Since 2007, the English Super League has had a Magic Weekend in which all Super League teams go on the road (first to Cardiff, Wales, and now Edinburgh, Scotland) for a festival of rugby league in developing areas.
The idea is fantastic and is something the NRL must adopt to gauge and grow support for the game nationally and internationally.
We’ve seen South Sydney take this approach for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, with one game in Perth; while the Sharks took a home match to Adelaide, which gave them some money and the 8000 crowd doesn’t look so bad in a non heartland when it would have been the same at Shark Park.
But it needs the co-operation of all the NRL clubs to get behind the expansion and exposure of the game.
I suggest having one regular season round after Origin, say around rounds 19-22, with matches played in Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart, Christchurch and Dunedin, and let’s see what sort of crowds and local ratings the game gets.
All I hear is, ‘there is no support for the game outside of NSW and QLD’. Maybe they are right. But it’s time the NRL and its clubs at least try and see what happens.
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December 21st 2009 @ 12:27pm
sportfreak said | December 21st 2009 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
Don – evidentally not. I reckon this drug cartel issue at the Newcastle Knights is going to be seriously bad news in the coming weeks. What parent will want their kid to associate with a code that continually gets in strife in this manner. This is bad.
( I am code agnostic by the way so dont get stuck into me leaguies).
December 21st 2009 @ 12:33pm
rugbyfuture said | December 21st 2009 @ 12:33pm | Report comment
im a rugger but even i see that somehow Rugby league grows from press like this
December 21st 2009 @ 12:35pm
Springs said | December 21st 2009 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Sorry I didn’t realise it was Rugby League selling drugs instead of a part-time first grader.
December 21st 2009 @ 12:41pm
sportfreak said | December 21st 2009 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
yeah but with Joey admitting it and the press today saying that a lot of other players were buying pingers of this fellow – it doesn’t look great for the game. (TV ratings aside).
December 21st 2009 @ 1:45pm
Springs said | December 21st 2009 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
I love it how the press can’t tell us the names or where they heard that other players were taking/buying drugs. More sensationalist stories from the press/police.
December 21st 2009 @ 1:05pm
Matt S said | December 21st 2009 @ 1:05pm | Report comment
Let’s face facts, drugs are a community wide scourge.
One Aussie kid dies another fighting for his life in Hong Kong, members of a junior orchestra for goodness sakes. In the UK, nearly an entire top level rugby union team (Bath) went on a drug binge at an end of season party. Sure, given how many kids who come from disadvantaged backgrounds come from league you are going to have problems, but let’s not make this into a code bashing exercise because you just highlight the fact you couldn’t care less about drugs in society as long as it serves the ends to your means-league hating.
In terms of drug taking, I think other codes are just as bad, but then again that doesn’t satisfy the league haters out there. Afterall, they are the ones the media pander to.
December 21st 2009 @ 1:24pm
sportfreak said | December 21st 2009 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
nope Matty S,
Dont mind the odd game of mungo at all actually.
Don’t know how you can draw the conclusion that I hate league from the fact that one of the Knights is in deep sh!t for being part of a drug syndicate ( not just a street drug dealer) and it may apperar that a lot more of the team are into it too. I am simply expressing concern that this time it doesn’t look great for the game. I am not code bashing.
Love the fact in your examples above how you slip in the rugby union team – nice.
December 21st 2009 @ 1:57pm
Springs said | December 21st 2009 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
In relation to the claims that parents would not want their kids playing Rugby League because of this drug scandal, what do they think would happen? That in Under 7s Danny Wicks is gonna come up to them and sell them drugs?
In junior (U16s/18s) there is probably a lot of drug taking. I can only speak for the teams that I played in, but in my U16s team the majority of the team were drug-takers. Most likely all of them were drinkers. Is this because of Rugby League? No, it is because in this society it would be near impossible to find a kid that hasn’t been drinking or smoking since they were 15. The kids I played with I had known since U7s, and to see them grow up like this is quite a sad sight. Even some of my best friends are into it now, and this is after they swore never to take drugs.
If I was a parent i would not like my child to play with these people, but then again I would probably be a parent who doesn’t know what my kid gets up to on weekends and I wouldn’t want my kid to be a part of this society either.
My point is these are drug takers playing Rugby League, not people who take drugs because they play Rugby League.
December 22nd 2009 @ 9:21am
Crashy said | December 22nd 2009 @ 9:21am | Report comment
I love that argument when a code has numerous drug offences, it suddenly becomes a society-wide issue, rather than specific to that code.
The IRB has a clear cut rule from under 6′s through to park footy and international. If you get done for drugs you do 2 years. This is what Sailor couldn’t get into his skull – it is a code rule.
December 22nd 2009 @ 9:24am
Springs said | December 22nd 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Yeah I know, cause no one outside Rugby League ever takes drugs. EVER.
December 22nd 2009 @ 9:27am
Mick from Giralang said | December 22nd 2009 @ 9:27am | Report comment
What’s the rule for burglary and assault?
December 22nd 2009 @ 9:48am
Crashy said | December 22nd 2009 @ 9:48am | Report comment
just a tragic misunderstanding that will be sorted out in due course.
Just good kids having fun. ( to paraphrase Mick Dundee).
December 22nd 2009 @ 11:01am
Lordrahrah said | December 22nd 2009 @ 11:01am | Report comment
The only people outside League to take drugs in sport are ex-leaguies. Where did Wendell go after quitting the Broncos?
December 23rd 2009 @ 8:22am
Crashy said | December 23rd 2009 @ 8:22am | Report comment
The idea could have merit.
The Waratahs are playing the Fiji Warriors ( players solely based in Fiji and not in os clubs) in Orange in January. The function is just about sold out as are reserved and general admission tickets.
There is demand in regional centres for top-flight sport. ( I’m not necessarily taliking Newcastle or Gosford which are cities really).