well off. Even if you regard the entire SANZAR package – - the AFL is all over it. (~$780m over 5 years, across FTA, Pay etc)

However, the thing when comparing AFL vs NRL that many forget to check out is the per minute dollar value, i.e. an AFL game runs for 80 mins plus time on, which makes it more like 120 mins – - when live, spread over 2.5 to 3 hours of telecast. A Rugby game is over and done with sooner, the telecast is shorter. Many NRL folk who believe their game short changed – irrespective of national ‘footprint’ etc, forget that simple little equation. What they might find is that the NRL is potentially over valued. But, for Rugby itself – - well, the Aust value proposition is ordinary compared to Sth Af and NZ were Rugby is much, much more prominant. Heck, even the wallabies struggle to make it to air in Melb pre midnight.

It would be interesting to work the ARU cut of the SANZAR rights, relative to the Aust clubs, there ‘air time’ on pay tv plus the internationals. Reality probably is (well, my guess is) that you pay more annually than the rights deserve in Australia so as to ensure you get best access to securing the RUWC rights???

The SANZAR contract is worth US$350m = A$540m. And it is for 5 years – 103 matches per year. Compare that to AFL and NRL and let me know what you find. You can divide by 3 roughly for the Aus value. Its about 1m per match average.

Shouldn’t the SANZAR contract money be divided by a third? Or is the money divided up by the number of Super 14 franschises. Given Aust has 4 of the 16 then do they get 25%?

Either way rugby union doesn’t have the biggest TV contract within Australia.

By the way there is a bloke on another thread who reckons that Rugby has the biggest TV contract in Aus sport. Is this true?

yeah, now, I wonder if Victorians will disclaim those kids as not being ‘true’ victorians, in the way some NSW RL advocates like to disclaim any AFL recruit from Broken Hill, Albury, Wagga, Finley, Hay, Deniliquin, Turvey Park, The Rock, Barooga, Moama, Wentworth etc etc as not really being NSW and any kids from Sydney must be sons of ex-pats.

(back tracking to another back tracking comment)

the West Sydney Razorbacks failure as the Sydney spirit should be a lesson to all – - to be very careful about attempting to be all things to all people. Thus, the AFL via WS18 need to be careful to not dilute it too much. However, again, if they can ‘build’ it from scratch similar to the GC17 with majority local kids………..then……….there’s something special there.

Actually, NRL should try that in Victoria, have a crack at building a Toyota Cup squad as ‘Victorian’ as possible for the Storm.

Yes everyone wants to touch or feel her, this lovely cup. Better stop talking about her, you guys will think i am obsessed.

Isn’t she a beauty.

And to be fair to the inbred Queenslanders, the Kiwis did capitulate rather, um, effeminately Kinda like the Aussie league team!

What makes me sad is the suggestion that this behaviour is creeping into supporters of the 4 ‘footy’ codes, where I think there is a fair bit more respect for a good quality, hard contest from most fans.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10545157 [ Complaints by New Zealand players that they were taunted as "faggots" during the first cricket test at the Gabba has stirred the debate over ugly behaviour by Australian sports spectators. ]

Now if it was say fiji that won, then the crowd would have helped out. I dont think its a issue in oz.

These people demand the RLWC be taken seriously,and given due respect, but could not bring themselves to
respect New Zealand, the overseas visitors, or the code they represent .They have no sense of occassion.

In what other World Cup of any code do supporters leave before the winners have been presented with the
trophy and completed a lap of honour.

The English supporters did not leave ,nor visitors from other nations ,but when the TV cameras panned the stands
shortly after the final whistle,they were almost deserted. The Aussies had done a runner.

A picture tells a 1000 words , so how must this have looked to overseas viewers,let alone the visitors at the game.

Ricky Stuart is being brought to book for conduct unbecoming, regarding a match referee and a RLWC official.

But Stuarts behavior pales into insignificance compared with the contemptous attitude of Australian supporters.

New Zealand won the RLWC ,and those that left early neither had the common decency to honour the winners,
nor respect people that travelled half way round the globe to be part of this event.

What a discrace.

In reply to an earlier comment you made …. but sorry folks not on the RLWC ….. but you said regarding the AFL in WS…”I don’t quite understand the ‘greater need’ for Western Sydney over Tassie though”

I think you have missed the point the AFL are not after a WS team they are after a second Sydney team…. and need a tag to hang the second Sydney team on … this WS team if they get say 7, 000 from WS it’s OK because by playing at Homebush they can get another 13, 000 from other parts of Sydney.

Look it’s very clever by saying WS team you direct your competition in the wrong direction and by the time they have worked out it was a second Sydney team it’s to late …….. but in the mean time you can claim what a success I am 20, 000 in your heartland when its from all over Sydney the crowd is drawn from ……. hats off to them it’s clever it’s smart and it will work.