Will 2024 be the best NRL season ever?

[Damien]

Fantastic to see great crowds like this. Still scope to go even better if those sub 15k games could get a few more:

 

[Dunbar]

7 minutes ago, Damien said:

Fantastic to see great crowds like this. Still scope to go even better if those sub 15k games could get a few more:

 

Very surprised to see only 16k for the St George Manly game at WIN Stadium.  It holds almost 24k and the ground looked pretty full to me.

[The Rocket]

11 hours ago, Dunbar said:

Very surprised to see only 16k for the St George Manly game at WIN Stadium.  It holds almost 24k and the ground looked pretty full to me.

It only holds about 19k now I believe due to restrictions on the hill.

There was great concern that due to Saint`s form that this game may have hindered our ability to break the round record, but ticket sales were strong early and most crowd followers were very pleased with the turn-out.

[unapologetic pedant]

On 29/03/2024 at 01:03, Sports Prophet said:

As the NRL succeeds so do its clubs and in turn so does the NRL.

Cronulla Sharks AGM was this week. 

Sharks group annual revenue - $27m despite a closed leagues club and only 50% of corporate space open during the build. No loss.

Assets:

- $21m bank balance.

- additional $5m gift from New York.

- Shark Park EMV $40m.

- Sharks club EMV $30m.

- Sharks @ Kareela (golf course and club) EMV $13m.

- Cronulla mall commercial property EMV $8m.

Pre-approved for $18m loan for Leagues club fit out when ready.

All major sponsors/partners retained for fourth consecutive year.

Sharks leagues club likely to open early 2025.

No plans to improve stadium without government funding.

For anyone who thinks the Sharks are on borrowed time, or would be best moving to Perth or wherever have it very, very wrong.

Up Up Cronulla.

Don't forget Cronulla JRL. I recall seeing an item on a TV show about an octogenarian Dragons super-fan. Said she'd supported the club ever since her brother played for them as a junior. Participation and family ties still matter. 

Dragons female junior reps have been absolutely bulldozed this year. Final round of the regular season delivered - Tarsha Gale Cup Dragons 0 Bulldogs 64, Lisa Fiaola Cup Dragons 0 Bulldogs 98. Meantime, Illawarra Steelers teams finished in the top two of both comps. Pretty obvious which half of the merged club is producing players for Dragons NRLW.

St. George JRL is threadbare. Expect Sharks and Bulldogs to fight over the remnants in future years. Same applies to the fanbase, in due course.

St. Merge moving wholesale to the Gong is far more plausible than a pre-1967 configuration in which Sharks vanish. Illawarra will probably keep the Dragons moniker in the hope of hanging on to diaspora memberships, particularly in SEQ.

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

Don't forget Cronulla JRL. I recall seeing an item on a TV show about an octogenarian Dragons super-fan. Said she'd supported the club ever since her brother played for them as a junior. Participation and family ties still matter. 

Dragons female junior reps have been absolutely bulldozed this year. Final round of the regular season delivered - Tarsha Gale Cup Dragons 0 Bulldogs 64, Lisa Fiaola Cup Dragons 0 Bulldogs 98. Meantime, Illawarra Steelers teams finished in the top two of both comps. Pretty obvious which half of the merged club is producing players for Dragons NRLW.

St. George JRL is threadbare. Expect Sharks and Bulldogs to fight over the remnants in future years. Same applies to the fanbase, in due course.

St. Merge moving wholesale to the Gong is far more plausible than a pre-1967 configuration in which Sharks vanish. Illawarra will probably keep the Dragons moniker in the hope of hanging on to diaspora memberships, particularly in SEQ.

I have a theory on the Dragons brand in the ‘Gong, albeit a hypothesis off the top of my head right now rather than with any study behind it. Discussed it on the attendance thread.

[The Rocket]

Interesting interview with Nathan Cleary, touches on weight divisions for juniors, junior coaching and the Panthers` playing style.

'I don't agree': Cleary's insight into junior coaching | Watch (msn.com)

[EggFace]

On 02/04/2024 at 05:03, The Rocket said:

It only holds about 19k now I believe due to restrictions on the hill.

There was great concern that due to Saint`s form that this game may have hindered our ability to break the round record, but ticket sales were strong early and most crowd followers were very pleased with the turn-out.

I thought it was great crowd and whats not to like about the stadium by the sea....I wish we had the same problem on the sea front of South Shields.

[Anita Bath]

8 hours ago, EggFace said:

I thought it was great crowd and whats not to like about the stadium by the sea....I wish we had the same problem on the sea front of South Shields.

Yes, I love going to games at the gong.

[Damien]

 

 

[Pulga]

On 01/04/2024 at 21:21, Sports Prophet said:

It has been helped by being an Easter round. Looks like we have an all time record of posts above are correct.

Strange that the opening round of 1999 saw a crowd of 104,503 and yet the full round was less than this one.

Funny you say that. I'm heard Super Rugby crowds weren't great because it was Easter.

[Sports Prophet]

7 minutes ago, Pulga said:

Funny you say that. I'm heard Super Rugby crowds weren't great because it was Easter.

I can’t comment other than to say that Super Rugby continues to decline and has never been more irrelevant in Australia. Whatever excuse SR throws for it’s poor attendances in Aus, I think Easter holidays is a negligible one.

[Damien]

 

 

[unapologetic pedant]

NRL jerseys have gone backwards this year. Don't like the new Eels and Knights models. Broncos have again exhumed the risible diamond harlequin alternative. What next? The Warriors tablecloth eyesore?

As usual, clubs who adhere to tradition look best. Keep the same fundamental colours and design. Protect your identity for the shop window. Then sell other merch on the back of it.

There's always someone worse off than yourself. In this case, it's the poor old fumblers. The compendium patchwork released by the AFL for their all-singing all-dancing all-fumbling Gather round is being flayed by their own fans as "the worst footy jumper ever". The unamazing technicolour nightmare-coat. Truly the tank top from hell.

[Sports Prophet]

4 hours ago, Damien said:

 

 

NRLWA is up 15% on registrations at the same time last year.

[Damien]

4 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

NRLWA is up 15% on registrations at the same time last year.

Good stuff, great to hear. There is heaps of potential if Perth can get a NRL spot. WA does really well as is considering it has no NRL team to inspire kids to take up the game.

[Sports Prophet]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Good stuff, great to hear. There is heaps of potential if Perth can get a NRL spot. WA does really well as is considering it has no NRL team to inspire kids to take up the game.

Yeah I know the GM of the NRLWA over there really well. Great guy. He’s been at it for years. He was heavily involved with the SL war and has some great stories.

He and his team do a great job with the minimal resources they’re given. Perth is crying out for an NRL club. Government is backing it.

edit note: I see the NRL have again made it hard for the Perth public to demonstrate their affection for RL. The Dolphins v Roosters match there later this year will be the notoriously unattractive Friday 6pm slot.

Edited April 8 by Sports Prophet

[Anita Bath]

Thats prime time 8pm time slot in Sydney. That is something that has to be addressed before a Perth franchise is awarded. reasonable kick off times in Perth are unlikely to be attractive to TV contractors. 

 

Just as warriors have plenty of friday games to fill that 6pm TV spot Perth would probably have lots of early saturday and sunday early afternoon games.

[Sports Prophet]

12 hours ago, Anita Bath said:

Thats prime time 8pm time slot in Sydney. That is something that has to be addressed before a Perth franchise is awarded. reasonable kick off times in Perth are unlikely to be attractive to TV contractors. 

 

Just as warriors have plenty of friday games to fill that 6pm TV spot Perth would probably have lots of early saturday and sunday early afternoon games.

I’ve brought this up before. People calling Perth a great additional time zone are well off the mark. It’s actually not helpful at all.

[stookie]

13 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I’ve brought this up before. People calling Perth a great additional time zone are well off the mark. It’s actually not helpful at all.

It is though, if you want to maintain each game in its own timeslot.

Otherwise to add another game, you're looking at

* 6pm Thursday (yuuuuuck)

* 12pm Sunday

* Monday night footy back! (clubs won't like this one)

[Sports Prophet]

10 minutes ago, stookie said:

It is though, if you want to maintain each game in its own timeslot.

Otherwise to add another game, you're looking at

* 6pm Thursday (yuuuuuck)

* 12pm Sunday

* Monday night footy back! (clubs won't like this one)

I don’t think supporters of many clubs are willing to turn out in their tens of thousands for Monday night footy. Maybe and only maybe if it was a school holidays type of thing and a real big deal made of it.

I think the only available time slot for a 9th fixture is a third Sunday fixture with them all starting at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm. But no single club can actually help with that as the time slots are all shared around.

So the point with Perth being, hosting Thursdays and Fridays are almost off the table as they are going to be 6pm kick offs at best. Then hosting early weekend fixtures is off the cards too as that would mean a midday/1pm kickoff.

On another note, I think the Friday night fixtures should each be kicking off half an hour later at 6.30 and 8.30.

[stookie]

15 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

I think the only available time slot for a 9th fixture is a third Sunday fixture with them all starting at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm. But no single club can actually help with that as the time slots are all shared around.

Yes, that was my point! Possibly poorly explained... Perth works well for a Perth 4pm / eastern 6pm time; either on Sunday or even Saturday.

Spectators love afternoon footy, TV networks love night time footy. Perth is a good option for that for the vast majority of Australia's RL TV viewers, and should still get good day time crowds.

I think if a team other than Perth get in, we lose the unique timeslots, or are forced to put up with Sunday evening games (6pm local), which, let's be honest, are often devoid of atmosphere.

[Pulga]

 

 

[Damien]

Looks great:

 

[DavidM]

Fortunately they were rubbish 

[Damien]