The Rocket

Just for the sake of debate, and using this person only because he is a high profile example and most people will now him/her (?) and not making any suggestions about him but only to make a point. What if a character with physical characteristics like the woman formerly known as Bradley Edward Manning, now known as Chelsea Manning, wanted to play women`s Rugby League, obviously not a physically imposing person, is there any flexibility in a situation like that, or this a blanket ruling.

There`s nothing " knee-jerk " about it really, it seems that the latest research shows that any one born male, and no matter what stage of life decides to call themselves female ( pre- or post-puberty ) is going to have certain physical advantages over those who were born and remain female. It`s just that everyone is too cowed to come out and say it.

It seems that the 30 000 seat stadium is the sweet spot for rectangular field sports grounds. Any more and you have to start to extend the bottom tier further which then puts the starting point for the second tier further back. And of course there is a limit how high the second tier can go given it is on such a steep incline. The downside is of course you can only get 30 000 in which may not be enough for really big matches. Maybe that`s where the new SFS can come in. There was even talk earlier this year that for the first time for Australian Rugby League, clubs like Parra and Penrith may have to limit general admission seating, although that may be an optimistic prediction. Either way of all the things they`ve done, the pivot in stadium policy may be this ARL`s Commission`s greatest legacy. Getting parents and kids into top class stadiums with brilliant atmospheres is a sure fire way I believe to ensure the next generation of players and fans.

I went to the Indigenous All-Stars vs. Maori All-Stars match at Comm Bank earlier in the year, although we didn`t have the best seats, high up and roughly in line with the try-line, because the angle of the top tier was so steep, I`d estimate around 80 degrees, it meant we had a fantastic view no matter where the play was on the field and you really felt that you were on top of the play. Combined with the 28 000 in and it was the best Rugby League experience I`d ever had, certainly as a viewer. From what I`ve seen the new SFS isn`t as steep, I guess that`s the price of fitting in another 20 000, and therefore there`s a compromise on the viewing experience for a proportion of the fans, although I`ve no doubt it will still be amazing, especially acoustically with a big crowd in.

That`s why we`ll show the bastards how to play attractive and exciting ` rugby `come World Cup time.

The afl get big crowds, averaging over thirty thousand and they seem to whip themselves into a frenzy `oohing and aahing ` at every little ( often quite comical ) thing, but when you`ve got thirty thousand people doing it it makes for an incredible atmosphere. My daughter got a free ticket to a Swans afl game, along with about thirty other people in her dorm, she told me the atmosphere was amazing even if the game was rather ridiculous, and that was without prompting from me. You could see how people would go back for that. She hasn`t, she`s not allowed to. But back to the original point, it was during the lockdown and crowdless games that it became obvious that afl is a completely different matter without crowds and I think afl hierarchy know that. It would only be a matter of time before that fed into tv ratings numbers. I think that League doesn`t rely any where near the same on large crowds to provide a good game day or television experience but of course having said that being part of a loud and involved crowd can only be a bonus to any sport. BTW, I was thinking of the paper tickets initiative when I made my previous post and I`d be very surprised if that has anything but a very transitory effect on crowd numbers. I`ve been holding my fire on the current afl crowd numbers panic because I`m old enough ( dinosaur old in fact apparently - thank you ) to know it is early days, but I am hopeful.

It`s interesting, I`ve noticed the same thing about the afl over here who are currently facing a significant crowd drop. Take the crowds away and all of a sudden the game seems more ridiculous than ever. I think afl hierarchy know this as well, it shows in some of the ridiculous measures they are implementing to get the crowds back. No mention of extra entertainment yet though.

Most reasonable people who attend a sporting fixture will know that not all games are going to be thrillers and sometimes only reasonably entertaining. If a sport is finding that the balance of games are not providing enough entertainment to maintain or grow crowds then one has to suspect there has to be a problem with the sport itself. In that case rather than looking to provide entertainment to maintain fan interest, which ultimately can only be a band-aid solution, maybe a whole root and branch review of the game has to be undertaken. In saying that I do agree that the judicious use of music and game callers can definitely enhance the game day experience, but they certainly aren`t the answer if games are consistently dour or of poor quality.

Seriously if the match itself is entertaining enough, then the crowd will respond and purists and non-purists alike will enjoy themselves.

I can remember my old man, a Balmain supporter, telling me as a child ( roughly 5 ) about, it seemed almost mythical, this team that had won 11 Premierships in a row. I was hooked and I `ve followed St. George ever ever since. The jersey didn`t hurt either. My eldest in the early 2000`s ( circa 2005 - 2006 ) shopped around: St. George, Tigers, Broncos, before finally settling on the Roosters, good choice they`ve rarely not made the finals. My youngest, poor ######, he`s followed the Dragons like his Dad, I feel like I gave him a bum steer, but we did have a great year in 2010, he even had a little ` shrine `on his dresser that year, which I still have a great photo of.

Reported in the Sydney Morning Herald: Tonga has every reason to feel buoyant about its prospects. Kristian Woolf’s team has beaten Australia, New Zealand and England in recent meetings and the Tongan government has indicated it could invest up to $1 million to bolster the nation’s World Cup bid. Players could be in line for bonus payments should they hold the trophy aloft, resulting in them being properly remunerated for the first time. Also reported that tournament head Jon Dutton is in Australia to wrap up a WC broadcast deal expected to be announced in the next two weeks.

The Pope mightn`t know much about the NRL but he may well have heard of V`landy`s. Especially after the Catholic World Youth Day fiasco in 2008 where PVL insisted the Catholic Church pay a $40m `indulgence` for the right to use Randwick Race Course for their triennial knees-up. Mercifully for the CC the State and Federal Governments came to the rescue agreeing to grease HMPVL`s palm for the stipulated amount. How to win friends and influence people.

It`s been a boom year so far for the NRL with 55 million viewers at an average of 630 000 viewers per match at the half way point of our season ( round 12 ) this compared to 50 million at 540 000 for our main competitor. Interestingly our friend at the SportsIndustry website reported recently that there had been 14 NRL matches so far this year with more than 1 000 000 viewers compared to the afl`s twelve, something that he had never witnessed in all his time reporting on these matters.

Exactly and Abdo made that clear from the start. Future teams will not have to be associated with existing clubs.

That would be " His Majesty " thank you.

I find your comment of NRLW being "NRL Lite " incredibly ignorant and patronising, have you watched it ? And also why shouldn`t girls who have supported a particular NRL club all their life not have the right to play for the female team of that club in a national competition.

I think the afl are throwing heaps of money at the aflw - $40 000 minimum wage now - because they know that if they don`t attract the best sports women in Oz, and attract them quick, their product will remain rubbish. Not having anything at all to offer their female players on the international stage has to be compensated for as well.

NRL supremo Peter V'landys reveals what the Queen told him as they lunched at Royal Ascot | Daily Mail Online "Her Majesty is renowned for being a keen follower of the horses, but that enthusiasm doesn't extend to footy, with V'landys adding she 'knew nothing about rugby league" Well she`ll know a little bit more now, I can guarantee it.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo announcing the expanded Women`s comp and one of the reasons they have fast-tracked expansion from 6 to 10 teams. Abdo: "What`s the point of difference we`ve got in Rugby League... we`ve got Touch, Tag and Tackle...." Abdo: We want the best athletes in the world - NRL

Bloody hell !!

Not sure whether the journalist writing this article knows something that we don`t, but hopefully he does: "At the beginning of the year, Channel 4 only gained access to ten Super League games – including play-off matches – but that will surely change from 2022 onwards with how well it has been received." Thought this was interesting as well: "It was the first time that both of those sides have been broadcast on Channel 4 in 2022 as the broadcasters attempt to get round all the Super League sides." Shows that part of the deal was to show all teams at some stage, that`s not going to help with the ratings some weekends as less attractive teams have their go. You`d like to think that if C4 are so happy with it they may be prepared to stump up a bit of cash for a weekly match and perhaps a greater say in who they can broadcast. Might see that upper band of viewing figures reached a bit more consistently in that case. The full article. Exclusive: Channel 4's Super League hosts revealed for rest of 2022 - Rugby League News (seriousaboutrl.com)

Hasler is renowned for the close relationships he has with his players, often described as an ` us against the world `mentality. Even recently he sat in on every day of the ratbag Dylan Walker`s domestic assault trial in support of Walker, even driving him to court sometimes. I think perhaps you may have misinterpreted his comments to Olakau`atu. Hasler will want what is best for him, getting picked for NSW is going to be harder than it will be for him to be picked for Tonga, these chances mightn`t come along too often. In fact you`d have to think he is a long way from a certainty even now, especially given his reputation of being somewhat of a flat-track bully who doesn`t really fire against the big teams. I`d say given Hasler`s attitude towards his players he`s thinking grab the Origin experience now if you get the chance, there will be a month in camp with the Tongan team at the end of the year if you desire to pursue that as well.

Guests of the NRL at the opening State of Origin: New Labor Prime Minister and Souths Sydney fan Anthony Albanese. Recently deposed Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Treasurer and Broncos fan Jim Chalmers. Federal Sports Minister Anika Wells. NSW Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet. NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres. QLD Sports Minister Stirling Hinchcliffe. NSW Racing Minister Kevin Anderson. Foxtel CEO Patrick Delaney. Nine Boss Mike Sneesby. World`s 171st richest man and part Souths Sydney owner Mike Cannon-Brookes. Not bad and very important to have these people on side.

Wrap up of the television ratings for first six games shown on Channel 4. Bit of a bump for the latest game which is promising after a bit of a lull after the initial interest. Makes me wonder if the extra attention surrounding the CC final could be responsible for more people tuning back in and if so shows the advantage of high profile games/events throughout the season to re-engage viewers that may have drifted away. Six Channel 4 Super League games covered so far - which fixture has pulled in the most viewers? - Rugby League News (seriousaboutrl.com)

NRL salary cap to hit $10.5m ( 6m pound ) next year, up from $9.5m and to increase by $500k annually for the remainder of the current broadcast deal. V`landy`s employing the same ethos that he has successfully employed at NSW Racing, you`ve got to reward the participants.