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Rugby league has come along in leaps and bounds over the past decade. Crowd numbers are on the rise, ratings have soared and general interest in the game is at an all-time high.
There is one worrying sign, however, and that is the number of administration weaknesses highlighted each time they are called upon to deal with an issue – and there have been plenty of them in reason times.
Following the news of Brett Stewart’s not guilty verdict, I was relieved; only to be outraged moments later. In an interview with Phil Gould on the Channel 9 program ‘The Footy Show’, Stewart spoke about the trauma he’s been forced to deal with over the past 18 months, and how he received no support from David Gallop or the NRL.
After this, Gallop (on the same program) claimed that they had tried to assist the star Manly fullback in the legal proceedings, but he turned it down. What troubled me about this was not the issue of who was right and who was wrong, but the complete lack of communication between the two parties.
It is not only off the field where the NRL struggle, but also meeting the demands of the fans concerning on field matters. While crowds are flocking through the turnstiles in record numbers, they are abysmal when compared to the AFL’s attendance figures.
This can be attributed to the higher TV ratings attracted by league, but the enthusiasm of the fans to be a part of their clubs is something that is missing from the NRL, and personally it is something I would like to see become a part of the game in the future.
Also, the scheduling of the games is dubious.
One again, television also plays a deciding role. But the fact that, on most weekends, there are six night games and only two day games, which generally see higher quality football and a higher number of spectators in attendance, is something that needs to be fixed.
How about changing it back to three day games, with another game on the Saturday afternoon. This would please the heads of the networks (hopefully) and also the fans who enjoy getting out to a game of footy.
I’ve only highlighted a couple of issues in this article, but if you have any more you’d like to mention, feel free to leave them below.
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