Comments on: Kangaroos thump England in Four Nations final

By: big Kev

big Kev — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:59:13 +0000

Springs -”The capacity for the Final was 31,000, notice that one stand was empty and the other stands were packed? It was closed, the stadium would not let them open it.”

What a load of crap. Do you believe whatever you read? Leeds v Huddersfield in League 1 (that is 3rd division of English football) got 37,000 this weekend.

The stand was kept closed for the league because there was not enough demand.

By: big Kev

big Kev — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:56:04 +0000

Serious question: Please list these 50 nations playing league and what sort of organised league they have in those countries.
Don’t tell me Samoa or Lebanon with 3 teams please….

By: Norm

Norm — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 11:00:07 +0000

If I thought dud Kev and King of the clowns had anything remotely intelligent to contribute I might seek their views. However as it stands I can continue to rate them behind Scientology members.

By: Springs

Springs — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:27:37 +0000

Hmmm… Ten years back… 10-12 nations? 2009, 50 Nations playing League. France and Wales have pro teams. NZ winning Tri Nations plus World Cup, Australia not dominating NZ even with claims of the greatest backline ever. Pacific Cup, Euro Nations, other Euro tournaments, growing popularity in pacific islands, Wales, Europe… what else?

By: Springs

Springs — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:21:22 +0000

Haha, Ha. The last 100+ years doesn’t count then? League always attacking Union, Haha.

By: Springs

Springs — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:18:44 +0000

The crowd average for the World Cup was just under 17,000. I see the next WC will be a disaster, just because big kev says so. The capacity for the Final was 31,000, notice that one stand was empty and the other stands were packed? It was closed, the stadium would not let them open it. And did the RL world cup last year have to average 40,000 to be a success?
And according to King International RL has again gotten worse in the time between now and his last post. 6K in Paris says it all? Yeah, it even covers the 50K in Brisbane last year, a record for a League Test in Brisbane. Crowds aren’t going to improve, the dream is over etc etc. King has obviously been around the world to see all the new League playing nations that have just been introduced in the last 5 years and has been to every League test ever. Union has been in hundreds of countries for more than a hundred years, longer than soccer, but isn’t the number one sport. League has been in about 5 countries for a hundred years, banned in some, discriminated against, not allowed to expand etc. And whose fault? Rugby Unions.
You still haven’t shown the proof that the 4 Nations was a financial disaster.

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:14:43 +0000

the crowds for the RL internetaions were poor. there is no other way to say it. the RU autum internationals had record crowds. these crowds will onyl get bigger now that coaches are realising that to win u need to keep ball in hand.
sell outs in milan, dublin, london, toulouse, marseille, cardiff.
hue crowds in edinburgy, italy, paris
crowds in RL were poor. 6K in paris says it all!
these crowds are not going to improve so stop deluding yourself that they will. the 4 natinos was a financial disaster for the IRFL. the dream for internation RL is over”

For Rugby League standards they were good..compared for Rugby Union they arent! That aint a big deal to me.
Rugby Unionj is bigger than League in England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy..no shocks there!!

IMO 6000 in Paris, when France were smashed by 50 the week before was alright for RUGBY LEAGUE IN FRANCE
England made the final and showed they have some good young players, so for me it was good…

Yep it lost money, boohoo

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:57:33 +0000

ratings in aus and nz are up on previous years..nz winning the world cup..2 reasons why its still alive

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:56:45 +0000

ahuh..so you posting about the french rugby crowd in a non related thread..hmm..i missed the attack there

By: Rod

Rod — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:40:45 +0000

It amazes me that the Poms can get 30,000 to a roos vs Poms game in England seeing as they haven’t beat us over there on their home soil in a series for over 50 years now.

Of course if 1 team dominates all the time it’s going to have massive effects on the game, what type of idiots are posting in here if they can’t see that?

Blatant trolling, yet if I was to do that being a RL fan here, I’d be removed.

Fair dinkum.

I seem to remember the union mob not being able to sell out concorde oval back in 1987 during the Union WC, my my, it’s grown since then hasn’t it?

Maybe because they have stuck with the things they put in place, something RL could learn from them.

If RL sticks with the internationals, the crowds will come and so will the results for other nations outside Australia, we’ve already seen NZ win the Tri Nations, followed by a golden point loss the following season to World Cup Champions 2 years later on Australia’s home soil.

That’s what happens when you stick with something, it grows and gets better.

Of course if Australia wants to keep winning like they have for the last 30 years, play one off games and stack the deck in your favour, that’ll surely bring the crowds back, NOT.

We have France finally sticking the head out of their cocoon for the first time in 30 years and Wales are doing some amazing things at junior level, do we jump on them now and crush it all just because a few idiots (real rah rahs and Fumbleballers) think the crowds are shit, or do we do our own thing and grow the game knowing that the product we have can be compared favourably in regards to other codes if we only give it a chance?

By: King of the Gorganites

King of the Gorganites — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:33:04 +0000

the NRL is our bread and butter, and that what im concerned about. im concerned that some ego’s in the IRFL are trying to grow the game unnecssarily to the detriment of the heartlands. we cant forget the heartlands.

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:24:16 +0000

I live in Australia and really don’t care. I can’t control what happens overseas, but am happy that we get to see the best Australian players in the NRL having a go against the English and Kiwi’s. The NRL is the bread and butter for League supporters in Australia, everything else ust being a bonus.

By: King of the Gorganites

King of the Gorganites — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:14:56 +0000

sell outs in milan, dublin, london, toulouse, marseille, cardiff.

hue crowds in edinburgy, italy, paris

crowds in RL were poor. 6K in paris says it all!

these crowds are not going to improve so stop deluding yourself that they will. the 4 natinos was a financial disaster for the IRFL. the dream for internation RL is over

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:14:14 +0000

“Mitch, I have been surprised by the low crowds for league internationals. It seems to have reached a limit even for big games. I suspect it is less able to call on that mass of cross code supporters, who will pay for a “big game” ticket. They’ll go to a Bledisloe, or big league club game, but not necessarily to a league iternational. Interesting issue to think about. Perhaps it is because Australia is seen as too dominant, and thus less spectacle? A bit like cricket at times over the last decade.”

Its like cricket, aussie draw crap crowds against bad teams..and for a long time NZ and England have sucked!
NZ winning world cup was great and crowds and ratings have improved..
Like eariler in this thread..playing PNG at SFS is suicide..nobody will turn up..Im realistic about International RL, but I will stand up for its right

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:11:32 +0000

“And sorry Mitch but your comment ” perhaps its the only thing rugby union has over league…” has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever read on here….

“the only thing” meaning the small matter of having literally millions more people interested in the game around the world? trivial really!”

I beg to differ..considering friday night domestic rugby league beat every single wallabies match..fta and combined with fox ratings

When League has more juniors, and rugby needs league players to make the game better..rules to make game faster and more ‘viewer’ friendly..hmm sounds like 1903 in England when Northern union said same thing

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:10:38 +0000

“Dude it shows clearly the level of interest in the sport.
League is a domestic, tribal sport played in a few (3?) corners of the world. That is what it’s good at. It must not get ideas above it’s station. It cannot compete with Union at any level except domestically in Aus.
You live in cookoo land if you think any differently.
Clearly internationals are the pinnacle of any err International sport! When Scotland v Argentina in Union can outsell the top 2 in the world in league by a very considerable margin, there is a problem.”

Your point being?
So just because RL doesnt get the crowds like Rugby, it should have or try to play internationals?

By: big Kev

big Kev — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:06:14 +0000

And sorry Mitch but your comment ” perhaps its the only thing rugby union has over league…” has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever read on here….

“the only thing” meaning the small matter of having literally millions more people interested in the game around the world? trivial really!

By: big Kev

big Kev — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:02:11 +0000

Dude it shows clearly the level of interest in the sport.

League is a domestic, tribal sport played in a few (3?) corners of the world. That is what it’s good at. It must not get ideas above it’s station. It cannot compete with Union at any level except domestically in Aus.

You live in cookoo land if you think any differently.

Clearly internationals are the pinnacle of any err International sport! When Scotland v Argentina in Union can outsell the top 2 in the world in league by a very considerable margin, there is a problem.

By: Bay35Pablo

Bay35Pablo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:56:32 +0000

Mitch, I have been surprised by the low crowds for league internationals. It seems to have reached a limit even for big games. I suspect it is less able to call on that mass of cross code supporters, who will pay for a “big game” ticket. They’ll go to a Bledisloe, or big league club game, but not necessarily to a league iternational. Interesting issue to think about. Perhaps it is because Australia is seen as too dominant, and thus less spectacle? A bit like cricket at times over the last decade.

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:52:03 +0000

why do league supporters who want international to grow, get slammed so much?
its strange really?
perhaps its the only thing rugby union has over league…

By: big Kev

big Kev — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:48:05 +0000

Stadium holds 37,000. There was no construction or any such thing. The interest was low so they blocked off one stand and said it was “closed for safety reasons” or some other porky pie. Simple fact is that in the league heartland, a final between Aus and England could not sell 30,000 tickets, however cheap they were.
Very sad and I don’t share you views that “internationals will get there” how many false dawns have there been? World Cup in Aus was hailed as a success with crowds averaging about 12,000. You can say what you like about Union but a much bigger World Cup in Aus got over 40,000 average. I have grave fears for International league. The next world cup will be a disaster….

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:03:45 +0000

With more club members being available each season. Things such as offering deals to those season ticket supporters (the most likely to attend these sorts of things), could see it being sold out. 30-50% OFF normal price tickets for those people is a good reward for supporting the game, while the game itself benefits from the likelyhood of a full house.

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:50:15 +0000

sell out at SFS?
Even if they are playing well, and its marketed and everything done well, it will get 20 000 at the most.

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:48:46 +0000

If PNG have a test like they normally do against the Australian PM XIII (made up of those not in the final series or exited round 1), it should allow them to hit the ground running in that first match, and if promoted right, should be able to sell out.

By: M1tch

M1tch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:13:32 +0000

Final at Suncorp with Aussies playing will be a near 50k, the issue is having 1 game in Sydney and thats against PNG. The Aus v Eng game in Melb should be a 30k at new stadium so that SFS game is the big problem. hence why i wrote a roar peice about bringing back the ashes …
Agree about people more interested in international league too..Aussies losing is a good thing

By: ScottWoodward.me

ScottWoodward.me — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:02:59 +0000

Put it this way…whatever Lang’s contribution is it will be better than anything Jason Lang would have offered. One of the first things Lang did was to bring back the former Reserves coach mark Ellison who was highly regarded by everyone except Taylor.
Ello will be Football Manger, but Taylor sacked him for not having computer skills. Mmmm wonder with Wayne bennett can type?

By: Corey

Corey — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:31:45 +0000

Internationals will get there with more competitive games coming through. But I remember the commentators saying that it is full- the stadium was under some construction. But I reckon the next 4 nations in Australia will sell more than 40k in the final- especially if it is played at Suncorp I would be expecting a sell-out. I know my mates are more interested in internationals than probably 5 years ago (this is probably due to the world cup and the kiwis winning it).

By: Corey

Corey — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:21:14 +0000

John Lang is the worst buy in the whole NRL this year- worst decision, should have kept Jason Taylor (even with the ingression).

By: Corey

Corey — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:13:38 +0000

Union doesn’t usually buy our forwards cause they won’t stack up in the scrum, but he would be a great second rower (his height is ok) but may be as a flanker to give him more running time (or number 8). In saying all that I am really glad he is coming over here- he will learn how to be a more fit forward (due to our league having only 10 interchange in comparison to 12).

By: MyGeneration

MyGeneration — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:42:26 +0000

re John Lang, his teams in the past have always had a simple game plan (especially Penrith a few years back); forwards going forward and the backs can please themselves. In the last few years, Souths have seemed to suffer paralysis by analysis at different times, often releasing the shackles when games were already lost. It’ll be interesting to see whether Lang just let’s them play football. And will Martin Lang be providing specialised training for any designated hit-up merchant (“No, no, you’ve got to hold your head up higher! How are they gunna knock it off if you crouch like that?”)?