Future of the NRL rests in fostering communities

Oh for sure, the other codes do stupid things too, particularly AFL but it seems League just keeps on going and going and going, i don't think football and union are as bad (they're no saints though either). It's a culture that seems not have moved on in the last 30 years whereas other codes seem too. I wasn't saying Hayne was involved in the shooting but i wonder what a pro athlete is doing in the Cross at 3 in the morning? This and the other incidents is the culture i am talking about. They find themselves in these situations all too often. I think incidents in the A-league (never heard any mad Monday stuff there by the way and i love SFC,) and union are less though.

Personally i don't want my kids playing league, of the 4 major codes it'll be at the bottom, why? I don't like the image it has, such bad press for drugs, masogyny, shootings, rape etc. I know this is a minority in the sport but it just puts me off, i'd much rather my kids stayed away, i wouldn't stop them playing if they really, really wanted to but i'd promote other sports if i could.

who gets smashed chris?

Things like that definitely play a role - the Titans getting Chloe Maxwell a gig on a Gold Coast radio (whether they admit to it or not!) was probably a key factor in convincing him to move to the Coast - and also some good publicity for the Titans! But Thurston also said taking up a role with the Indigenous community (now and after football) was important in his decision.

I don't know if that's true for Thurston, I think the fact that his missus is the marketing manager for the Cowboys would have had a lot to do with it, unlikely she would have a got a similar role in Union (well French Union), so they would have had to think about whether it was all worth it for something that may not work out.

Absolutely correct Mitch, the League’s willingness to be content with what it already has is a big factor in the stifling of RL growth in Australia outside its traditional areas. I think a big part of this is league's dominance in Sydney, a city which is often guilty of not caring to look outside its borders ("If youre not living in Sydney, youre camping out!" A la Paul Keating). Having said that, RL has always worked very hard at a grass roots level to gain community support - much of this has been due to necessity as support was harder to come by at the big end of town (which has, and continues to be, dominated by support for Union). But you can never have too much of a good thing, and working hard to engage with communities could become a massive asset in our game – both Thurston and Jennings said their relationship with their local communities (ethnic and regional) were important factors in them resigning with the NRL, despite being offered considerably more to jump ship.

They all get smashed by the Maori's and islanders.

Being content is Rugby League's biggest problem, we've all said it alot but hopefully the IC has more push than the current way the game is managed

Thanks M1tch, everyone will think we are doing enough, but the truth is it isn't. If the stadiums aren't filled then we aren't doing enough. Everyone thinks the old adage "Build it and they shall come" is true, yet I don't see any stadiums filled to the brim every match. It should be "Build community and they shall come." Oikee raises a good point in religion (I'm a Christian myself), and in Acts 2:42-47 the reason Christianity grew so quickly was because of its community (and they were killed back then for being Christians as well). It makes you wonder, we should take some notes on what ideas do work and put them into place. Anyway, it seems there are some who believe League has done enough and it all rests with the community to come out and check the game. I don't think I have ever had the Broncos involved in anything that I have attended - my school, my work, my social clubs, and to think of it, no one ever says anything about the Broncos ever being at an event they went to either. They just don't get it!

Good article Corey, the Poms are doing a better job than us with Bradford trying to involve the Asian community in playing junior rugby league. Disappointing the Broncos havent done more to include the Sudanese community.

The last thing i want to see is parents signing up there babies as members, and dressing these new born in there club colours. Its reaks of brainwashing. To go slightly further, you are conditioning your child to think a certain way, so limiting his outlook on life. Look no further than religon. No thanks, let them grow up to have choice, if they like all things great and small, good.

I know that in Sydney, the Sudanese have their own basketball tournament, and given the dominance of futbol in Sudan, its only a matter of time before the Rovers get in and take advantage of that.

I work at a school dominated by Islanders and Sudanese in Brisbane, there is only one Sudanese playing league, why? First of all no one encourages them to play it, the Islanders usually have the adverse affect on them, and secondly they don't know what the game is about. I don't think the NRL is engaging community enough, if it were crowds would be marching in their tens of thousands to every game, but they are not. In the AMNRL they already have crowds up to 1500, just by engaging the community. Sharks would love that response, and I think they did that last year and for where they are on the ladder get better crowds than Sydney Roosters. So, NO, clubs do not engage the community enough. When you here teams being referred to their symbols (e.g. Storm, Broncos, Cowboys and Titans) then they are just a franchise, not a community based team. When you start to refer to them as where they are at, that is when people start to recognise them as their own - Leadership Principles 101.

Seems many of the AFL players are very upset with the 2 new boys getting all the Dough and them much less. The AFL might have a very very difficult situation developing here. It is called INFLATION where everyone else wants a piece of the pie. I think the AFL tactics of cheap promotion are going to come back with a big bite. Can clubs afford a wage breakout. I feel the AFL might have gone toooo far with this one in the pursuit of publicity in foreign areas. Anyways, it doesnt matter really the AFL has now become AFL INC and has died to many people as a game now its a business.

Good point, the last thing you want is the old soccer league, clubs being dominated by one group, the doggies also were fine line until the club stopped the rot. I have seen a chinese guy in the doggie crowd now a few times. If you build it, they will come. The last thing i want to see is Sudanese grouping together starting trouble, then you have bigger problems to solve. Let them join in as there players become more involved. Its not a race to get people involved, it should be all about them enjoying what they see. Most of the Sudanese that live in my area would be suited to AFL, they all seem to play basketball, very tall.

League already does a great job in engaging with the community, and does not just focus on one segment of the community - these are district-based clubs, not ethnic-based clubs. If the Sudanese want to have a crack at playing rugby league by all means let them, but not focus on them at the expense of the wider community.

I think you will find that rugby league already ingauges with the community quite well, if this was not the case, Lebanon rugby league would never have taken hold. Just on that point, the rugby league 9's under 14's mena tournament was just held in Saudi last week-end. This included teams from Lebanon and Palestine regions. The positive coming out of rugby league players moving to AFL is another plus for our game. At least the NRL has been pushed into action, looking at ways to improve the earning capacity of our players. Should have happened before now. Another thing you have to ask yourself, are the players about to move to AFL, have they really considered what they will be giving up.? I have looked at a quick run down of what Isreal Folou has vertually thrown away with his decision. Given up his chance to represent Australia.(kangaroos) He wont take part in this years 4 nations. No more origins. He wont take part in next years 4 nations England. He wont take part in the world cup England 2013. He wont take part in any future development of internationals either here or NZ. Other knock-on effects, his ability to excite rugby league crowds with his amazing ariel skills and power running, busting tackles and pure running speed over 100 metres, will just become the norm in AFL. Kicking the ball between the big sticks is not what league fans call exciting. So he will more than likely just become another cattle in the AFL, where he will blend in with the rest of the cattle. No disrespect, i use the word cattle every second day on these blogs refering to most league players. Good players required to get the job done. As i mentioned the other day, to me its not a bad thing for the NRL, we have the cattle coming through to replace players like Hunt and Folou, players who we are already getting excited about, but are left in line because of our super stars holding them at bay. Josh Dugan i heard might be the next to go to AFL. I just hope he does not give up the chance to represent his country(and state for that matter) before he goes. I dont mind him going, but mate, dont throw away everything just to play AFL. Anyhow, its good for rugby leagues international game, the weaker, or lets just say, less experienced the kangaroos are, the bettwer chance of other nations rising to the occasion, this could be the kick start international rugby league needs, lets just hope the the roos dont become the kicking boys for other countries. :)