The NRL is stuck in a horrible time warp
Roar Rookie By cjpelican, 19 Oct 2010 cjpelican is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- David Gallop, Israel Folau, Kangaroos, Karmichael Hunt, Melbourne Storm, Melbourne Storm Salary cap, NRL, Rugby League
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Something is very wrong with our major rugby league code in this country. Not only has it just endured the worst conspiracy in Australia’s sporting history and has lost two of the sport’s best players, it is now burning possible future bridges.
The bigwigs have, in their eternal wisdom, decided to not let recent AFL defector and past (and probably future) NRL superstar Israel Folau run water for his countrymen in a recent international match.
What is the thinking here? Or should the question be: “Was there any thinking at all?”
The NRL is stuck in the 80s, when the sport was dominant in the minds of Australians and they foolishly believe the game will not be hurt by such poor management of its assets.
Where else in the business world, and modern sport is a business, would the CEO of a company not offer his/her resignation after such a scam as the Stormgate saga? This author wants David Gallop’s job, as it seems to be the safest (and certainly not underpaid) form of employment in all the land.
The NSW-centric NRL are so insular with their ‘thinking’ that they fail to see that the ‘you are either with us or against us, forever’ ideology is only acting to its own detriment. Players like Israel Folau and Gold Coast Sun recruit Karmichael Hunt should be considered as players on loan to the other codes as in all likelihood, they will return at some stage.
It is a travesty that this is the path the administration has decided to tread because the ‘product’, keeping in line with the business theme, that the NRL is delivering is arguably the best it has ever been. The players are fitter and more skilled than ever before and the game is more exciting than recent years.
The reality is that the higher ups, we are looking at you, Gallop, either need to step aside and let someone who lows how to run a modern business in, or get out of the time warp and into the 21st century.
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October 19th 2010 @ 3:06am
Hanzo said | October 19th 2010 @ 3:06am | Report comment
From what I can gather this(Folau’s involvement) would be an ARL decision not a NRL one.
Good to see the Gallop-bashing for the 2011 NRL season has started nice and early…..
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October 19th 2010 @ 4:23am
allblackfan said | October 19th 2010 @ 4:23am | Report comment
Neither the ARL or the NRL had the right to ban Folau. The Tongan RL is an independent, international body. If I was running Tonga RL, I’d tell the ARL/NRL what they could do with their decision!!
October 19th 2010 @ 6:46am
Mister Football said | October 19th 2010 @ 6:46am | Report comment
That’s immediately what I thought when I first heard the story – can someone else decide who the Tongan team employs on match day?
October 19th 2010 @ 5:53am
Jammy said | October 19th 2010 @ 5:53am | Report comment
I don’t agree with the decision to ban Folau because it makes the ALR look childish. However Folau has to realise that there are consequences for actions that you take. He has been signed for marketing purposes by the AFL, therefore anything he does has an association with the AFL.
October 19th 2010 @ 6:39am
oikee said | October 19th 2010 @ 6:39am | Report comment
The NRL has never been a business. A business would not run the way the NRL is run. Look, until we get the I.C up and running, the game is not a business. The only guy running the game who has business skills is Gallop, and he is a ex-lawyer, not a businessman. The others are mainly rugby league come lately CEO’s.
As for Folau, mate, his rugby league duties are over, he is now officially a AFL player. I noticed the story was on the news. Thats AFL marketing, not NRL.
The first story up yesterday on fox was the Geelong coach job. ? Sinse when does a coaching job become first up news over sport reporting. Tennis, Soccer and all other real game reports come later. ?
If this is the future of reporting, i think i will stick to only the game. I dont want to see guys juggling, or ex-players trying to give schycological readings on players. I want sport reporting on the sports reports. Another report showed the baby elephant running a marathon. The guy is built like a brick you know what, islanders are not built for this game. Let it go.
The vision for the NRL is to put the “N” into the game. Then next t/v deal, get the game across Australia t/v at a decent time, and continually. The game itself is looking good, but until we are run as a business, things wont change. And the ARL, mate, dont even start me on this mob, the way they have helped and treated PNG so far is shameful.
October 19th 2010 @ 6:53am
allblackfan said | October 19th 2010 @ 6:53am | Report comment
But if Folau wants to help the Tongan RL as a water boy (which is still far more than the ARL/NRL will do), the Australian RL bodies should keep their nose out of it.
The 4 Nations is an IRLF tournament so automatically the NRL is sidelined; they have no say. The ARL has no right to ban Folau outright. It’s a decision the IRLF must make (and I’m assuming it has to be a majority process which means there’s a good chance Folau may be allowed to take part)
I remember the dark years before 1996 when RU players who signed to league the following year were instantly banished. The ARL came out then and said it was unfair to punish these players in the here and now over something that was happening in the future!
ARL = big hypocrites.
October 19th 2010 @ 7:09pm
bilbo said | October 19th 2010 @ 7:09pm | Report comment
The international governing body for Rugby League has endorsed the decision. This is not an NRL decision.
October 19th 2010 @ 7:04am
Mark Young said | October 19th 2010 @ 7:04am | Report comment
I know I’m out here alone, But I reckon that the NRL is doing a good job.
They have a done a great job confronting the issues of playing misbehaviour off the field.
I applaud them for the action they took against the Storm
I congratulate them for equalising the talent to such an extent that most games of most weeks, both teams have a chance to win.
and I especially applaud them for tinkering with the rules in order to produce a fabulous on field spectacle.
There are still things to do, the refereeing is inconsistent, the state of origin rules for players are hazy (or complete garbage is you prefer), channel 9 does a rubbish job promoting the game and I don’t like how the strongest clubs are brought down to the financial level of the weakest.
But I love my NRL and don’t think there is any crisis effecting the game at all.
And we don’t need to worry about the loss of Hunt and Folau. The crowds, sponsors and rating will be as effected as when Sonny Bill, Gasnier, Lote, Wendell etc left. Not at all. NRL is all about supporting your club, not following players from team to team or code to code.
October 19th 2010 @ 12:03pm
BIG BEN said | October 19th 2010 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
It is not the crowds, sponsors and ratings you should be worried about. It is the constant draining of the Rugby League talent pool that is quite obviously decaying the fabric of the competition.
How many of you honestly believe the quality of NRL games this past few seasons is equal to 10 years ago?
October 19th 2010 @ 7:12pm
bilbo said | October 19th 2010 @ 7:12pm | Report comment
At least 700,000 people per year, as is the increase in aggregate crowd since ten years ago – increasing by 3200 per game.
The standard is better than ever – the top level is not the concern – it is the middle tiers that are being affected by the player drain. The PD is still a big problem, and needs to be addressed, but by most relevant KPIs the game is going great.
October 19th 2010 @ 7:16am
Crosscoder said | October 19th 2010 @ 7:16am | Report comment
Mark.
Couldn’t agree more.
These same gents who left the code, will show up in a short space of time, and be used as marketing tools to have their respective codes rammed down our throats.
It is the Tongan rl involved in the match,not the Tongan AFL team.And jammy is correct,he has signed for a not inconsequential amount of money to play but more than that promote AFL.That promotion is no doubt concentrated in the Polynesian community(Sheedy has already spelt it out).Therefore any involvement by Folau in rugby league activities, brings in the AFL association.The codes are hardly marketing in tandem for mutual support.
Crying out loud he is hardly low profile.
October 19th 2010 @ 7:44am
Cjpelican said | October 19th 2010 @ 7:44am | Report comment
Hanzo,
Not Gallop bashing. Would be the same regardless of who was in that position. The fact is, how does he still have a job? That was my point.
The NRL needs to start to be run like a business, like the more successful codes, if it wants to grow, not just survive
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October 19th 2010 @ 11:27am
lopati said | October 19th 2010 @ 11:27am | Report comment
Oh Gallop has done real well for his job, a real crowd pleaser: as soon as indiscretions are even hinted at he is there on the spot handing alleged offenders straight over to the lynch mob – that way they get “severely dealt with” in his own words but really its often to have the matter closed, dead and buried before any suggestion that his office should have done a much better job in not letting the issue ever happen in the first place might surface.
October 19th 2010 @ 8:24am
Cracker said | October 19th 2010 @ 8:24am | Report comment
Pelican it should be noted that Brian Waldron was the CEO of the Storm and he resigned days after the salary cap breach story broke.
Gallop runs the governing body of the entire competition and is responsible for enforcing the salary cap. Personally I think he does a pretty good job in a position where you are never going to keep everyone happy.
October 19th 2010 @ 9:13am
oikee said | October 19th 2010 @ 9:13am | Report comment
I dont have a problem with Gallop, but he needs help from a higher source. The game is brilliant now, he has done a good job, i also like him as the face of rugby league . He has grown into the job, but we need direction from businessmen. The ARL has had grass-roots and development on their hands, done alright, but some decisions being made, Falou, Origin, and other items are far from progressive. Almost child-like reactions.
The I.C needs to get up and running, leave the big deals and decision making to this team. Then we can start blaming them.
To be honest, i am sure they will do a good job.
Luke posted the bucket wish list for rugby league yesterday, wouldn’t it be nice to have a bucket list. And also a site to show the growth of the game, well-being, what good is being done, Take Tonga, how good would it have been if we had a site with what is being done to help island nations, their stories, the good mainly. But we have nothing, nothing but news reports to keep us up-dated. Not good leadership right their.