The Rocket
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Posts posted by The Rocket
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Seeing so many games played out of P.N.G.(and hopefully on an on-going annual basis) may be part of the strategy to encourage the P.N.G. Gov`t to start upgrading infrastructure in readiness for an NRL team in the future.
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27 minutes ago, audois said:
What do you think the Dracs should do. The club I've followed since the start in 2006 when they were selling club items on wooden tables in the open behind the rugby union clubs stand. Today is far,far from all that.
They run 6 teams, SL, Elite 1, U19s, Womens team, an Academy and Wheel chair section. The stadium is improving as the years go by.
What are your thoughts for them - going forward.
Seems like they are doing a lot of things right given that growth trajectory and their on-field success but I do know that one thing that the Victorian Rugby League has done recently and many are claiming it to be a very successful move and that is attach the Storm name to just about everything they can in the Victorian Rugby League scene. Thereby leveraging the success of the Storm and generating what you might call I suppose the halo effect on all things Rugby League Victoria.
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18 hours ago, Dave T said:
But I would add, this kind of thing does sort of show that maybe people aren't as bothered about Variety and everyone being a winner as we've convinced ourselves they are.
In that case call it an investment in maintaining and growing the supporter base of those two clubs. I`m always struck by the number of twenty somethings who formed an allegiance to West Tigers off the back of one GF and a couple of good years in the mid-2000`s.
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There`s an article in the Totalrl news Forum of the 10 biggest crowds in Challenge Cup history, many from the 60`s through to the 80`s. Capitalising on the popularity of the game during that era could have made a big difference. Let`s hope we don`t say the same thing about broadcast viewing numbers in forty years time.
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9 hours ago, Havenlad80 said:
You could have said the exact same thing for the Storm and they have to compete against 9 AFL teams in Aussie rules mad Melbourne and yet they’ve managed to carve out a decent niche following.
I`d day far more than niche these days mate, in fact one of the best drawing, widely followed teams in the NRL and really getting a roll-on now with developing the game in Victoria, record participation this year.
And whereas once they used to get newspaper coverage like the double-header in Perth did this week, i.e. one column 7 pages in from the back of the paper, to getting quite decent coverage nowadays and as is often commented on in the Aussie forum by people who live there, heaps of Storm merch to be seen around Melbourne. I` don`t think you can underestimate the effect this has either.
Relating this to the thread of Catalans` ability to grow League in France, I`d say the Storm are a great example of a team who are leveraging their success to spread the game in their home region through a lot of community initiatives and clear pathways, Le Dracs` ought to try it sometime.
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10 minutes ago, EggFace said:
Gee thats bad and looks like how 9 a side Aussie Rules used to be with 8 teams in the North East and now just 1.
Wow, that`d make for an interesting competition.
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2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:
This decision is entirely about money. 1 I don't think they are confident about hosting financially successful or popular tournaments in Australia or NZ, and 2 this cuts down on costs.
That`s what it will be Tommy, they`ll have consulted their broadcast partners, who`ll have told them what they`d prefer and what they`ll pay and then that`s what the NRL would have taken to the IRL meeting.
Everyone has to keep their heads about this, first and foremost it is a business decision, and when it has shown that it can draw an audience, both at the ground and on the box, we might see it expanded.
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6 hours ago, audois said:
Guasch brought together 3 clubs in his wisdom, XIII Calalan, St. Esteve and St. Cyptien – and where it brought them
@audois was this the point you were making with this post ?
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On 25/07/2023 at 18:12, unapologetic pedant said:
An article on the RFL site and in Warriors News on here begins thus -
"Club foundations are counting down the days to the inaugural Premier Touch Rugby League event at Wigan's Robin Park Arena on Saturday 29 July".
Worth noting that the term "Touch Rugby League" is used throughout.
On 25/07/2023 at 20:53, Man of Kent said:Good to see a touch comp associated with Super League and the professional game. Overdue.
Can`t tell you how much that warms the cockles of my heart. Great stuff.
All I need now is for Head and Smith to get another 160 runs to make my evening complete.
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23 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:
Selected cuts from an article on the Canberra Raiders website -
The Raiders Foundation is proud to help support local Katrina Fanning Shield player Lily Croker, who is part of the Australian Tagaroos Women's Open Oztag team that will compete at the International Tag Federation World Cup early next month.
Lily Croker, whose father is Raider #124 Jason Croker, will travel to Limerick in Ireland to compete in the five-day tournament which begins on August 2nd. There are 16 players in the open women's team, with five from the ACT. Lily currently plays for the Gungahlin Bulls and is striving to play for the Raiders NRLW team one day.
"I want to play for the Raiders, that would be the goal. I've still got a bit ahead of me but that's the dream".
Yes having watched nearly all of the NRLW games so far this season I don`t think it would be a stretch to say that a lot of the amazing passing rushes and intricate link play that we are witnessing have Touch/Tag Rugby League roots all over them.
Such a leg-up to the code that they can learn and master the passing, positional and support play aspects of the game before they move onto Tackle.
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13 minutes ago, RP London said:
The key is that things are changing,
And that is the key, things are changing. I expect we will start to see non-contact versions of the game, particularly Tag, being played a lot more until older age groups and then with those children who show an aptitude for the game being the ones to pursue the tackle version which will have all the precautions and preventative measures which we are already seeing the introduction of.
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15 minutes ago, Pulga said:
Why can't SL partner with Betfred and do what the NRL are doing with Try July?
It's been good seeing the NRL players show off some personality.
And haven`t the women`s players been killing it; I`ve seen conga lines, the can-can, the limbo - with one player held horizontally in the air while the other players limbo beneath her and loads more all done with loads of smiles and laughter. BTW for anyone out there check out Dom Young`s slam dunk over the cross-bar to celebrate a try.
Back on topic, the beauty with more exposure for players is that sooner or later you will come up with a personality who will be a natural and capture the public`s interest and then will start to be sought out by the cameras. and interviews etc. etc. That can only be good for the game.
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On 28/07/2023 at 20:58, The Daddy said:
Just watching Jerome Hughes play a blinder against Parramatta and thinking that him and Shaun Johnson as a half back pairing for NZ is the best they've had, on paper. Both are having great seasons.
I've not been following kiwi players specifically but wondering if anyone on here has an idea of what their best 17 would be and if it's enough to be competitive with Australia.
Absolutely no question they should be winning on a regular basis against Oz but as the Kiwis have shown many, many times before one-off Tests here and there do them no favours. Unlike Oz, who although don`t play any Tests, at least we have Origin and many strong club sides to pick our crucial combinations from.
Personally, though I`d stick with Brown at five-eighth and think that CNK, although he tries his guts out, always has a crucial error in him (and that can be very costly against the Aussies) and therefore might play DWZ at fullback till Sheck comes back, tough call to take DWZ away from the wing though.
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1 hour ago, Jim from Oz said:
My favourite part (and what this is and really should be all about at the moment):
To that end, Joe Grima has been appointed as the head of elite player development in PNG. Grima – a former Sharks, Dragons and Eels assistant coach whose last NRL role was as Parramatta’s elite pathways coaching director – is upskilling the best young juniors in Port Moresby. The best players from 65 schools in the catchment area have been identified and placed in under-14s and under-16s academies, where they will get the same tuition as juniors in NRL systems.
The program, based on the pathways model of the Eels nursery, will eventually be rolled out nationally.
Heartening to read this as well since we so often hear criticisms about the physicality of the players in P.N.G.
“From a testing background – in terms of physicality, fitness and speed – they are on par athletically [with elite Australian players],” Grima said. “Some even exceed some of the players I’ve tested previously. We can now compare the data against historic data that we have of 14- and 15-year-olds in Australia.'
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2 hours ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:
Castleford Tigers - Cincinnati Bengals
Catalans Dragons -
Huddersfield Giants - New York Giants
Hull FC - Washington Football Team
Hull KR - Arizona Cardinals (red bird, innit?)
Leeds Rhinos - LA Chargers (same colours-ish and rhinos charge I guess
)
Leigh Leopards - Jacksonville Jaguars (close enough!)
Salford Red Devils -
St Helens - New Orleans Saints
Wakefield Trinity - Houston Texans (begins with a T and has the same colours
)
Warrington Wolves - Kansas City Chiefs (wolf mascot
)
Wigan Warriors -
Featherstone Rovers - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (they still do the pirates thing in Fev?)
Batley Bulldogs -
Toulouse Olympique -
London Broncos - Denver Broncos
Sheffield Eagles - Philadelphia Eagles
Halifax Panthers - Carolina Panthers
Bradford Bulls - Buffalo Bills (close enough
)
Widnes Vikings - Minnesota Vikings
York City Knights -
Whitehaven -
Swinton Lions - Detroit Lions
Keighley Cougars -
Barrow Raiders - Las Vegas Raiders
Newcastle Falcons - Baltimore Ravens (bird, innit!)
Dewsbury Rams - LA Rams
Running out of ideas!
Maybe we could convince some of the American teams to change their names.
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An Imaginary Life: How unbeknownst to everyone a lonely farm boy played his part in the great St. George`s teams of the 1970`s.
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I didn`t see tonight`s game and this was the first I heard the score, but as I said to my son last week I think the Cowboys, when they play that high tempo game, are the one team that can beat the Panthers.
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On 24/06/2023 at 00:15, barnyia said:
14500 people regularly participate in handball in the UK according to Google, so more than RL in France.
Participation figures are always rubbery, so probably about half of that number.
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24 minutes ago, mickmike wilson said:
We’ve had several of them as I live in America & they are sweet family dogs, Same as humans if you treat them terribly or train them to be nasty they will be, My kids rough housed them on the daily without incident, Same for our friends who had pits, lovely dogs who’s reputation has been spoiled by d head’s training them to be aggressive.
Don`t like them, give me a Kelpie or a Border Collie, christ, even a Labrador any day.
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1 hour ago, Stirlin said:
ALL breeds of dog can get jealous of the attention given to toddlers and some react as Rocket states.
Exactly, a chihuahua will give you a nip if you upset it, completely different matter when fighting dogs lose their rag.
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1 hour ago, ATLANTISMAN said:
told him American Staffordshire Bull Terrior he said isn't that illegal i said no he is a lovely gentle dog all down to the owners
Hear that line a lot over here, until they rip some kid`s face off.
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9 minutes ago, overtheborder said:
I haven't researched but assume the NRL is superior in terms of finances,
You have assumed correctly. NRL turned over ~ $600m Oz (300m Pound) last year, Super League maybe about 50m pound.
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I thought this may have been Part Two of @Bedfordshire Bronco`s "Leading a Double Life " thread from the general forum.
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47 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:
Games at 1pm Saturday and noon Sunday UK time to follow the NRL evening games is a good package to sell to someone
1 hour ago, Pulga said:Tweak game times a little to make them more appealing to Aus TV (but not all games because it would hurt crowds too much).
It`s an interesting thought and something that crossed my mind when switching on to the Ashes over here at 7 p.m. and seeing packed grounds in England at what I would assume would be around 10.30 a.m. local time.
Would this provide further issues with rights value for British broadcasters, possibly.
I think the best way to engage Aussie and English fans with each other`s respective competitions is to be involved in each other`s competitions. English Super League to be the third conference when the NRL inevitably goes to two conferences.
The top two teams to travel out here for a month of play-offs after deciding the local conference winner ? Such a conference system may more likely give fans a reason to be interested in each other`s competition throughout the regular season.
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2023 Pacific Championships
in The General Rugby League Forum
Posted
I`m taking the $25 million comment with a very large grain of salt as well, the use of the word `reportedly` probably sums it up. What does appear to be fact though is the Federal Gov`t tipping in $5.5m to invest in junior pathways, this would be much more in line with a team coming in in the future.
I have to admit I`m confused as to why we continue to read P.N.G. as being the 18th team frontrunner, the only justification I can think of is a) the Federal Gov`t wanting to continue to curry favour with the P.N. G. Gov`t, and b) V`landy`s continuing to apply pressure on the West Australians to up their bid.