The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

DAVID GALLOP: This is the most significant season in NRL history

1st March, 2012
Advertisement
NRL CEO David Gallop speaks to waiting media. AAP Image/Joe Castro
Expert
1st March, 2012
124
5222 Reads

The Roar exclusive: When Newcastle and St George Illawarra run out at Hunter Stadium tonight, they will open the curtain on perhaps the most significant season in the game’s history.

A capacity crowd of 30,000 fans will be there in a fantastic modern stadium to witness two clubs that between them represent so much about where the game has come from and where it’s going.

Each club is a powerful symbol in its community. Each team has its own unique character.

Between them they feature a multi-million-dollar private owner, a first-year coach and one with an incredible history in the game. There are club legends returning home, established stars and exciting bands of rookie talent.

Across all 16 teams right now, and among the members and fans that follow them, there is a nervous anticipation about what is to come.

When I contacted the sixteen coaches to wish them luck in the lead up to tonight’s game, the common theme among those I spoke to was how close the competition would be and what a ride it would be to the finals.

Fans and players alike will all go to matches believing that their team can and will win each week.

They will all marvel at the sheer brilliance of our players and know that each game they are going to see something breathtaking on the field.

Advertisement

And they all share the one dream of wanting to win the Telstra Premiership Grand Final.

Yet, for all they have in common, the richness of the Telstra Premiership comes from the sheer diversity of where those dreams come from.

From the heartlands of Sydney, all across Queensland, to New Zealand, Melbourne and regional and rural Australia, rugby league is a game that crosses social, cultural and economic divides and brings people together.

It is a game where the colours that members and fans wear in support of our teams are as vibrant and varied as the people who wear them – yet all who wear them are united by their love of rugby league.

There has been a lot of talk in recent months about the game and other codes and what the ARL Commission will bring.

Let me be clear: we are in a competitive market and we are always mindful of our competitors.

But one of the first things you need to do in such an environment is to fully understand your own strengths and continue to build on them.

Advertisement

We need to look at what we can improve going forward but we need to understand the strength of the platform we are working from and be confident of where that places us.

As we look across 95 matches in Sydney this year, 192 matches across the competition, and the countless spectacular individual moments those games will provide we have a stunning reminder of why so many families and children are being inspired to join our great game and to continue supporting it.

The simple facts are that more people are playing the game than ever before, more people are watching the game than ever before, and the game they are watching is more exciting than ever before.

Does that mean we can sit back and relax? Of course not.

We need to ensure we continue growing the game and we need to ensure we are able to maintain our strategic direction across all facets of the game.

That is why the ARL Commission is such a significant step in this season and I welcome Chairman John Grant and his fellow Commissioners. I look forward to the many opportunities we have ahead to continue building our game.

The Commission isn’t here to change the world overnight.

Advertisement

But change will inevitably flow from it and it will be in the form of a more co-ordinated game-wide decision-making process and already we are seeing the Commission is willing to make decisions and already they are working on building future revenue streams, particularly through our broadcasting rights.

I remain confident rugby league will achieve a substantial lift in its television revenues and that it will have benefits for players, clubs and the wider game.

Those benefits, however, will need to be measured to deliver the best result going forward.

There is a lot of opportunity ahead for rugby league and there is an enormous amount to look forward to right now this season, starting tonight.

That is why everyone who loves rugby league should go out and become a member of their team.

It is why you should talk loudly and proudly about the game you love and the moments that capture your imagination. It is why when we look at the tens of thousands of children who play the game that we are reminded that rugby league is game about local kids becoming local and national heroes.

It is why I look forward to seeing you at a game this year.

Advertisement

In this series, John O’Neill (Australian Rugby Union), James Sutherland (Cricket Australia), David Gallop (NRL), Andrew Demetriou (AFL), and Ben Buckley (FFA) all share with The Roar their thoughts on the year that was, or will be, for their respective codes. Read the full series.

close