The Rocket
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Posts posted by The Rocket
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3 hours ago, EggFace said:
Didn't they used to put on games at the Sky Stadium in Wellington 10 years ago or so.
Fizzled out very quickly due to lack of interest.
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5 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:
It’s a very bold project. I hope it is a success.
I think it would be a very brave (or foolish) person who underestimates V`landy`s ability to turn this into a big event. This is the bloke who created `The Everest`, the second richest horse race in the world with $20m prize money, he loves the big stage and he loves even more to be at the centre of it.
The stories are public knowledge of him at the Everest working the room full of the who`s who of the Australian entertainment and business world stone cold sober (he doesn`t drink) while all around him everyone is as ###### as a newt and having a great time. This Vegas thing just gives him a bigger stage and I dare say he will revel in it. It`s going to be very interesting to see how much hoopla they put on around this thing.
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3 hours ago, Damien said:
If all of this is so easy why hasn't someone like Lachlan Murdoch not created some sort of North American competition made for TV and got rich friend to invest in franchises. Why hasn't he invested in Super League in the UK? It is not like rich people do not know about Rugby League and it is not like there are none that are fans of the game.
I`ve wondered that in the past. Perhaps attempting to set up a rival League in America risks not only having the American venture fail but also probably setting back the Australian game irrevocably and ending the nice little racket he`s got going down here.
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On 01/06/2023 at 07:08, RayCee said:
Do you do the maths or do the math? I personally do the maths but notice the other way is gaining in popularity in NZ.
It`s one of the great ironies to me that just as the American century appears to be drawing to a close we are to be hearing more than Americanisms than ever creeping into the vernacular.
The use of "off of" instead of just `off` is another gaining traction that I loathe, `math` instead of `maths` another. Truth is people are easily impressed.
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1 hour ago, Maximus Decimus said:
It was weird and I'm not sure they were ready for it. Why show adverts for Channel 9 programming?
One of the adverts used the word 'pr*ck' and sky hastily added an apology for inappropriate language.
3 hours ago, DavidM said:I know we don’t get channel 9 coverage usually , but it was interesting that they had an advert come on actually during the game . Don’t know if that’s a usual thing , pretty bizarre
One of the things that is said hampered our fta broadcast deal (and threatens to hamper future ones especially when cf. to our main rival)) is the lack of opportunities for adverts during the game. A situation only exacerbated now through the game often running for several minutes without a stoppage. Ironic isn`t it, game is as popular as ever but broadcasters can`t find space to capitalise and squeeze ads in.
I don`t have a problem with these sidebar ads (lets call them that) or ones that run at the bottom of the screen, as long as they are not overdone. The game`s gotta earn a quid.
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1 hour ago, Gomersall said:
The NRL have given this five years to work and if somehow at the end of that period they are getting 50k plus crowds and gaining some traction as an event this could possibly lead to some very interesting scenarios. Possibly more double headers in the U.S in the same place or different cities throughout the season. Magic round if it really starts to take off. Why not the pre-season with some Super League clubs involved. Definitely worth a try.
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I don`t like when I go to the next page on a thread it automatically goes to the bottom of the page. I`d rather it went to the top even though I may have read some of the posts at least I can work my way through it chronologically.
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On 13/03/2023 at 22:34, PREPOSTEROUS said:
I have issues when I am replying to a quote. Every time I start a new word it highlights the entire post. Rather frustrating.
Preposterous !!
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21 hours ago, DavidM said:
I don’t know , Freddies selections sometimes look a bit odd and confused . Obviously a strategy to put some of his best on the bench . Im not abig fan of Luai tbh and Pangai is a space cadet a lot of the time so we’ll see how that works out . I thought Klemmer may have got that spot . I like the Maroons set up personally
Freddy is a good bloke and I think sometimes his love of the game and the desire for it to do well leads him to try and pick players from as a wide of range of clubs as possible, within reason of course and possibly sometimes to his own detriment. But Freddy loves the game and he wants as many clubs as possible represented and therefore their supporters engaging with SOO. He wants to make it an event for everyone.
Without spending too much time on it, I think there are 11 different clubs represented in the Blues team.
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On 22/05/2023 at 09:14, bbfaz said:
However, I think now NRL has the momentum and the façade of AFL in the Eastern States is crumbling
It was one of the senior administrators of the Sydney swans who said the other day that fumbleHQ should seriously consider hosting their ridiculous equivalent of Magic Round in Sydney such is the inertia that fumbleball is facing in that city. Something backed up by the poor tv viewing figures despite the 40+ years presence of the swans and of course the failure of the midgets.
It seems that unless you are brought up with the game fumbleball as a sport for any serious adult does not bear close scrutiny. It`s had its` moment in the sun what with Leagues travails over the last twenty years but a resurgent NRL only highlights which code, as the advertising campaign said this year, is "NRL UNREAL REAL ACTION REAL FOOTBALL" I don`t think that it was by chance that they ended that campaign with those two words. The NRL want people to make the comparison, fumbleball has had a free ride in the media for way too long. Your average unthinking nong needs to know, when you really look at it, how ridiculous it is.
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5 hours ago, The Future is League said:
AFL withering on the vine in it's own state
Having 18 players in a team plus reserves, and god knows with all the running you`d need a few of them, throw in the obesity epidemic and you`ve got the perfect storm for a sport like fumbleball.
I`ve always said it, fumbleball must be a shocking sport for kids.
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21 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:
I try to live in the real world where the NRL makes the decisions. Total RL forums make no difference!
Indigenous teams are a very NRL thing. They play every year. So my example is based on what the NRL might want, not what I want.
If anything they may be angling to base the tournament around the theme of Indigenous cultures rather than actually having Maori and Indigenous Australian teams in the tournament if that`s what your getting at. This could easily work given the strong representation of P.I. teams in the tournament and Indigenous heritage players in both the Oz and Kiwi teams.
Could well make the whole thing more attractive to attracting Federal Gov`t funding as well, what with the current push to strength ties with our Pacific neighbours. Bit of a no-brainer really, done right it could be a Australasian Rugby League festival that`ll set the region alight.
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Highly rated Gold Coast teenager Keano Kini made his debut at Magic Round.
"I signed Keano when he was 15 after watching him play in a league tag tournament in Auckland," Titans recruitment manager Ezra Howe told AAP.
Funny enough his mum said, 'Don't you want to see him make a tackle?' I said, 'No, we'll teach him how to tackle'," Howe said.
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Totally irrelevant to the discussion but cheers me up no end.
FTA/FOX/Streaming viewers.
AFL Round 9
Friday 1.145m Saturday 1.694m Sunday 800k
3.64m total for the round.
NRL ROUND 11
Thursday 1.330m Friday 1.347m Saturday 1.484m Sunday 1.212m
5.373m total for the round
That`s a little over 400k per match for them and 670k for us.
One of the lowest rounds for AFL footy in some time.
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37 minutes ago, Damien said:
On the positive I think if 2025 can be replaced by a World Cup hosted by Australia, New Zealand and PNG it can be fantastic. I think any games in the PI nations are pie in the Sky. With the rise now of Samoa and the increase in PI players in the NRL it could be a fantastic occasion. You also now have the new Western Sydney Stadium and Sydney Football Stadium and some tremendous new venues in Australia to utilise that are made for RL.
2017 had some great games and spectacles in PNG and in New Zealand for the Tonga games and the only real let down was the antipathy shown by the NRL in promoting it in Australia. If the NRL could put in a quarter of the effort into promoting the tournament as they do for the NRL then it could be great and further cement RL's position in Oceania as the dominant code. It should be seen as a great opportunity to advance itself if nothing else. The 2008 World Cup in Australia was great and the start of the World Cup's resurgence, hopefully Australia can deliver again this time.
Love your positivity because after seeing the headlines about France this morning I was feeling pretty glum about the whole thing, knowing the field day the other codes were going to have over this, especially the yawnion and what with our battle to keep players like Payne Haas.
Personally at this stage I think we should forget about trying to make money out of World Cups, break even and be satisfied creating a festival of world Rugby League. The money can come in future tournaments. Call it an investment in the future if you will.
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On 08/05/2023 at 23:16, unapologetic pedant said:
AFL is eternal. It wasn't invented by mankind.
God blesses indigenous Australians in the book of Genesis and commands "Go Forth and Fumble". Angel Gabriel descends to Uluru whereupon the rules are revealed in Dreamtime.
They really do propagate the nonsense that early European explorers came across Aboriginals playing a similar game with a dead stuffed possum (not a Dame Edna possum mind you) on a cleared patch of ground.
Tell that to recently retired Indigenous fumbleball legend Adam `soft c#ck` Goodes. He refused to attend the Grand Final day parade for retiring players for fear of being booed. That`s how much fumbleball supporters love their Indigenous players. A West Australian coach was recently in trouble for saying that Indigenous players weren`t worth the trouble, best to stick with white kids from private schools.
BTW Adam Goodes works as an ambassador for Australian soccer now, encouraging Koorie kids to play soccer. At least Oz soccer don`t get around saying that Burke and Wills saw some Aboriginals playing soccer with a dead stuffed numbat when they travelled past Uluru.
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15 hours ago, Damien said:
As far as the effect on the NRL goes there is not a place that the AFL could expand to that would have less effect than Tasmania. Its a place where RL is non-existent and where the AFL where dominant anyway.
People on your side of the world should know that fumbleball`s expansion into Tasmania really is seen as a bit of a joke, even fumbleball HQ didn`t want to go there and that`s why they are demanding so much off the Tassie Gov`t. Truth is though, they had nowhere else to go. Tassie: Half million pop. spread to the four winds and a backward economy to boot.
Funny thing now is they are starting to try and create a bit of hype around the `Northern Territory for number 20.` N.T. population 150 000 and dirt poor, it`s laughable.
They recently said they wpuldn`t go to N.Z. because there is no money there. Truth is they would give their eye teeth to be able to put a team in N.Z. but Kiwi`s are just not interested in fumbleball.
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On 27/04/2023 at 16:47, Copa said:
An article from 2021 when V’landys says they are looking at options for getting US gambling money .. they’ve been working on this for a while.
V’landys is never one to stand still.
Paywalled article in today`s RACING.COM :
RV: prizemoney 'arms race' over | RACING.COM
The once unassailable Victorian racing putting up the white flag and admitting that it can`t afford to continue its` prize money fight with the V`landy`s led N.S.W, Racing. Tacitly conceding with statements like:
"We're just focused on making Victorian racing as good as it can possibly be" and
' Good quality interstate racing is complimentary rather than competitive."
You wouldn`t have heard that a couple of years ago.
Next stop for the bloke who doesn`t stand still: fumbleball`s claim to be Australia`s national sport.
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5 hours ago, Gomersall said:
But it’s done deliberately. It’s not accidental or reckless it’s deliberate. It’s totally unnecessary. If the fingers go near the mouth the tackler would scream long and loud if he was bitten.
I`m well aware it`s deliberate mate, but I don`t think it`s the end of the world if the tackler rubs the nose of the tackled player into the dirt a little bit when he`s regaining his feet or gives him a bit of a facial massage during the same action. Of course neither can be overdone.
And as far as accusations of biting or gouging, then the onus is definitely on the tackler to steer well away from the mouth or eyes, certainly with their fingers at least. But hey, Rod Reddy was my favourite player as a kid, so maybe I`m not the best judge.
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Next generation of Tongan stars coming through. Huge wraps on this kid coming up through the age groups. Made his debut aged 19 this weekend gone. Expect this bloke to be on the plane later this year.
It was an emotional call back home: Finefeuiaki |
CowboysFine debut for Finefeuiaki | NRL.com
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On 13/01/2022 at 03:25, Harry Stottle said:
Get Anglian Windows to sponsor them, they could be called the "Chamois" you know from the Window Vipers............
I'll get my coat.
Careful Harry, you`ll crack a smile.
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3 hours ago, Bobby123 said:
Quite a bit of needless violence creeping into the game. Appreciate that it is "a mans game" but hauling yourself to your feet by exerting pressure to the opponents face and head with the palm is just as dangerous as a high tackle.
Look as long as that wasn`t done to the back of the neck - in line with the obvious precautions surrounding this sort of thing - I`ve never really had a problem with that as it was all part of the theatre of the game.
Don`t you think we risk over-sanitising the game if we start to remove any contact with the head at all.
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9 hours ago, moorside roughyed said:
Watching the full test series. Can't wait.
Likewise, even if it`s four o`clock in the morning. Should be an absolute belter of a series, can you imagine if it goes to a decider.
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2 hours ago, Dunbar said:
Players enjoy playing international Rugby League. It is something that is often lost in these conversations.
Another thing that gets lost in these conversations is that while Jason Taumololo gets a lot of credit for the advent of this PI phenomenon but IIRC it was initially David Fifita who convinced Jason Taumololo to sign up for Tonga.
So while it`s hats off to JT of course, let`s not forget the important part that Fifita played in all of this.
Edit : Apologies to @gingerjon and @Futtocks it was Andrew Fifita. So many Fifitas , you lose track.
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Where will RL be in 5 years?
in The General Rugby League Forum
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If IMG can`t turn things around and your broadcast deals continue to decline I just can`t imagine the NRL allowing English Rugby League to wither on the vine, it has the potential to be worth too much to them. Especially if we can get a broadcast deal commensurate with our main rival down here, around the $OZ600m/300m pound mark.
If you`re running on a broadcast deal worth say 15m pound it`d be chump change to top that up with another 20m, with a whole heap of strings attached of course.