Sorry Gynge, but the NRL does not 'need' SBW

SBW is the man. All you haters can go to the toilet and eat some of your own crap. I m over ingles, thrust on, smith, gallon, etc. my kids don't call out there names when they play back yard footy . SBW is a super star like benji, folau. Origin don't have all the best players eg s burgess, Hargreaves, SBW, Bromwich, b matulino? I had a massive G F party at my place and we weren't there to watch manly or anyone else but SBW. So eat that you eat arsses. I represent millions out there. Ps I have friends and family in Melbourne and New Zealand who only watched the game coz of him no one else. My cousin here from the islands doesn't even follows league and has never watched a game before, but knows of SBW. Loves Union but still hates league. So just keep hating and live the awesome lives you are living because SBW really cares what you think. Beeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaatchesssssssss

all your clowns are just jealous of SBW and BF as well you cannot even dream of playing these sports at this level. So many Neville nobodies in one place with nothing better to do but bag others who are superior to you

what rubbish the vics dont support rugby league only die hard ex pats and kiwi's do as any other football code(league/union) other than football(soccer) is foreign to them and holds no interest at all. Sydney is different as there is support for all the 4 football codes( league/union/afl/football(soccer) ) if they mention Melbourne is the sporting capital again i will throw up as this is total rubbish. If the Swans get their best team on the field as they had a big injury toll this year(2013) and with the addition of BF they will win the flag and if SBW signs on again the Roosters will go back to back. A Sydney double awaits in 2014.

Nine paid money to Keep Andrew Johns in RL but he was an Aussie so hard pressed to disagree and it wasn't Gynges clyb...

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-kicks-12bn-goal-20110428-1dz2g.html Note the last paragraph where games will move to Seven mate in the 2012-16 deal Nines contract ended at late 2012 but came in early.. Seven mate launched the GF in HD in 2010 but since then haven't shown HD AFL - just like Nine and RL... NRL has 3 games on FTA just as before the anti-siphoning as the AFL had 4 -If NRL expand I guarantee the extra game will be on Pay If he was the average Wellington teenager believe me RL was welcome to him.

Franklin would offer more value for money if he had been signed by a Melbourne club for what he brings i.e bums on seats . He simply doesn't have the profile in Sydney that will bring people through the gate.

Silly article. These guys SBW and Franklin (& Folau) are exciting athletes players and when I'm deciding to watch on TV or go to the game I'll go to the game if players like these guys are on the field. Long time supporters go whatever but these players provide the excitement (revenue) the games need through their excessive ability. Many other players may be better value but don't have the excitement factor so regularly.

Seems purely an ego thing - some high-ups are scared if they lose SBW or some other high profile player, it makes them look second rate to whoever snares them - or on a national game level, RL "looks" inferior to union or the AFL, because a high profile player leaves, and the NRL can't hold onto them. A bit like some girlfriend dropping you for another guy. Then some commentator jumps up with the dumbest, nonsensical patter of "the NRL can't afford to lose another high profile player like ...." Bunkum. Thurston, Inglis, Slater, Jennings, Gallen etc etc are still playing, as are any number of up and comers who will be super stars in a year or two

Lets see. NSW and QLD got a full afternoon of league whilst the rest of Australia had a Ricky Martin / Jessica love fest, before a tackle was seen. Again no respect. FYI Seven Mate started with the AFL Grand Final back in Sept 2010 and it took until round 5 last year (last week in march 2012) for us to see league regularly - so nearly three years is a fair assessment - not "recreating history" and much much closer to the mark than your 2012 assessment. http://www.afr.com/p/business/marketing_media/seven_unveils_digital_channel_for_Wm38Dyoi7MNiLgYxFXKkrJ Conroy allowed the AFL a clean run and the legislation still today is massively different for the AFL as against the NRL so no level platform there. We don't need examples of where Nine have attempted to produce puff pieces for it's beloved AFL suffice to say, I'd be surprised if your average teenager in Wellington became an instant convert to the Victorian code. As to you bagging Nine, your employer will be pleased.

spot on!

Dead wrong on all accounts. Stop pretending we are at war with other codes. Some people like Rugby League. Some people like watching tall men drop a piece of red leather for like 4 hours. That is just the way it is. Stop making them into businesses. Whatever happened to liking your sport because it is fun and enjoyable. I am sick to death of the fabricated war between codes, more than I am sick of Gus telling us which kid he really likes. Yeah Gus, we know. You told us last week. lets just all enjoy our own sports. Our sport isn't great because Sonny Bill plays it. For chrissake he is a wart on the edge of NRLs chocolate factory. I could name at least 100 players I would rather watch than him. And you know what if they all stop playing tomorrow there would be a hundred more. The true greats of our game played for bloody half time oranges and a couple of rounds at the pub. Proof that money does not make RL better is all the commotion over the billion dollar deal with 9. Where has it gotten us? Apart from the most ordinary year in a long time. No shoulder charge, no biff, terrible refereeing, out of touch commentators, boring predictable game after boring predictable game.

Nahh Bro, It's like all about doing it for your friends and that hey. I can't make a decision at the moment cause if I, like, think of one thing I will forget something else hey. Like if your holding onto four kiwi fruit and you try to grab another one, but then one falls out.

+an infinite number of numbers

I forgot I bagged 9 above and Nine have spent money to keep players eg Andrew Johns, Slater, SBW so they have supported RL...

Shoulder charge at will???

Soapit The eyes point was that Slater handed it to the Kiwis what NSW man did???

My error - I meant the games were on at the same time in NSW and Victoria. Its the RL problem that they dont do a deal for more live games. I think you are incorrect on the 3 year aspect. of digital channels. Seven only starting showing games on the digital channels in the 2012 season as digital TV was not pervasive before 2012 and Conroy didnt allow it.. So in fact you have recreated history. I'll give you plenty of examples where Nine has bagged the AFL so as to keep RL prominent. Brayshaw and McGuire this week. Nine news crossed live to Wellington after Swans v St Kilds and interviewed a 14 year old kid amongst a group of adults who said it was OK but League is king in Wellington. You wouldnt interview a 14 year old kid without knowing what he was going to say and "RL king in Wellington" would be a surprise to the thousands of Rugby Union and Phoenix fans. Most people complaining about RL on Nine object to Tom and Gus and fatty but still watch the Games although very few watch the footy show... BTW I think Up periscope is terrific but it needs more crusher tackles, ear biting and testicle grabs...

I will be listing to Roy and HG while watching the game tonight. Just need to sync it properly by live pausing either the TV broadcast or digital radio a bit to get the sound in sync with the vision. I did the same with a Lions Rugby game this year when the TV vision was ahead of the on line audio of Roy and HG commentary. Just hit pause on the foxtel IQ for a few seconds and then it was in sync. Listening to CH9 broadcast footy kills me.

The real joke with Gyngell trying to publicly exert pressure on the NRL to relax the rules and allow SBW to stay at the Roosters next year is that he does it for the supposed reason of being "good for the game" when in reality he has a blatant bias given his connections to the Roosters. Gyngell is a long term Roosters fan and was a director on the Roosters board for a period. There is no way he has not instructed his staff at Ch 9 to put on the "SBW show" that we now see masquerading as a Roosters game day NRL broadcast. It started in the first game of the year with the embarrassing pre match garbage and then the SBW monologue playing to vision of him waiting to get on the field. Gus and the boys know which side their bread is buttered on so for the rest of the year they all gushed at everything SBW does in a game. All this results in a not too subtle push over the season to make the average joe schmo think that SBW has been the saviour of the NRL in 2013. He has been good this year - no doubt. Plenty of other players around him have helped put the Roosters on top. The exit of some big name non performers like Anasta etc hasn't hurt either... I wonder how important Gyngell would think it is for SBW to stay in the game if the NRL announced some salary cap concessions for the Warriors in order for SBW to go and play in Auckland next season to build the NRL brand in NZ. Or as a marquee player in a new Wellington NZ franchise.

+3 the trouble with the channel 9 coverage is that the old codgers calling the game are under the mistaken impression that the people have tuned in to listen to them making fools of themselves. If there was a rival TV coverage, they'd be gone.