Troy Grant on LinkedIn, critical of England support for Tonga Series and other interesting stuff

[Eddie]

27 minutes ago, Balmainboy said:

...

At least say how you think it was screwed up. 

[Eddie]

15 minutes ago, Mathius Hellwege said:

The government wanted a Northern WC and we made it a nearly exclusive M62 WC

Which other Northern grounds would you have used? Away from the M62 there was Bramall Lane, York, Boro, Doncaster and two in Newcastle. Cumbria would obviously have been great but there was no suitable ground to use. 

[Mathius Hellwege]

14 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Which other Northern grounds would you have used? Away from the M62 there was Bramall Lane, York, Boro, Doncaster and two in Newcastle. Cumbria would obviously have been great but there was no suitable ground to use. 

Anfield Road, Sunderland, Middlesborough twice, Blackpool, Northern Midlands....

and RFL/M62 towns at maximum two games

[RigbyLuger]

1 hour ago, Mathius Hellwege said:

Anfield Road, Sunderland, Middlesborough twice, Blackpool, Northern Midlands....

and RFL/M62 towns at maximum two games

Anfield was booked, then unavailable for the new dates. Did Sunderland, Blackpool or the "Northern Midlands" bid for any games?

[The Rocket]

11 hours ago, Damien said:

and an IRL that has never been weaker.

Mmmm...not sure about that one, the Kiwi`s drubbing of the Aussies in the final of the Pacific Championship was just the tonic the international game needed down here, the Australians were humiliated and will be itching for revenge and are no certainty of exacting that revenge, another loss next year and we could have the rivalry that will replace the Bledisloe, then we may see the return of the mid-season international.

11 hours ago, Damien said:

What a charlatan that guy is.

My sister knows him personally through politics, when he was appointed IRL President I asked her what she thought of him as a character, she called him something equally disparaging unfortunately.

Edited November 24, 2023 by The Rocket

[Luxembourger]

Grant was questioned on the “commensurate levels of support” comment and posted this in follow-up:

James Parrish reference to not commensurate levels of support wasn’t crowd related, lessons are offfield promotion managing significant costs tour specific etc, Reference wasn’t a criticism it’s acknowledged lessons for regular south to north tours in the future. 

Plenty of lessons and improvements for Pacific Championships as well one not better then the other it’s a start and more maturing and refinement to come. ‘25 will be massive with England tour while Pacific Champs also on NZ V TONGA V SAMOA ERL working on complimentary Euro comp when England host tours as well.

 

[Eddie]

4 minutes ago, Luxembourger said:

Grant was questioned on the “commensurate levels of support” comment and posted this in follow-up:

James Parrish reference to not commensurate levels of support wasn’t crowd related, lessons are offfield promotion managing significant costs tour specific etc, Reference wasn’t a criticism it’s acknowledged lessons for regular south to north tours in the future. 

Plenty of lessons and improvements for Pacific Championships as well one not better then the other it’s a start and more maturing and refinement to come. ‘25 will be massive with England tour while Pacific Champs also on NZ V TONGA V SAMOA ERL working on complimentary Euro comp when England host tours as well.

 

Can you expand more on the Euro comp when England are hosting tours please? 

[gingerjon]

8 minutes ago, Luxembourger said:

Grant was questioned on the “commensurate levels of support” comment and posted this in follow-up:

James Parrish reference to not commensurate levels of support wasn’t crowd related, lessons are offfield promotion managing significant costs tour specific etc, Reference wasn’t a criticism it’s acknowledged lessons for regular south to north tours in the future. 

Plenty of lessons and improvements for Pacific Championships as well one not better then the other it’s a start and more maturing and refinement to come. ‘25 will be massive with England tour while Pacific Champs also on NZ V TONGA V SAMOA ERL working on complimentary Euro comp when England host tours as well.

 

The kind of European tournament that had to be stopped this year when the IRL funding was withdrawn?

[Eddie]

34 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The kind of European tournament that had to be stopped this year when the IRL funding was withdrawn?

The IRL couldn’t stop that event quick enough, they seem to give more of a toss about the Cook Islands than France. 

[Mathius Hellwege]

8 hours ago, RigbyLuger said:

Anfield was booked, then unavailable for the new dates. Did Sunderland, Blackpool or the "Northern Midlands" bid for any games?

not relevant as you could talk with them, but a management groupt that organizes MW at Elland Road...

[Mathius Hellwege]

50 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Can you expand more on the Euro comp when England are hosting tours please? 

so nothing before 2027 and 2028...?

no tournament before the World Series

has to be wrong

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Mathius Hellwege said:

so nothing before 2027 and 2028...?

no tournament before the World Series

has to be wrong

European countries can organise international matches for themselves, we’re seeing many shining examples of this. I doubt the IRL and ERL have owt to do with it. 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

European countries can organise international matches for themselves, we’re seeing many shining examples of this. I doubt the IRL and ERL have owt to do with it. 

I think we can tone this down a bit.

The World Cup was a failure - a qualified, understandable-in-many-ways failure but a failure - and the steps forward a small number of countries are making is weighed down by the apparent scaling back of what the ERL is doing and what the sport's biggest nations are failing to do.

That doesn't let IRL off the hook. They have been worse than useless and, yet, somehow, they keep getting worse.

[Mathius Hellwege]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

I think we can tone this down a bit.

The World Cup was a failure - a qualified, understandable-in-many-ways failure but a failure - and the steps forward a small number of countries are making is weighed down by the apparent scaling back of what the ERL is doing and what the sport's biggest nations are failing to do.

That doesn't let IRL off the hook. They have been worse than useless and, yet, somehow, they keep getting worse.

good summary, the contrast between Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy to all the others could not be more striking

[dealwithit]

14 hours ago, gingerjon said:

It is worth clarifying, every time, that the government support was match funding.

The French Rugby League produced six magic beans instead of the money they said they would raise thus there was no government support.

It was dependent on local mayoral funding. With covid, local governments were less supportive. As such, the feds took the money away. 

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Mathius Hellwege said:

good summary, the contrast between Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy to all the others could not be more striking

Yet they are the four who get to the World Cup. Though tbf I wouldn’t put Wales in the same inactive category as the other three. 

[eal]

The telling thing is that the President of the IRL is basically someone fitting the job in around their actual job. I can't imagine the heads of many other international sporting bodies are working evenings and weekends in the office around another job!

[gingerjon]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

Yet they are the four who get to the World Cup. Though tbf I wouldn’t put Wales in the same inactive category as the other three. 

Wales men haven't played a senior international this year.

[ATLANTISMAN]

Only way forward is to sell the international game off to private investors with an interest in making it work.

 

 

[Eddie]

47 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Wales men haven't played a senior international this year.

No but there are a number of actual Welsh players playing professionally, which can’t be said of the other three. 

[Eddie]

19 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Only way forward is to sell the international game off to private investors with an interest in making it work.

 

 

I can’t imagine those people exist tbh. 

[gingerjon]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I can’t imagine those people exist tbh. 

How would it even work anyway?

Get IMG to grade the nations on their social media first?

[ATLANTISMAN]

26 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I can’t imagine those people exist tbh. 

They do across the pond 

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

How would it even work anyway?

Get IMG to grade the nations on their social media first?

Catchment area, China and India would be Grade A.

[Eddie]

51 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

They do across the pond 

You think there are wealthy Americans who want to invest in international Rugby league? If there are it would be great but I can’t see it.