Former Brisbane Broncos rugby league player Karmichael Hunt. AAP Image/Patrick Hamilton
I have hatched a brilliant and cunning plan to help the AFL finalise its quest for national (and international?) domination. Many media experts have predicted the AFL will get around $1 billion for their next TV broadcast deal starting in 2012.
While AFL house will already have ideas on how that money should be spent, I have a better one. Take $500 million and spend it all on buying the best players in the NRL.
Critically for the NRL, they do not sign their TV broadcast deal until a year later in 2013, and as we have seen in the last few years, they are a lame duck until they get it.
They will be completely defenceless to stop the AFL raids on their elite players.
From 2012 the AFL will continue to have its best players on display, while the NRL’s own crowd figures and all important TV ratings will plummet as their top 100 players will be running around in the VFL learning how to bounce a funny little red ball.
Alternatively, if the AFL’s broadcast deal in 2012 suggests the NRL might get around $1 billion themselves in 2013, as many media experts have predicted, the AFL can simply wait until 2013 to start offering contracts to the top NRL players that far exceed their market value.
The NRL can either match the AFL offers just to keep their best players – and in the process be forced to waste $500 million of their own money – or the AFL can still take the NRL players and leave the NRL with effectively a low value reserve grade competition.
But why stop with weakening their biggest rival in the NRL?
I’m sure $500 million could get you the elite 100 NRL players but also the top 10 Wallabies and the top 10 Aussies in the A –League.
With the likes of Johnathon Thurston, Greg Inglis and Jarryd Hayne running around in the VFL with Matt Giteau, Quade Cooper, Jason Culina and Michael Beauchamp, the rival codes TV ratings will soon drop off the radar.
The vast majority of all future monies available in broadcast deals will be swallowed by the AFL and the other codes will need to survive on any leftover generosity from News Ltd owned Foxtel or from the public community spirit of the ABC.
Of course, even the greatest plans come with a risk factor.
While many people in the non AFL states may find the AFL’s decision to use it’s current economic supremacy to drive its competition into the dirt as unfair and un-Australian, we all must remember that while the crippling effect on the other codes will be immediate, the transition for these fans to give up the codes their communities have loved for generations to become bona fid AFL supporters will be a long term goal.
And what the hell, even if it doesn’t work, think of the publicity it will create.
chris
Guest
Rugby be it both codes won't die because in League and Union you can both score trys and kick goals,be it watching it or playing it.
mix
Guest
we should hav a game nrl players play aussie rules then and afl players played league. Now that is a no brainer...then you will see who i far better ,nrl players are the worlds most supreme athletes, afl, union, boxing the nrl should be proud of producing the finest athletes ever
mix
Guest
oh link, there you go again the same old afl arrogance...the afl reminds me of the american government telling people what they want and throwing there ideals around with the all mighty dollar.rugby has 115 member nations and is the second highest team sport participation in the world. cant wait for afl world cup hmmm wonder who will win that one? maybe the amatuers from ireland who play part time.
mahony
Guest
Absolute dribble - every word. The AFL will never make it out of southern Australia, let aloe barnstorm the world. Why don't the AFL just accept that no one cares......
Timelessness
Guest
One thing is for sure, the VFL will be salivating over the prospect of regularly hosting superstars like Hunt and Folau.
JamesP
Guest
Sorry...forgot to add....getting tackled and hit by players coming from everywhere as opposed to right in front of you where you can see, prepare and brace for impact. Give me a break...
The Guru
Guest
I think it was Hans Pieter Briegel. He was a Pentathlete.
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
Forget about players the AFL needs to steal some decent umpires. Lions were robbed!
Jim Wilson
Guest
& murdoch give John I know you article is sort of tongue in cheek but there are a couple of problems I can see with your predictions. The billion the AFL might or might not get for their next TV rights is for a 5 year period. That is $200 million a year. I don't think the AFL would get the billion in one hit at the commencement of the contract. To spend half-a-billion now would mean the AFL would go into hock for $300 million & have nothing from the TV rights to defray other costs. Furthermore most of the elite RL players are contracted to 2012 or beyond. Why would Channel 9 & Murdoch give up their most profitable & popular TV product for one that is ratings' poison in NSW & Queensland. Most of Queensland & NSW have had wall to wall AFL games screened for what it seems like an eternity. Last weekend the Brisbane Collingwood (normally the biggest game of the year) game rated about 115K in Brisbane & the Swans game rated a pathetic 55K in Sydney. That's probably an indication that these people just do not like AFL & won't watch it no matter who is playing it.
ItsCalledFootball
Roar Guru
No, they've shifted their recruitment to the Hills DIstrict because there is little interest in Blacktown. Their marketing research people got a lot of rude responses from the people of West Sydney. :)
ItsCalledFootball
Roar Guru
Favola has joined Brisbane Roar on a $10M four year deal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UYgIdphALE
ItsCalledFootball
Roar Guru
They make decisions to get back page headlines to please their 50% part owners.
JF
Guest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DkPOO2tF0o
jerome
Guest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEiw2_0I4K8
Karlos
Guest
Yep. Buy the lot.
JVGO
Guest
This is undeniably true other than for the key playmaker positions in RL and RU, although you will never get an AFL supporter to agree with you. Soccer gets first crack generally at kids and if they are not an outstanding prospect by 10 or 11 years old they can pretty much forget it. Numerous RL wingers have converted from soccer in their late teens, Colin Best and El Masri for instance. As long as they have the speed and footwork from soccer. Ben Creagh is a forward who came with a big body from basketball in his teens to SOO level. I always think of Paul Kelly when it comes to AFL. He played RL into his teens and was eulogised for his toughness and fearlessness in AFL. He just looked like a typical park football little guy in RL to me where if you showed any fear you would absolutely get destroyed.
Stephen
Guest
Exactly!
sledgeandhammer
Guest
rugby league's biggest problem is the administration. The NRLmakes decisions regarding the game independently from the rest of the RL world, and in a knee jerk way. Where is the long term vision? It seems to be decisions are made on the basis of straw polls carried out by the daily telegraph.
Brissie Kid
Guest
James P said the rugby codes had been SWAPPING players for a century. That is wrong. It was one way traffic for a century. All went from union to league. No one was allowed by union to go from league to union.
Michael C
Guest
who was laughing?? it's the D-T that's reported this. remember, apparently the AFL has no idea about grass roots in West Sydney so how the heck would we know??? ;-)