The Rocket Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 10 minutes ago, UTK said: If we see some reform that does produce a committed calendar then I agree, that will soften the blow. It just feels like an opportunity missed though, we all know the NRL competition around the Origin period drops to a lower standard due to players missing games or having to play twice in a week. With three standalone rounds we could build a comprehensive rep round offering to match the number of games played each week in the NRL and therefore produce the same amount of content for broadcasters while also avoiding the usual issues created by Origin. Representative football is one thing we have over our major competitor in the AFL, they will never have proper representative offerings like we can, in that sense we have a major potential point of difference. Not only that, this point of difference is proven to have a strong following in non-RL heartlands with both Origin and Internationals reaching big audiences and crowds outside of NSW/QLD. International rep football is also particularly important for engaging NZ who love to follow a winner but unfortunately haven't had one in club land for some time and boast proud Polynesian communities to tap into. I understand that mate and largely don`t disagree but I think the only way V`landy`s got the last deal across the line with Ch 9 was by agreeing to give up stand alone Origin weekends plus a couple of other things he had to compromise on. Nine wanted club League every weekend. Until the rep weekend or as you suggest dedicated three week window can prove itself a ratings substitute for club rounds the broadcasters are unlikely to agree to it. Hopefully if a dedicated month of Test footy at the end of the season can show itself to be popular then we may see it shifted to mid-season, where I agree it may have more impact. End of season worries me from the point of view that players have a habit of declaring themselves unavailable at end of season, hopefully the passion of the Tier 2 and Kiwi teams would see this situation not arise and if they are full strength more Aussies might buy in. End of season we also don`t have the situation of players having to choose between Tier 2 nations and Origin, although this is of course complicated if they get an offer of an Australian or Kiwi jumper. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StandOffHalf Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 The worry about end of season is that NRL players and fans alike might be inclined to switch off and enjoy some time off. That could reduce the appeal of games for players to play in, fans to watch, and broadcasters to cover. As with most things NRL and the international game, I am exceedingly sceptical of intentions and desired outcomes. I agree that it could work, but I am saddened at the throwing away of mid-season tests. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieSaint Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 10 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said: The worry about end of season is that NRL players and fans alike might be inclined to switch off and enjoy some time off. That could reduce the appeal of games for players to play in, fans to watch, and broadcasters to cover. As with most things NRL and the international game, I am exceedingly sceptical of intentions and desired outcomes. I agree that it could work, but I am saddened at the throwing away of mid-season tests. It’s about control (players, rights, timing, revenues etc). Real danger for England and the Northern Hemisphere. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubby Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 2 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said: It’s about control (players, rights, timing, revenues etc). Real danger for England and the Northern Hemisphere. This is an NRL international window there is no need to speculate, conveniently filling the Fox Sports Super Saturday broadcasting commitment with 3 games back to back on a blank weekend. Who is getting the TV revenue from this? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 10 hours ago, UTK said: https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/04/28/arlc-confirms-2022-representative-round/ NZ v Tonga, Samoa v Cook Islands, Fiji v PNG - all on June 25 according to this. When I saw the thread title I got excited and thought England had arranged a game against an actual country, what a naive fool. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 14 minutes ago, Scubby said: This is an NRL international window there is no need to speculate, conveniently filling the Fox Sports Super Saturday broadcasting commitment with 3 games back to back on a blank weekend. Who is getting the TV revenue from this? Its always been sold/given away as part of the NRL TV deal. Obviously when the NRL then say how much money these matches will lose these things aren't taken into account. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Shame we couldn’t have two consecutive weekends of international weekends, with a proper northern hemisphere one the weekend of 18th June and then this the weekend after. Anyway, some great games that will be well worth a watch and an indicator of some World Cup squads too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 I know most teams would be on a level playing field in terms of lack of preparation and appreciate Covid has knocked the international schedule. But there should be a window of three or four weeks mid-season for international games. Teams will improve as they play together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rocket Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 @UTK Must be half-time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubby Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 I am excited to watch these games, in particular the Samoa game. The new rules mean if you declare and play for Samoa or Fiji or Tonga in this test you will have to stick with them for 12 months. I wonder if this will leave some players sitting out and hedging their bets? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 (edited) 18 minutes ago, Scubby said: I am excited to watch these games, in particular the Samoa game. The new rules mean if you declare and play for Samoa or Fiji or Tonga in this test you will have to stick with them for 12 months. I wonder if this will leave some players sitting out and hedging their bets? I think that's a good change though. I think its a bit ludicrous someone playing in these test then 4 months later playing for someone else in the World Cup. Edited April 28, 2022 by Damien 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Kevin Sinfield Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 2 hours ago, Scubby said: This is an NRL international window there is no need to speculate, conveniently filling the Fox Sports Super Saturday broadcasting commitment with 3 games back to back on a blank weekend. Who is getting the TV revenue from this? 1 hour ago, Damien said: Its always been sold/given away as part of the NRL TV deal. Obviously when the NRL then say how much money these matches will lose these things aren't taken into account. This needs to change, the International rights are bundled into the NRL deal, the NRL then pays the Kangaroos players $20,000 a game and players representing other Nations nothing. If the NRL sells the rights, both teams facing each other should be on equal pay. Will this be the case for New Zealand v Tonga? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLANTISMAN Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Would be great to see the SL players travel back for these matches,however the cost is horrendous i seriously thought about traveling down to NZ for a week to watch the Tonga match and a return business class ticket was 10K One cannot expect the players to travel economy i have done it only 2 times out of around 20 trips down under and its sheer hell. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 It’s a shame that PNG v Fiji is in Sydney rather than one of those two countries, though I appreciate that most of the players will already be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StandOffHalf Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 5 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said: Would be great to see the SL players travel back for these matches,however the cost is horrendous i seriously thought about traveling down to NZ for a week to watch the Tonga match and a return business class ticket was 10K One cannot expect the players to travel economy i have done it only 2 times out of around 20 trips down under and its sheer hell. Paul Surely the NRL should be footing the travel costs of any players from the Championship, the SL, the PNG comp, and the Elite French comp. It is the NRL Representative Round after all. Ah, who am I kidding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Pretty sure Saints will be without Woolf for the weekend then, as Saints play Leeds on the Thursday and Tonga play on the Saturday making it almost impossible for him to do both. As he was the Tonga coach before Saints, I think they are okay with him travelling back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLANTISMAN Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 1 hour ago, Jughead said: Pretty sure Saints will be without Woolf for the weekend then, as Saints play Leeds on the Thursday and Tonga play on the Saturday making it almost impossible for him to do both. As he was the Tonga coach before Saints, I think they are okay with him travelling back. They can afford to close him for a week:) Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubby Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 4 hours ago, Jughead said: Pretty sure Saints will be without Woolf for the weekend then, as Saints play Leeds on the Thursday and Tonga play on the Saturday making it almost impossible for him to do both. As he was the Tonga coach before Saints, I think they are okay with him travelling back. Yep probably Paul Wellens will end up as the Wolff in cheap clothing for that week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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