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When Todd Greenberg said during the week that the NRL had to “grow up”, he was right, but for the wrong reasons.
Trent Barrett and Shane Flanagan were obligated to attend press conferences after their games and, amidst the disappointment of being eliminated and a number of contentious refereeing discussions, they spoke their mind.
Neither would dispute that had their team played better, the result would have been different. However, there were a number of questionable decisions and, like it or not, they affect close games.
Flanagan and the Sharks got a $30,000 fine, while Barrett and the Sea Eagles are $20,000 poorer.
Fair enough if there is consistency. Unfortunately, consistency is one area where the NRL needs to grow up.
Let’s take a step back to September 2013 when, on the Sunday, the day after the Cowboys’ loss to the Sharks, which featured a try on the seventh tackle during the first half, Johnathan Thurston unloaded:
“You can see it, I’m not the only one that can see it, it’s there for everyone to see. While Queensland dominate at State of Origin level, New South Wales is crying out for something and they seem to be getting it. State of Origin is killing the game, no doubt. It’s what the media wants, and fans in New South Wales want – South Sydney and Roosters grand final. That’s what the game needs, they’re crying out for it. If you’re playing for a team outside of Sydney you’re fighting up against it, no doubt about it. The boys feel it, we all feel it, it’s tough.”
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This was the day after the game, not 15 minutes after full time. The NRL took no action against Thurston as, according Greenberg – then-head of football – “at no stage was there a reference to the integrity of the officials”. The quote doesn’t mention officials but the inference is clear.
It’s easy to understand Thurston’s disappointment then, and the Sharks and Sea Eagles disappointment now, but the penalties handed out were very different.
One can only hope that if a player or coach says something similar over the next few weeks, he needs to make a sizeable payment. We will see.
Greenberg also made the remark that comments by the coaches were having an impact on rugby league’s grassroots. Unfortunately, poor attendances last weekend and reducing player numbers in Sydney would suggest that the grassroots are already very dry.
Junior participation in Parramatta, Canterbury and some of Sydney’s western suburbs were down more than ten per cent in 2017, and first-time participants were down as much as 20 per cent. The only Sydney region where participation increased was the Sutherland Shire, perhaps on the back of Cronulla’s premiership.
The NRL announced an emergency package of $100 million in May, but it needs to be targeted specifically. Where rugby league is losing, AFL is winning, with participations rates across Sydney on the rise. AFL’s grassroots campaign in Sydney schools, the regular club training visits by players, and the success of Greater Western Sydney is clearly paying off.
The NRL also needs to address the huge influx of Polynesian families into Sydney, especially western Sydney, over the last decade. There have been pilot programs based on weight rather than age in recent years and these now need to be rolled out where necessary.
The final area where the NRL needs to grow up, or at least be accountable, is expansion. The recent cut of the Western Force from Super rugby gave the NRL a real chance to talk to Western Australian business, and fund a team in Perth, making the competition a lot closer to truly national and further hurting rugby union in the process.
The fact that Andrew Forrest is now funding a rugby union competition that may actually keep better players in Australia is a substantial opportunity lost for the NRL.
The Titans’ license is for sale and the likely winning bid for a second Brisbane team is a step in the right direction. However, it may be a number of years before the NRL get a better chance to expand in the west.
No one is suggesting that Todd Greenberg and the NRL have an easy job; there are clearly a number of challenges on a week to week basis. However, rather than firing up at coaches, there are a number of areas where the NRL needs to go to the next level.
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