NRL shows guile in its “war” with the AFL

 
Adrian Musolino Columnist

By , 9 Apr 2010 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert

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Jarryd Hayne on the way to the tryline during the Week 1 Playoff NRL match between the Dragons and the Eels at Win Jubilee Stadium in Sydney, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. The Eels beat the Dragons 25-12. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Renee McKay)

First they played in Melbourne on Good Friday when the AFL was having the day off, now the NRL is targeting Anzac Day with its plans to telecast the traditional Sydney Roosters-St George Illawarra Anzac clash on free-to-air across Australia.

The move is a significant one, particularly with its national reach, as the Channel 9 NRL telecast will inevitably overlap with Channel 7’s coverage of the Essendon-Collingwood traditional AFL clash at the MCG.

With the NRL continuing to exploit any potential openings left by the AFL, its little wonder the tabloids are screaming “code wars”!

As I wrote on Sunday, the NRL’s decision to play at Etihad on Good Friday was an intelligent move, with the code rewarded with a record home and away crowd of 25,404 for the Melbourne Storm, and the free-to-air Anzac Day move is just as intelligent; giving the NRL a much wider audience, and profile, for its own Anzac clash.

The current free-to-air deal with Channel 9 may be increasingly frustrating fans and the league itself in relation to the network having such a large say in scheduling, but free-to-air coverage is essential for a code’s sustainability and the Anzac decision highlights the NRL’s growing profile.

Despite the endless scandals, the product itself is pretty damn good, and networks can no longer ignore the code’s popularity.

When you consider its limited footprint compared to the AFL, the fact that the media are able to build a case for their even being a code war between the two is a credit to the NRL (however, I’m increasingly becoming convinced the code war fascination is a Sydney thing, with Western Sydney as its justification).

It’s been a popular pastime in Australian sporting discourse to kick the NRL while it’s been down.

David Gallop has been, unfairly in my opinion, the favoured target for those looking to apportion blame for the code’s problems, and with every moronic player indiscretion, Gallop’s position was inevitably called into question (what could he do? He isn’t their father!).

Even ARU chief executive John O’Neill didn’t miss an opportunity to rile the NRL by claiming stars such as Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston could be tempted to switch codes by the prospect of playing Rugby Sevens at the Olympics.

Few codes could have survived the public bashing they received.

But Gallop and his team deserve credit for not only surviving the tide of controversies and scandals, but also in visibly growing the sport and building the framework for further expansion, be it on the Central Coast, Perth or elsewhere.

It’ll be fascinating to see how the NRL’s Anzac Day clash rates on free-to-air, particularly outside of the its heartland in places like Victoria, SA and WA.

It won’t come anywhere near to the numbers tuning in to the Essendon and Collingwood clash in those areas, but it’s a lot better than any other code could have mustered, and at least they are in a position to offer fans an alternative viewing option.

The fact that the NRL is chipping away and taking such opportunities is why they are in a position where they are seen to be rivaling the AFL in the media, even if we know it’s not really a contest.

After all the criticisms of the code, let’s pay credit where it is due.

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