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The NRL season opening game last night was once again billed to be a sporting highlight of the year, with the usual media onslaught that now accompanies the game.
For any Channel Nine viewer it’s that time again when we have to endure the constant bombardment of the game into our households.
This aside I respect the game and respect the athletes within it, it is the misguided proclamation of league as the ‘greatest game in the world’ that I can’t stand.
Last night was a shining example once again.
Flicking between the class programming of Rugby HQ on Fox Sports to the Channel Nine commentary was embarrassing – embarrassing for the league commentators.
The difference between a media person in rugby union versus a media person in league is that rugby journalists and former players respect league in the public circle while former league players, journalists and commentators bag rugby at any given opportunity.
Phil Gould, Brad Fittler, Fatty Vautin and the rest continue to berate union as an inferior game. The best defence has always been offense, regardless if it is offensive to other fans.
NSW and Queensland are the key areas of support for rugby league. Outside of these areas that the NRL capture, rugby league is rarely perceived as being a global power.
It is played by the Melbourne Storm, and New Zealand Warriors, and England has a professional league, but it is clear that it is not the number one sport outside of NSW and QLD.
However, while comments like this are regularly received, what spurred me to write this article was the once again offensive comments from the biggest offender in league – Phil Gould.
His comments regarding Sonny Bill Williams’s return to league were so ignorant they were almost funny.
“From where he has been, it will take SBW a while to slot back into a game of such intensity as league,” Gould said.
A club match between the Roosters and Rabbitohs has greater intensity than a French Top 14 final, Super Rugby final, Bledisloe Cup, Rugby Championship, or heaven forbid a Rugby World Cup final? Laughable.
He then went on to say that league athletes are “superior” to professional rugby union stars.
I’m not even going to dignify this with a response.
From here, Gould proceeds to comment that rugby union isn’t the best game to showcase SBW’s skill set.
Hmm. Yet, in the NRL, if a player kicks before the fourth or fifth it’s considered rash and crazy.
It’s also not uncommon for a prop to literally move to the backs. Is it just me, or do positions mean nothing in league?
Phil Gould has once again turned off a legion of fans by appealing to the lowest common denominator.
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