RLIF announce 12 team 9s World Cup for 2019

[Odsal Outlaw]

Just one point on growing the game ... I too am a bit disappointed there aren’t more teams ... but actually 12 teams involved is positive as it’s not like those 12 get loads of exposure at present.

[ghost crayfish]

21 hours ago, Allora said:

The Auckland Nines died off quickly.

Why will this be any different.

Yeah good question. Aside from this being played every four years between international teams at different locations, the circumstances are identical!

[Allora]

5 minutes ago, ghost crayfish said:

Yeah good question. Aside from this being played every four years between international teams at different locations, the circumstances are identical!

My point was I do not believe the Nines concept works or is in any sort of demand by most Fans.

 

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Allora said:

My point was I do not believe the Nines concept works or is in any sort of demand by most Fans.

 

I don't necessarily disagree, and I think your view is a risk.

However, on the flip side, the shortened format of RL has actually been popular when it was held regularly in Oz, and the Auckland Nines drew big crowds at the start, suggesting there is some appeal.

I'd like to see a World Nines every year, and this would need to move around different countries. Playing a 5 year rotation of Oz, NZ, Eng, Fra, expansion territory could be very exciting and a worthy addition to the international game.

[Allora]

46 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I don't necessarily disagree, and I think your view is a risk.

However, on the flip side, the shortened format of RL has actually been popular when it was held regularly in Oz, and the Auckland Nines drew big crowds at the start, suggesting there is some appeal.

I'd like to see a World Nines every year, and this would need to move around different countries. Playing a 5 year rotation of Oz, NZ, Eng, Fra, expansion territory could be very exciting and a worthy addition to the international game.

Not popular enough to keep it going though.

I remember the concept back in the late eighties in Australia. 

It had its moment then died off.

Launched in Auckland recently, died off.

Teams end up selecing  young fast fringe players that not many have heard of and fans give up watching players they do not know and teams winning with a team of almost touch football players.

 

[Dave T]

45 minutes ago, Allora said:

Not popular enough to keep it going though.

I remember the concept back in the late eighties in Australia. 

It had its moment then died off.

Launched in Auckland recently, died off.

Teams end up selecing  young fast fringe players that not many have heard of and fans give up watching players they do not know and teams winning with a team of almost touch football players.

 

I think there was an earlier response that acknowledged some of the reasons, and your last point is important too. 

We need to ensure that this features some star players, we don't have a circuit of specialists like Union does. 

1. Clubs can be a problem, but hopefully making this an official RLIF event mandating clubs to release their players should be high on the list of priorities to make this work. We should be seeing Shaun Johnson, Tommy Makinson, Greg Inglis, Morgan Escare etc. 

2. The timing of this (end of the season) should help clubs be less concerned versus playing in pre-season.

3. The novelty wore off in Auckland, particularly when the star names didn;t appear. Rotating this around keeps up the novelty and can make it an event.

I think just those three things can help make this an event. If this becomes an annual Downer World Nines in Sydney, it will probably go the same way of the others.

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, scotchy1 said:

The problem you are describing is a lack of investment in the concept. the idea it should pay off straight away and forever. 

9's like most concepts in RL see no investment. If it isn't an initial success it's dumped immediately, if it is an initial success it's generally milked dry, even the minority of concepts that we see try to break out of that scurry back to the heartlands as soon as we see it come up against even very minor hurdles. The concept of investing and growing a concept is completely alien to the game.

All.of the problems you describe come down to the fact the different factions of the game can't see 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the track. 

Indeed. The problem is though that the same people are still in the game, so that attitude isn't going to suddenly change, so I think you need to address the problems in different ways, and I think rotation etc. is a good way of doing it. 

It'd be brilliant if we just brought something in and said this is a 5 to 10 year plan, we may lose money, and it may cause some pain in terms of losing players, but the longer term benefits could be x, y and z. We just never get there. We are happy to try things for a year or two as you say, and then sack it off. The WCS is a perfect example. That should have been built upon, it is now just one for the archives.

[Dave T]

3 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

Rotation whilst it has its value also needs some awareness and loyalty. Otherwise it ends up having to build itself over again everytime. 

Especially for 9s where there is next to no awareness or loyalty. Even a yearly comp rotating between those nations means that 9s only exists once every 6 or so years. People just wont care about something that is so rare.

The 9s world cup, even held once a year needs another 2 9s competitions minimum to support it. There needs to be at least one if not 2 and preferably 3 NH 9s comps every year. 

People need to be able to be an England 9s fan every year ( just as they need to be able to be an England fan every year)

In an ideal world I'd like a Southern Hemisphere and a Northern Hemisphere 9's each year, but that is because I'd like two international windows a year, so they can be played in Summer up here, and October/November Down Under.

I think the event can be grown via TV too, but that needs to be better thought through than a Friday and a Saturday in Sydney!

[Exiled Wiganer]

So, there should have been a 20 team competition spread over 4 days played at times convenient to both hemispheres, with disregard for the bottom line, as presumably the money will roll in for future tournaments? 

Or, start with something compact, with the best players available (though of course there are people on here who know already that the teams will consist of no names), at times and on days that suit TV, and maximise income?

Which income incidentally will find its way back into the pockets of the developing nations - if anyone would like to ask Niue whether they would benefit more from a 25k grant or getting beaten 200 nil by no name Aussies, it’d be great to hear the answer.

My preference for this second RLIF run tournament was always the 8 team 13 a side tournament. I hope one day we will get to see that. Once that was untenable and 9s was on the table, this sort of approach makes perfect sense to me. I think it’ll be fascinating to see what, say, the Fijians make of this format. Boom times in the South Pacific for our game.