Michael Buggy's Roar Profile

Expansion is viable in my view and the game needs to expand back to Perth sooner rather than later in order to generate greater TV revenue. The same goes for a second NZ team

You would agree that the NRL can generate more TV revenue if it has more matches aired in different timeslots. I read something last year which suggested a Perth game every second week could add a further $200million to TV rights. That is a huge incentive. The NRL needs to do this and then distribute the income more efficiently than it is now.

You counter the expansion argument by saying there simply aren’t enough good players. As it stands that is true. However the NRL has brought about its own demise by paying the Hayne’s and Inglis too much relative to the players ranked 20-25 on each team’s roster. To give you two examples of this:

Jesse Sene Lafao (Manly) – said on the Footy show that he has to supplement his NRL income with security shifts at an RSL
Damian Cook (Dogs) got a game in the NRL during Origin last year and when interviewed said that he was a part-time barman

These blokes who have to work are no chance of competing with the superstars who commit all their time to footy. If the NRL lifted the base salary and allowed more players to be full time then those players would be able to fill the expansion teams and compete.

You may say that the superstars are entitled to top dollar to stop them playing Union. In 10 years time, union will be dead in this country because the game can’t sustain itself through TV income. News limited owns Super Rugby and TV rights. Furthermore, nobody is going to watch an Argentinian team compete in super rugby when the games are on at 3am. Blind freddy could tell you that.

Your other point about a shortage of halves, hookers is true but can also be amended by reducing interchange and giving little blokes a chance in what we all know has become wrestle-mania these days.

Otherwise well written mate

Cheers

Why expanding the NRL might not be a good idea

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2015

PS for what its worth I would’ve voted for Folkes and I still hope is involved in an assistant capacity.

Kidwell and Payten will go far as coaches but they are associated with the current drama and therefore must be moved on.

A fresh start will help them as much as it will the club

Taylor appointment groundhog day for Wests Tigers

“there is nothing to suggest that Taylor is a coach capable of guiding any side, particularly one with developmental players in need of stern discipline, to a premiership.”

Mate you write well but you need to cheer up a bit with your objectivity.

Ive watched some really terrible wests tigers sides in my time. I am sure you have as well. The current crop of youngsters is so promising in my opinion that if they stay injury-free blind freddy could coach them to a premiership.

You can find flaws in any of the other coaching candidates, it wasn’t exactly a Group 1 field.

If they win matches to start the 2015 season, all the crap of this season will be forgotten.

max – the refs should be calling held sooner. They have this season I would argue. I can’t argue in favour of referees intervening and stopping the game through penalties when less interchange can achieve the same thing.

Good points Chris. I accept the referees could have greater influence but the idea of “when to blow the penalty?” is very subjective. Altering the interchange allows for a more natural evolution of the game. They can tell blokes to release quicker and penalise them if they don’t. In principle that may work but in practice it just creates a further issue if there are too many penalties.

I didn’t expressly spell out why teams wrestle. Everyone knows its to win the ruck.

All I know is that if blokes were forced to play under fatigue it would lead them to carry less weight around on the field. Furthermore, when they tire the defensive line won’t have the energy to move up in numbers and gang tackle.

Starting with the article, this whole page is predominantly a complaints forum. “Something has to be done” is the predominant theme.

Origin is the greatest thing league has. Game 1 was an experience every footy fan should savour. For this reason how can anyone advocate changing the current set-up?

There is a flow on effect in that club footy drops off to an extent. The only complete solution to this so-called predicament is to abandon Origin. Is anyone calling for a solution prepared to go without Origin? Of course not.

Club footy drops off because of the disparity between the highest and lowest paid players. This flow on effect from Origin can be rectified by lifting the second tier salary cap. If Reynolds and Hodkinson play Origin and their replacement is a part time barman named Damien Cook, of course Canterbury are going to struggle. The second tier cap is only $440,000. That is nothing.

There are many things wrong with rugby league but instead of criticising we should spend more time celebrating everything that makes the game great. If we want the NRL to thrive in 5, 10, 20 years we need to promote and not denigrate our great game

Has Origin stolen the competition?

Origin on Wednesday night is here to stay. It generates too much television revenue as the highest rating TV program of the year. The NRL took a break for Origin in 2001 and the fact it lasted only 1 year reflects the success of the idea.

There’s nothing “Bad” to report on when you consider the consecutive 6-0 thrashings the Socceroos were on the end of late last year.

The turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable.

Two goals, and a lot of hope: Lessons learned from Socceroos' near miss

Football

I agree this is a great review.

At the time of writing, Potter is without a contract for 2015. If he selects Anasta for the rest of the season we will miss the finals and he might be out as well. The media will be saying “If Potter had the courage to make the call on Braith earlier, then the Tigers may have played finals.”

Throwing in a Moses or backing Austin at 5/8 is really a win/win for Potter. We’ll still be flip a coin odds of making the finals and if we miss the finals the media will reflect on the season and say “Overachieved and are building towards good things.” This approach will also earn Potter praise for making a big call in dropping Braith.

I’m becoming more and more confident Anasta is on borrowed time. He’s been hooked a few times already this year during matches.

A letter to Wests Tigers CEO Grant Mayer