perhaps at the start of the Final 5 series, all removed posts will be reposted for context. Perhaps each Finalist gets their own profile thread where their annual performances can be reviewed together. The TRLWCS champion will be awarded to the poster receiving the most votes from the Best and Fairest where their reward of the ”Everlasting Axe of Termination” will be ceremoniously delivered by John Drake in video format streamed to a potential global audience of over 7 billion people, terminating their TRL account. Something to think about as we lead into tonight’s RLWC Final.

For some reason I read that in my head as if it was Denzel Washington saying it

Whether there was a specified intention to directly improve the national performances of the pacific nations is neither here nor there. Undeniably, the actions taken by the NRL, to improve the NRL, have indirectly improved the performances of other pacific national teams. Those actions have resulted in further, more direct pacific strategy in the form of the Silktails and Hunters. Intended or not, the NRL are very responsible for the drastic improvement of all Pacific nations to a point that Aus, NZ, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and PNG would fancy their chances in a one off game against England. I hope Samoa win, but the Kangaroos are favourites for me.

Brilliant

I was thinking the same thing. I think England should trying their best to get to get to the SH for 2023 (only because I don’t think any of the Pacific will be going to the NH) but, Aboriginal and maybe Maori teams touring England and France in 24 might be a good idea. Do you think they would fill Saints, Headingley and Hull @Davo5?

There you have it all you doubters. V’landys has come out and said the Commission are fully behind international RL as long as it doesn’t impact the NRL performing to capacity. He said it. It’s quoted. They turned up this year, despite most of the forum thinking the Kangaroos wouldn’t. The idea that the NRL hates internationals is a fallacy.

Asked every four years (sorry, five years on this occasion) and every four years I am baffled why anyone would say yes.

That will not be happening. Period.

Especially when most of the current squad won’t be playing.

You can expect the NRL to do whatever suits themselves. I would expect the English will get an invite and the English should definitely be putting their hand up for any proposed event because I don’t expect any sellable opponents to be travelling to England next year.

I don’t think the NRL are asking for help from anybody are they? Australia owes England nothing and vice versa.

About 2k at LSV would be a success

With a French WC in 25, I reckon you’ll be lucky to see either in 24 as well. At which point, if England want to play Aus or NZ on home soil, they may well be waiting until 26 or even 27. For all the international fantasists on this forum, how many valuable options does England present for a touring squad? SFA! Time to get your backyard in order.

Unless the Kangaroos take 2023 off, in which case some South Pacific teams might travel, it’s safe to say that England will probably be waiting until 2024, maybe even until the WC, to play any South Pacific teams in the NH.

“You haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about” was what you said. I don’t think I was any more personal than that, nor aggressive. I think that Cricket and Netball are two sports that have in the past relied too heavily on the international game to drive growth. Both sports have had a renaissance with the T20 and now Hundred domestic cricket revitalising the summer, whilst the Netball Superleague would be the major driver for England’s Netball growth. The national team were whipping girls of Aus and NZ little more than a decade ago. Now it’s a very even matchup. Thank the domestic scene for that. You can’t just ignore football, conceding it’s a behemoth that is unto itself. Whilst it may snowballing itself into a perpetual headline, it is the club game that does that. Like international RL, international football doesn’t have the capability to supply content on the same scale as club football. The Premier League is a great example of how capitalising the club scene really does give the best payoff. Now other sports like Netball and Cricket are learning that capitalising their domestic club asset is the best way to deliver a steady stream of content that is capable of engaging the curious and taking them on a customer journey to hopefully ambassador status. International sport is a great way to attract the curious as well, but it will not successfully keep engagement in the same manner as professional club sport can. To relay this back to a RL environment, it was the Australian game that started hyper capitalising the club game in the late 70s and early 80s, leaving the British game behind. Clubs investing more into coaching, players and facilities alike. So much so by 1982, the Invincible's had already created a huge gap between the playing standards of the two nations. This improved performance saw crowds increase and more corporate interest that improved the coffers more again. In a similar sporting culture, Australia also demonstrates the power of the club scene over the international scene in the form of NRL, AFL and even cricket, with the Big Bash.

Mate, I have worked FT in RL in the UK for 8 years and was volunteer another 5 years on top of that. Nor is it the only sport I worked in over my 13 year time spent in UK. I have some idea of the bloody landscape. Don’t be so quick to judge those that have opinions alternate to your own. Your opinion is that International game is the best vehicle for growth. I disagree. Leave it at that mate. You don’t need to be accusing people you don’t know of having no idea what they are talking about. You may be a RL Geek, but that doesn’t make you the forum dux.

I said at the very beginning the club game is the best vehicle to grow the sport. I think I have demonstrated the increased exposure club football gets over international footy pretty clearly all discussion.

Good to hear. I agree with @Just Browny, looked small attendance and even falling short of 50k is not good enough in my opinion.

It was certainly a downsize from the semi final in 2013 from what I could see.

Two of England’s try’s came off the back of glaringly poor referee calls. Those helped keep England in the game. I don’t think you are giving Samoa the credit they deserve for that win today. The same logic you are applying to England can also be applied to Samoa. I think Samoa actually contributed to England’s poor performance. They played tough with a man down for ten minutes as well, let alone losing their dummy half for the match early on.

Might be wallowing in a can of Moretti browsing posts this time.

It offers multiple fixtures on a weekly basis to keep the sport newsworthy and relevant with ample opportunity for fans to participate in the highest grades of our sport, either in person, on tv or other media channels.

Funny analogy. The NRL has no such overseas quota and doesn’t stop Australia doing well.

Yep

Not much of a prophecy was it.