When New South Wales finally ended eight years of misery by officially wresting the State of Origin shield from Queensland last week, one of Australian rugby league’s greatest recurring storylines came to a close.
In terms of significance to the game’s history, the Blues’ Origin triumph is up there with Scott marrying Charlene on Neighbours, Patrick dying on Offspring, and Khaleesi finally doing something other than being a sanctimonious, know-all brat on Game of Thrones (which presumably is coming).
Like The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper and Nirvana’s Nevermind did for music, Origin 2014 put a full stop on one time period and opened the first paragraph on another. If those mixed metaphors have you at sixes and sevens, you’re not alone.
The point is that with the Queensland dynasty over, or at least temporarily interrupted, some of rugby league’s B stories (in screenwriting parlance) now have a chance to shine.
And while most of them are as engaging as a NutriBullet infomercial, they’ve got all the originality of a three-camera sitcom set in the house of your average sickly-sweet all-American family.
Which is to say, they’re bloody terrible.
Fellow Expert Ryan O’Connell articulated much of the malaise yesterday when he suggested ten things the NRL could do to improve the game for the better.
Among his suggestions were the removal of any associations with gambling, a summit on State of Origin scheduling vis-à-vis its effect on the NRL competition, and an acknowledgment of the poor standard of NRL refereeing followed by a concerted effort to improve it – problems that have been inherent in the game for several years, at least a decade, and since Jesus played halfback for the Israelites respectively.
Other tubs that get relentlessly thumped year in, year out include the limitations of the second-tier salary cap, the unsuitability of Sydney’s suburban stadiums for the comfort requirements of 21st-century patrons, Australian officialdom’s apparent lack of interest in the international game, and on and on and on until you’re so worn down by the constant negativity surrounding rugby league that tuning in to the Nine Network at 7:30pm Friday feels like a chore.
Especially when you won’t see a ball kicked in anger until closer to 8pm, but that’s another story.
I’m not suggesting that running a multi-multi-million dollar elite sporting competition is as easy as getting a few ducks lined up and setting them loose, nor would I want to be in the shoes of Messrs Smith, Grant and their various offsiders at Rugby League Central. After (mis)managing a couple of bands in the early 2000s, it’s abundantly clear that my talents lie somewhere other than balancing a whole stack of competing interests while simultaneously turning a profit.
But on a personal level, I know that things rarely right themselves unless you’re proactive in trying to fix them.
While every second piece of rugby league content – visual, audio or otherwise – has ‘live odds’ topping and tailing it, any tough stance on players gambling will carry the foul stench of hypocrisy.
If the 2015 State of Origin series again overlaps eight rounds of the NRL draw, the same decrying of the competition’s unfairness and spate of borderline unwatchable matches will again dominate the discourse.
And if someone in a high place doesn’t do something about the obstruction rule, incomprehensible video ref decisions, and players talking to match officials with the level of respect they’d usually afford to something unpleasant they’ve trodden in, we’ll all be so wrapped up in the inconsequential minutiae that not even the superstars will be able to get the story back on course.
Jimmy
Guest
Agree league coach. The stories in league are endless and every week generates more great story lines. I am calling August the month of positive Rugby League. I will not read any negative league stories for the month of August. Just ones about the great things in the game like the battle between, Broncos and Warriors last night , what a fantastic contest. This and the story of how RL and it's supporters have got behind Alex Macinnon are what I prefer to read about. Crisis, scandal , ASADA, coverup , not for August . Plus it will only take me 5 minutes a day to keep up with RL news, think of the time saved.
fiver
Guest
Definitely some good ones, also Are the Broncos building up to become a true powerhouse again? Are the Panthers contenders or pretenders, will they become west sydneys superclub under Gould/Cleary? NSW may have won the series but when will they have another Johns/Thurston type player, Is Luke Brooks the "chosen one"?
nerval
Guest
Except it isn't.
swamprat
Roar Pro
A narrative is a storey. "Neighbours" is an Australian TV storey about f... all. Like wise the NRL huffs and puffs its self Important chest about a club game played in 2 states of one of our Colonies.
Turnover
Roar Guru
Hi david. I think you mean they're
Leaguecoach101
Guest
Don't follow the point of this article. Starts off talking abut the NSW Blues narrative finally coming to a (glorious) end but ends up whinging about everything that is wrong with Rugby League today (heard it all before). Your headline is about a lack of narratives. What a load of rubbish. Let's talk about the narratives that keep Rugby League fans engaged today. Off the top of my head... Will the Warriors ever come good on their promise and take the Premiership outside Australia? Can the newly humbled Benji Marshall prove himself in Rugby League again? Will JT EVER take the Cowboys to that elusive first Premiership? Will Wayne come home? And probably the greatest narrative in Rugby League history.... When will the Bunnies break their 43 year Premiereship drought and establish themselves as the greatest team in the comp? Those are the narratives. And there are plenty more. The Origin drought - that was just one of them.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
+1 Origin is usually great rugby league and always a great story or narrative. But for a person to think that that somehow means test football can't match it - to say nothing of surpassing it - means that the Origin media circus has paid for that person's ticket. Fortunately there is still time left for a refund.
hutch
Guest
Sbw, foran, g burgess, s burgess, James graham, nightingale, vatuvei, matulino, Ryan hall, matai would walk into origin teams and a heap of others would go close. It's not the 34 best players in rugby league and its not the pinnacle of the entire sport.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Ah, the good old it's not competitive enough argument. Because, of course, one game against England every few years is enough to read into test football's potential... (rolls eyes)
Matt
Guest
Neither would make either side. Maybe the extended England squad but neither would make the 17. RTS and Nightingale (Hoffman at fullback, could switch with rts), and Hall and Charnley (Tomkins fb and Hardaker centre) would beat out Tupou. McQueen is beaten by O'Lauglin, Westwood, Surgess (Farrel and Ferres bench, Gurgess & JGraham props) for England and by Mannering, Proctor, Blair (not great but still well ahead of McQueen) (Harris and Elijah Taylor on the bench)
Darren
Roar Rookie
Time for a cup of tea, a bex and a good lie down Tom?
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Both of those players wouldn't make the bench for the Kiwis, let alone the first 13. McQueen might make the English bench if he was lucky, Tupou again wouldn't get so far as the bench.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
Well said mill
david
Guest
Are you agreeing with me? both those players would walk into the NZ or England sides.
Parrafan
Guest
agree James. Although tuning into Triple big sports breakfast, or the Sunday Footy show actually has some league analysis. I didn't mind the game plan on channel ten until it was canned. Actually talked about upcoming league games.
Renegade
Guest
What? Like Chris McQueen and Daniel Tupou..... please.
Midfielder
Guest
Tis interesting the WC officials are taken away for a few weeks for training ... cost a bomb I guess but overall its what you get back for your investment..
david
Guest
Agreed NRL media is the worst. Andrew Johns, Brad Filter and Darreyn Locker are just not up to scratch.
david
Guest
Did you watch game one of the world cup? There were not to many people out there who were letting the refs off the hook after that game. The quality of wc reffing has been a major news story right through the cup all over the world.
david
Guest
You could but you would be wrong.