Anthony Minichiello makes a break for the Roosters: NRL Round 26, Roosters v Cowboys, Sydney Football Stadium, Sunday 6th September 2009.
As the 2008 NRL season was drawing to a close, England coach Tony Smith labelled the NRL ‘boring’ due to the wrestling tactics and grapple tackles used by teams. Regardless of the grapple, 2009 proved to be far from boring.
Bipolar might be the best way to describe a season that reached great heights as quickly as it found new lows.
Maybe a horror film with a fairy tale finish might be another way to view a season in which players’ bad behaviour was splashed all over the pages but crowds ticked through the turnstiles and watched on the box in record numbers.
Nothing would test the capacity of cyberspace like the retelling of all of league’s off field incidents, so I’ll gather if you are reading this, you may have a handle on them yourself.
But quickly …
Manly pair Brett Stewart and Anthony Watmough got the tutt tutting and shouts of “Shame” off to a flying start with their actions at Manly’s season launch.
Who would think at that point that things would go so badly off the field that by the time we got to Nate Myles’ infamous incident in the hotel corridor, it would largely be met with laughter at the sheer absurdity of the whole thing.
Myles claimed that he was an unfortunate victim of taking a wrong turn in a hotel room, sleeping naked and a tricky bowel. All of which is like pointing to the 3am hot dog after a stonking night on the turps for your troubles the next day.
At least Myles wasn’t alone in his contribution to charity at the Roosters.
If in years to come anyone happens to look back at the donations the Roosters made to charity this year through their fines, the club may be compared to Mother Theresa, such was the frequency of their alms.
When you have a coach fining himself at a club, and repeat offenders like Jake Friend having their contract extended rather than shredded, it makes you wonder what the hell is going on.
Even after the season, the Roosters are at it again with Sisa Waqa (see what happens when you recruit these troublemakers from rugby!)
But perhaps the best way to put it in perspective is to say that the Roosters had such a bad season they even managed to prevent the Sharks from coming last.
The Sharks went to hell and back, then remembered they’d forgotten something and decided to head back down again.
But memorably, the Sydney Morning Herald decided it would tell the world at large how to fix the Sharks problems with a panel of experts including PR guru Max Markson.
His advice was to change a lot but “Keep Tony Zappia at CEO, he is a good operator.”
Zappia and his shadow boxing promptly gave us the next dozen headlines and also perhaps showed why journalist’s poor pay is often justified.
Yes, off the field it was all about the game getting “another black eye”, which was a phrase that seems to have permanently entered the rugby league writer’s lexicon.
Thankfully, when Karmichael Hunt left for AFL, it was a “body blow”. I was then kept awake for three nights trying to figure out which was more serious.
But despite it all going wrong off the field, it was largely going right on it.
The grapple was effectively tackled (if you’ll pardon the pun, it’s been a long season) and the two referees system looks to be a winner.
The crowd figures proved the game’s knockers and the armchair economists wrong by posting the second ever highest average (16,051) as well as records for aggregate attendances during the regular season and finals.
TV ratings also remained strong, with a record for Origin viewers created from the opening game in Melbourne.
On the field, St George and Canterbury both had memorable seasons in the first 26 rounds before coming unstuck in the finals.
The top eight was then largely comprised of the usual suspects.
Brisbane would have been satisfied with Ivan Henjak’s debut, while the Knights overachieved before imploding as Brian Smith shuffled off to Bondi.
The big disappointments were the Warriors (Stacey Jones’ comeback a damp squib) and the Sharks, both of whom were semifinalists in ’08 and barely competitive in ’09.
The minor premiers became the first team eliminated with two loses since McIntyre began, a big shock given their form during the season, not a big shock that the side in question wore the Red V – surely modern day rugby league’s equivalent of the hangman’s noose.
But while the season seemed to show that the salary cap was creating an even competition, the Melbourne Storm still ran out on Grand Final day. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact I’ve never once read a Storm player saying he’s achieved everything in the game.
Melbourne seems exempt from the Grand Final hangover. Their winning culture has to be admired.
So rugby league goes into an off season with a Four Nations, European Nations Cup and Pacific Nations Cup all looking to build on the foundations created from the World Cup.
With talk of an independent body looking to take control of the game before the 2010, fans of the game will be hoping the code has lots more of the good stuff that was on display in 2009.
And much less of the bad.
StormGal
Guest
Had a wee in a public place. That's all folks
Bam Bam
Roar Guru
I think the French are going to find it hard with the Union over there being cashed up. But one thing you learn in league is that a better product (excuse my bias union fans) attracts people, no matter what the money. Albeit money does help.
M1tch
Roar Guru
AFL rated higher.. But surely the indigneous game for all australians would rate higher than some english product..well thats what we hear from afl people anyway lol For Rugby League to have 4 of the top 5 most watched FTA football matches every year is an amazing achievment for a sport which yes is really only established in 2 states.
Dan Wighton
Roar Guru
Depends on who you ask - there were stories circulating that the NRL one rated higher, and then other stories saying that AFL actually won. AFL does better in 5 city polls, and RL does better in regionals (largely due to the fact that the two RL states have a larger regional population than do the AFL states). I think the last story I read with the latest 'official' figures said that while league rated higher (and not by much), the methods they used didnt include SA and WA regional, so they expect it to rate better overall. In the end, both are consistently in the top 5 most watched programs each year, and the overall count depends on the teams playing, and also on the timeslot.
The Link
Guest
Assuming the regionals figure had > 300,000 more for the NRL GF, then the NRL GF outrated the AFL GF. Can anyone confirm?
The Link
Guest
Didn’t know where to post this but he NRL GF figures are out on Oztam. 5 city metro of 2,528,000 http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/2009/E_20091004.pdf As opposed to ‘initial’ figure of 2,416,000 Up by 112,000 Not sure how this impacts the final figure plus regionals?
Chook
Guest
Mick from Giralang My error. It was Brisbane only that the kids playing league dropped. The introduction of the Aus- Kick and football has taken away a small percent and seen a drop in participation . While the participation rate increased in Victoria up 129% for kids Most league isnt played at a kids level, 77% of the 201,000 odd players are 18 - 27. Kids come into the game later. 23% of parents discourage children from playing league because it is percieved to be to rough. But funny enough there is a higher percentage of children get hurt playing soccer. Soccer and AFL has the highest for the kids attendance in Australia but they come round to league after they turn 18.
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
Totally agree with this. All the big hyped games that the casual supporter watches delivered. There are a lot of people that only Watch SOO and Finals, after seeing such a good orign series they would have tuned in for the other big games. Eels vs Tigers, Titans vs Broncos and Eels vs Dragons. The only really popular team that missed out was souths. If they make the top 8 with the Dragons and Eels then you have the big 3 of Sydney (supporter wise) and it would be massive. I think the fact the games were so good this year means regardless which teams are doing well next year it will be a big one.
Michael B
Guest
Most fans know that the off field incidents only does damage in the long term. Sponsors won't want to associated and therefore loss of $$$. Game cannot exist without sponsors. Only person who can do it is Mundine, but he is a one man band. Besides, people only watch his fights to watch him lose, so he thrives on being controversial You are having a lend of us if you think otherwise. The A-League is a bad example, they are starting off a very low base with regards to improvement of the on field product. They have a looong way to go...
Mick from Giralang
Guest
Chook:" the only draw back is kids participation rates has been dropping for the last 3 years.": Where are those stats from?
bever fever
Guest
Sorry dont agree, league has never had a a worse year regarding player behaviour. You might say that the product is better, that may well be true but the standard of the A league is better this year according to the pundits and their crowds are down the you know what. Men behaving badly attracts attention, big macho men attracts more, the culture of league and men behaving badly rates, it works and i dare say their will be more to come. Everyone pretends to to be indignant but in this PC society we secretly embrace it.
Michael B
Guest
Anyone who knows the game realises that the success this year has been atributed to : 1. Well supported Sydney teams performing well throughout the season 2. On field product has improved since the introduction of 2 refs Chook is just a troll
bever fever
Guest
Totally agree, as i said earlier - who can resist stopping to look at a car crash. Couldn't have marketed better if they had tried.
Chook
Guest
why not, it aint getting better for the league behaviour. There obviously a culture of violence and aint social behaviour, and whislt the NRL make noises about cleaning up the game. Have a look at the statistics, better crowds, more members, even female membership has gone up, more viewers. the only draw back is kids participation rates has been dropping for the last 3 years . But its looking pretty rosey. The media cannot resist a bad news league story. If you can grab the media head line for what ever you do the public love it. Look at the coverage for league at Matt Johns it was a real coup for league. That why the gaem is so succesful because the great drama on the field and off the field.
Tom Alexander.
Guest
Could be a bit of truth in the old saying "any publicity is good publicity". Why are the more voyeristic reality shows like Big Brother, Tila Tequila and just about anything involving Paris Hilton such ratings winners? Voyerism has never been so respectable. Maybe all the moral outrage and indignation directed at the NRL this year are in reality confined to a very thin layer of society. Seriously, how many people when nature called have'nt taken a piss outside of a club or pub. Not everybody flogs their spouse and rightly so, but i bet most people know a friend of a friend who does. I lived in a country pub for over 3 years and i knew that most of the cars parked out front on a friday and saturday night didn't have designated drivers, and the local police knew that as well. So long as people played by the rules and went strictly from Pub to Home it was deemed an acceptable risk. Some things like domestic violence and sexual assault deserve the stigma and punishment they carry, but unfortunately the lines are starting to blurr with most of everything else.
Kurt
Guest
Yeah, that Lance Franklin being assaulted in a bar - what a complete b*stard!
Steve Kaless
Roar Guru
The French are a work in progress to say the least, not sure where they are going with Bobby Goulding in charge. Some positives in the junior ranks and the Catalan Dragons have some good French players who can cut it in Super League. Persistence is the only answer in my opinion, rugby league has too much of a track record of opting for a too hard basket.
Steve Kaless
Roar Guru
Well spotted Alan. You are right, I must admit i figured they were the same bloke such is the rate at which players of Islander descent change their name. Shows you how much I've paid attention to the Roosters on field action this year. The rugby remark was using a fair dose of irony. Even when Union players got in trouble this year they seemed to have a fairly strong identification with league.
prowling panther
Roar Rookie
are you being sarcastic... because thats just ridiculous
Chook
Guest
Todd Carney went to Athurton and I listen to an ABC interview I think soon as he hits the big smoke he will be off again. It the leapods and spots thing. I quite liked the CEO of Canberra attitude hes a great player and we let him run riot a bit but until get get arrested who cares what he does. I was really down on all the league incidents off the field but I have had a change of heart and I think we should embace it as part of the culture.