David Gallop is letting rugby league die
Roar Rookie By jaymz, 30 Jul 2009 jaymz is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Craig Gower, Craig Wing, David Gallop, Karmichael Hunt, Lote Tuqiri, Matt King, NRL, Rugby League, Ryan Cross, Sonny Bill Williams, Super League, Timana Tahu, Wendell Sailor
So another player leaves from rugby league to head to another code, only this time the code is not rugby union but AFL. Suddenly the articles written about the TAB odds of Lote Tuqiri heading to the A-League aren’t so funny.
If Karmichael Hunt does well, it could well spend the end for rugby league, unless something is changed.
What I propose is that every young player making their league debut signs a contract to remain in league for a period of ten years. This will have a knock-on effect and actually improve a lot of international teams, which is what rugby league craves.
For the players who sign the contract but fail to make the NRL, they are able to head to Europe and sign with one of the growing leagues there, or the Super League, of course. There is also the new Professionalised American League.
David Gallop is a major concern on this issue.
It seems like every time a player crosses codes, or a player at the peak of their career goes to England, he has the same response: “It’s a unique case, there is no need for knee jerk reactions, we will find another player to replace him.”
But these cases aren’t unique, simply because there are so many of them.
Here is a list of players who have crossed codes in recent years: Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor, Matt Rogers, Sonny Bill Williams, Craig Gower, Timana Tahu, Karmichael Hunt, Ryan Cross, Berrick Barnes, Craig Wing.
Not to mention players like Matt King, who have left at their peak to go to England.
Rugby league is heading to death row unless something is done.
Recommend this story.
July 30th 2009 @ 12:25pm
oikee said | July 30th 2009 @ 12:25pm | Report comment
I have just read a article on how the NRL can acheive greater revinues from selling the Television rights. Some guys were talking about having 4 quarters being played to allow more add revenue. Another guy surgested time outs for drop goals and scrums.
Cant they see that the answer they seek is right in front of them, we need to have 3 x 30 minute periods with 2 x ten minute breaks which will extend the game out to at least one hour 50 minutes. This in turn would also allow for a exciting period of who won the 1st period and who won the second period, could you imagine the battle to win the 3rd period. Also this could solve the issue of the yanks wanting more add time without going to four 20 minute quarters which is not long enough for each quarter (without going over-board and playing 4 thirty minute periods).
Problem solved and you only play a extra 10 minutes which would increase fitique. This in return would increase T/V deals.
July 30th 2009 @ 2:57pm
Dogs Of War said | July 30th 2009 @ 2:57pm | Report comment
Quarters are the only way, they do it in at the start of the first few rounds for the Queensland games due to the heat. 2 minute on field break, with play picking up from where the ref stopped it. Enough time to pump 4 x 30sec ads in. As well make the clock stop for all kicks for 1:30 to guarantee 2 ads and 30 secs to view the kick on TV.
Even the NRL could make a 80min game for 120mins like the AFL do!
July 30th 2009 @ 2:31pm
Pippinu said | July 30th 2009 @ 2:31pm | Report comment
Oikee
it’s good thinking, but three “thirds” is uneven and means that a team might get the benefit of a scoring end twice (if there’s such a concept in League).
July 30th 2009 @ 2:46pm
oikee said | July 30th 2009 @ 2:46pm | Report comment
Hey Pip, this idea is light years ahead of any other idea ever thought about in any code. The idea is thinking outside the square and moving to triangles, like tri-nations, origins, bledisloe and best out of 3 concept. I am amazed it has never been thought about, increasing time at games to have another spectator break and placing more fatigue and dropping the interchange back to 3 players each 30 minutes. The game actual running time is still only 90 minutes which in turn allows for a 90 minute replay on fox, 4 quarters does not add up, its much like having 2 halves.
If someone would adopt this idea it would be the biggest inner-vation ever to hit sport. As ussual, rugby league would be the front-runner for ideas as it was with the blood-bin and video refs.
July 30th 2009 @ 2:46pm
oikee said | July 30th 2009 @ 2:46pm | Report comment
The home team would get the advantage, thats all.
July 30th 2009 @ 2:49pm
oikee said | July 30th 2009 @ 2:49pm | Report comment
Sorry, thinking about advantage, they toss a coin, so no advantage would be gained. Only the fact you loss the coin toss.
July 30th 2009 @ 4:21pm
Pippinu said | July 30th 2009 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
There’s a lot to be said for the home team having first choice (in an age where home ground advantage is fast disappearing).
I have to say that I have said many times on A-League threads that the FFA could extract extra TV revenue if we had a 3 minute drinks break in the middle of each half (recalling that the season in the middle of Summer).
But people seem horrified at the very suggestion!!
By the way – I have a vague recollection that Ice Hockey might play with three thirds.
July 30th 2009 @ 4:33pm
Mushi said | July 30th 2009 @ 4:33pm | Report comment
Hockey does indeed have three periods
July 30th 2009 @ 5:23pm
Westy said | July 30th 2009 @ 5:23pm | Report comment
Rugby league has and attracts some of the best junior Athletic talent in the eastern states in Australia. Hayne / Slater/ Stewart/Boyd / Thurston/Hodges/ Marshall/Soward etc and Inglis are very good and it would be churlish not to recognise their ability. The message is that you can play junior rugby league and if good enough you can still have a choice in rugby union and AFL. The danger is only if they do not play rugby league at all.
Hunt was a rugby league junior who got a rugby union scholarship to a private school where he played some AFL for their opens team.
In Sydney this year.a rugby league prop and perhaps the best U/14 rugby league player I have seen have scholarships to elite private GPS school . Such schools now play some AFL.
The cycle continues as it always has.
The only refreshing thing about the AFL is they do it out in the open. GPS principals still peddle the disappointing line that no such sporting scholarships are offered and then as in Hunt’s case do not retain them in rugby union.
July 30th 2009 @ 6:07pm
Billo said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:07pm | Report comment
What must be really disappointing for league officials, you would think, is that the GPS schools still refuse to consider playing their game, while agreeing to play AFL.
July 30th 2009 @ 6:16pm
Pippinu said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:16pm | Report comment
Does GPS mean the elite private schools that have tradtionally played rugby?
So you’re saying that they play aussie rules ahead of League? Is that fair dinkum?
But how did aussie rules get into their curriculum???
July 30th 2009 @ 6:17pm
Dogs Of War said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:17pm | Report comment
If you think the AFL vs NRL battle is big, it has nothing on League vs Union.
July 30th 2009 @ 6:21pm
Pippinu said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:21pm | Report comment
heh, heh – I get a bit of an idea of it here on the Roar!
But I still don’t quite understand how AFL got into the private schools in Sydney (if that’s what happened).
July 30th 2009 @ 6:24pm
Dogs Of War said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:24pm | Report comment
The people who support Union in Sydney, are the same people who support the Swans (well a decent percentage are). Thus why it wasn’t that hard to make happen.
One of the things that will be interesting when the Super 14 moves to a longer season, with a lot more chances that games will clash, or that people will choose one or the other to support. (Swans vs Tahs).
July 30th 2009 @ 6:29pm
Andrew said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:29pm | Report comment
I think it’s the same demographic but not the same people
July 30th 2009 @ 6:21pm
Dave said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:21pm | Report comment
yep GPS is a group of elite private schools
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_Association_of_the_Great_Public_Schools_of_New_South_Wales
July 30th 2009 @ 6:25pm
Dave said | July 30th 2009 @ 6:25pm | Report comment
AFL in GPS schools started in 2004
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/15/1071336893791.html?from=storyrhs