News Ltd must be kicked out of rugby league

Jaceman, Did you read The Australian this morning. A News Limited paper raising the invalidity of the AFL's new media deal. Not quite in the bag eh. Only a few weeks to go until the 'first bounce', 67 drafts of the legislation, no agreement. I'd say the anti siphoning laws are either dead or the AFL's new deal is illegal. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/opinion/siphoning-still-tied-up-in-red-tape/story-e6frg99o-1226256696171 “A new version of the law is needed not least because, some claim, at the moment the AFL’s $1.25 billion, five-year deal with the Seven Network, Foxtel and Telstra is invalid.”

Maybe Jaceman you should have a peep at today's D.T and the nice near full page story on the AFLs next Hollywood TV ad involving Sydney.Folau prominently displayed in the story. Neil Cordy gets to write a lot of stories on his former code,and at the same have a dig at rugby league(not inthis story BTW). Rebecca Wilson has her usual dig at the footy show)(which I happen to agree with). This with a media outlet owning 50% of the code.Heaven help the coverage when they are out. Conspiracy theories? .Yes i have some in mind with that mob,it's called covering all bases. Pottinger is out of another code stable. Robert Moore is CEO of the QRL

Of course Jaceman it's another one of your many media conspiracies got your tinfoil hat I assume when your typing your posts.

Pottinger is out of the same stable as Moore ie News Ltd employee so a wholly staged setup...

Today's Courier-Mail: Our love of league seen on the fields THE start of any new rugby league season always brings with it a great sense of anticipation and excitement. But the buzz and interest leading into the 2012 season is reaching new heights. With the ARL Commission about to begin its charter to nurture and develop the game, rugby league is in a position of strength, from grassroots through to the elite level. All of which makes Paul Pottinger's attack on the code ("Summer rest from league of oafs", Viewpoint, January 5) bewildering to say the least. Pottinger is entitled to his opinion and the publishers of his rant have succeeded in their obvious quest to draw a reaction from rugby league supporters by setting loose their esteemed motoring writer. I won't be drawn into responding to all of Pottinger's ill-informed claims as I believe the qualities associated with rugby league, along with its rich and diverse history, speak volumes already. But, as a custodian of the game, I feel the need to briefly highlight some of the positive aspects of rugby league and reinforce how important the sport is to so many individuals, families and communities. One has to look no further than this time a year ago when many parts of Queensland were devastated by natural disasters. The rugby league fraternity banded together, with state loyalties quickly forgotten, through the staging of the Legends of Origin charity match in Parramatta and many other initiatives. Some of the most generous acts came from small clubs like Sydney's Kellyville Bushrangers, who "adopted" the Theodore Roosters after the tiny central Queensland club was brought to its knees. The National Rugby League showed great leadership through this period. The Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys assisted in clean-up efforts and lifted the spirits of many. A host of Sydney teams and the New Zealand Warriors also turned out in force, with some clubs even paying their own way. Remarkably, all junior and senior competitions in Queensland started on time and this amazing accomplishment was assisted by the efforts of the Rebuilding Rugby League Committee, which generated financial support for clubs and families. Pottinger talks about how good it is to enjoy the "golden silence of January" without "news of yet another player's off-field atrocity". Perhaps things are quiet right now because NRL players and coaches are working tirelessly in pursuit of winning a premiership for their fans. Or perhaps the players are immersed in programs and community work - but that's not significant enough to reach Pottinger's news desk, is it? Educational programs aren't just being undertaken by elite NRL players either. Participants involved in state-based competitions and junior carnivals partake in mandatory sessions covering important life skills while, in remote Cape areas, clubs like the Northern Pride have their own programs that reach thousands of indigenous children. Rugby league continues to embrace indigenous people through initiatives like the highly successful All Stars match held annually on the Gold Coast. The All Stars program also includes an under-16 indigenous representative game that provides a wonderful opportunity for young talent. This year's match could quite easily unearth the next Arthur Beetson. One of the game's immortals, Beetson was such an influential figure in not only rugby league but Australian sport that his death late last year triggered an outpouring of emotion right across the country. The public tribute to him at Suncorp Stadium reinforced his contribution to the game and provided yet another example of rugby league's standing in society. Pottinger also steadfastly insists that rugby league is all about its "gladiatorial" image. But junior league, which accounts for more than half of the sport's participation numbers in Australia, is about fun and fitness and friendship. The Queensland Rugby League is about to launch its junior sign-on campaign for 2012. The slogan says it all, "Great Game. Great Mates. Great Fun. For Life!". More than 45,000 juniors and 15,000 senior players are expected to run around on Queensland rugby league fields this year. They'll be supported by thousands of volunteers - mums, dads, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters and family friends. Some volunteers will have no family involvement, but they'll happily devote hundreds of hours throughout the season. Why? Because they love the game. ---------- Robert Moore is chief executive of Queensland Rugby League

Yes they sure did and it was on the 6pm news .The Sharks have an former AFL player(Davis) as kicking coach,and that has been well publicised.Israel Folau had a nice spread in the D.T with his various coaches ratings on his game from kicking to handball.The Cowboys have employed a former Lion''s player as kicking coach. Tell me why should the NRL have a cross code in house training on their official site.The Sharks and various NR:L teams have trained with cricketers,that doesn't appear. i am sure the AFL site would not have a cross training session between the Storm and AFL clubs such as Carlton etc which has happened. . Yes funny that News Ltd part owners of the NRL have a lot of AFL of late, perhaps that is why Sydney is such a magnanimous and sophisticated city. You are correct should be more of that on the History channel,maybe open an unpalatable can of worms.Wouldn't want that.

Jaceman, How good is that article! This sticks it to those code war warriors and the media creating the tension. Well spotted. Warrington Wolves have taken part in a joint training session with Sydney Swans as part of their training camp in Australia, sponsored by Emirates. The Wolves visited the AFL side's training base at Moore Park and took part in a two hour joint session where they spent time working on tackling technique and ball skills, as well as fitness and conditioning. The Wolves players found the Swans' running drills, especially the 150m shuttle run with a one-handed push-up at each end, were a killer workout on a humid Sydney day, while the Swans players found out just how hard the Wolves hit when they got out the tackle bag. Wolves captain Adrian Morley said: "It certainly gives us an appreciation of just how fit these boys are and how much skill they've got. Our boys got a lot out of it. It was great to come to a different code and just experience what they do.I think the Swans enjoyed it as well, a good exercise for both teams. Some of the drills were really enjoyable and we might include them in our warm up, but we probably won't do the 150m run throughs! "The AFL boys are very fit and very lean. They obviously can't do the tackling stuff we do, and we can't do some of the things they do but it is great to have an understanding and appreciation of a different code and the Swans made us feel so welcome." Swans' co-captain Adam Goodes said it was a great experience to train with a group of professional athletes from another code. "I learnt to stay out of their way when they want to tackle you, that's for sur. I was holding the tackle bag for a few of their boys when they were tackling, and I'm sure they weren't hitting as hard as they can and I still got a couple through to the stomach that winded me. "I think we stitched them up with a few of the 150m run-throughs when they had to drop down with one hand on their chest. It took them a little while to get up. But they are great competitors and great athletes and they didn't whinge or complain they just got out there and got the job done. "I think they appreciate the running and athleticism in our game and we appreciate the strength and the hit and the tackling ability that they have.''

BTW the Swans trained with the Warrington Wolves yesterday and it was on the AFL and Warrington sites but oddly not on the NRL site yet heavily on the News Ltd site.. http://www.warringtonwolves.org/wolves-workout-with-swans-4945 I rate the History channel but not enough shows on the Vichy French...

News Ltd papers write to back their interests - eg the Australian headlines, bagging the Footy Show on Nine so they scrap it and more NRL followers have to get PayTV to watch a NRL Footy show on Fox on Thursday nights - a night when not many people are at the pub and probably not after 9.30..The Sydney NRKL Footy Show ratings are terriblke but good relatively in regional Australia and Brisbane..

I don't know what you are getting at Jaceman.If you believe inaccuracies are confined to rugby league you pay little attention to sporting comments. I will give you a couple of examples of positive accidents, an AFL official high up,made the comment a few years back when the Lions were going well,that Queensland was a football state. When the Storm cap scandal was revealed and there was uncertainty,as to what would happen with the Storm,the then AFL player mgr R Nixon made the comment lets drown when whilst they are struggling.Michael Voss,and Healy have thrown in their 50c worth on occasions,as has Brereton of late.. . Sheedy prattling on about how his code,will become big in the USA because of the numbers of expats in California. Then we got at one stage 23,000 AFL players in sydneys West,when in fact the total numbers of rl players was around that figure.It was finally revealed that was numbers participating in sessions not registered.. We are an indigenous code,not interested in internationals,yet trying to grow the game in other countries. We are only interested in the kids that are not built for rl playing against the Polynesian kids.Yet poach Folau and trying to secure Polynesian kids.Mixed signals perhaps!! Well we certainly get plenty of comments on rl by ru and AFL journos/opinion writers over the years,indicating they have little or no idea.''Played in two countries,will be no 3 code after 2003,all the Russian rl players in the 2000 RLWC are Aussies, the 2008 world cup will lose money,the Storm average less than 10,000,rl is dying,rugby league in France is dying,rl will never catch on in Lebanon.". The blatant lies or stupid comments stick out like the proverbial or are they as you like to describe them "positive accidents".. I will back Master's knowledge of sport( being on the ASC),than Caro Wilson's efforts.Supporting her errors is embarrassing.She lives in Melbourne admits she is not into rl,yet makes factual errors,which Whately and Cassidy have corrected and Masters. Sorry to report ,any missstatement by any journo is wrong.that includes Masters,Wilson Healey,C Wilson,R Wilson,Sheehan,FitzSimons,Carlton,Pottinger,Ritchie ,Rothfield and the list is endless.

I dont know but these positive NRL accidents happen quite a lot. I remeber when they hired Tom Jones as the face/voice of NRL and he said his uncle had started RL in his Welsh home town. The NRL guy said that was a welcome surprise yet I've heard it at least 3 times prior to that - once on Channel Nine - so the NRL knew what they were getting and feigned ignorance. BTW Is it better to have NRL misstatement from Caroline on Offsiders rather than having Masters miscomments on RU (as the only Sydney born rep) as if he knows something about it...

Maximus The review and changes to the anti siphoning legislation are two years late already, and is in danger of tripping up a few media deals already. Changes to the legislation were introduced to parliament in late 2010 and require changes to the broadcasting act before being fully enacted (so to speak) The first bounce of the AFL is only a couple of months away and the Fox Sports deal is illegal as it stands at the moment. Senator Conroy and his offices incompetence could lead to the collapse of the proposed changes and News may well be arming themselves for a review of the situation. As mentioned elsewhere, the AFL's media deal is far from being in the bag yet.

It does seem very odd timing but perhaps League articles trigger increased sales

Boom You quoted a Conroy article where News said he was in trouble. I think News are trying to get the anti-siphoning legislation changed and help his mate packer get the ban on doing casino betting from Australian casinos lifted on the Internet and maybe a few other things as well (NBN, etc). So no vested interest here!!!

Jaceman. Settle down my friend. The figure as per the show has been laughed and cringed at in rugby league circles.We are not that naive.The same ABC that did a wonderful investigation into rl player behaviour a few years ago. The same ABC that has the Offsiders ,better known in nthn cirles as the AFL appreciation society. There is not a chance in the word ,that Mr jones could have been confused with the total viewing numbers whatever.Not a smidgin LOL .Evidence of what a confused Welshman or a rl official with a beer or two too many ?.So one assumes one does!Unless Manly has its own Mike Sheehan. At least the NRL minder(funny no name mentioned) whoever that happened to be,did not advise him figures of 4.2billion or mention about how we are going to get a player from China(the latter doing the rounds of late),despite the fact the local city has a large Chinese population. Or mention that the Storm would be lucky to average 3-4,000. It happens regularly in rugby league in your experience,it happens in other codes in my experience Fitzsimons/Sheehan/Foster..How's that for a ledger balance?. He got one thing right, Sydney is indeed one of the great cities of the world. Keep digging I am sure you will find errors,both for and against the code.Mr Pottinger has proven he is indeed prone to the latter. Broooom !.Brooom ! BTW if Mr Jones wanted to see real top notch marching girls, the Mermaids are the ones to which others aspire.

Jaceman As we've seen recently with the Governments "Malaysia Solution" and Apple vs Samsung, Contracts together with the legality and applicability of the clauses are subject to legal challenges and tests. As it stands at the moment the AFL deal is legally flawed. I can accept that so called "trigger clauses" may apply for the new legislation but given the delay in getting proposed changes (it's only been 14months since announced - and these where to be introduced "soon") the whole deal could collapse like a deck of cards in "frustration". Senator Conroy is walking a tightrope at the moment currying favours from various media and sporting organisations (In October and November last year alone he accepted four tickets to the AFL grand final, two tickets to the NRL grand final, double marquee invitations for Derby Day from Emirates, Lion Nathan and Tabcorp, as well as a ticket to the Presidents Cup golf tournament royal suite.) If he doesn't get off his arse soon, he may well find that his world of complimentary gifts could disappear under his mismanagement of the broadcasting act. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/links-iwth-media-moguls-put-commonications-minsiter-conroy-in-the-rough/story-fn59niix-1226243006734 Have also attached a link to Frustration if you're struggling with the concept; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frustration_in_English_law

Jaceman. Yep probably too much TV what with sport,docos ,history,business channel and politics both local and the US .That's why I got involved in pay TV.Nat geo and the History channel are two of my faves. I have a quick peek att he NRL(wink wink). I like to be informed,as i spent too much time locking scrums in my past life.

Jaceman Seeing you are so observant and follow my posts like a airport sniffer dog,January at last reports is not mid winter. And secondly I asked not a question about Pottinger.I spelt out where his lies ,inaccuracies and his bile lay.Perhaps your deep knowledge of rl history may have also added to the criticism.

The difference is Pottinger wont write on RL again but Masters will still write mistruths about the AFL...

So the AFL, Seven and Foxtel lawyers are all wrong - the last 5 football deals have had a Pay/FTA mix...You can construct a contract so there is onselling...