Why I've fallen out of love with rugby league

So what is so good about rugby league?

To the brave people that have destroyed Rugby League. Please could u just stop pretending and just change the name u could call it handball. You have changed Rugby League so much just change the name and be done with it stop pretending. It is no longer a game were everyone had a position it is a spectacle. Boringly slow, were nobody respects the rules everyone has to cheat.why does this spectacle favour fat and slow players over small and fast players.Some players have to play 80 minutes every week and some just play 40 minutes every week it seems to me everyone's playing a different spectacle. I stopped pretending this spectacle is the same great game I loved and played. So please,please just change the name not the rules then u can stop pretending.

I'm clearly a bit late to the conversation here. I've been living in the uk for the last 4 years and have returned just in time to see Mitchell Pearce acting like a massive pork chop, which has led to me doing a quick google on the state of rugby league since I left. I play soccer and have always played soccer. But rugby league has been the number one sport to watch on TV, go to games and give shit to your loser rabbitoh's supporting mates about. It's the sport that we'd always talk about at soccer training, even when the A league came in and we were all supposed to get behind it. I agree that the commentary is woeful. Phil Gould has a lot to offer the sport but his commentary is not one of his many strengths. He over analyses for the viewer. It's like watching what I'm sure the coaches go through with the players in sessions through the week after the game. He and at times other commentators take away the immediacy of the action. I also have felt the creativity of the sport has disappeared. Drive forward then contest the kick. No need for footwork, no need for passing skills. All you need is a bloke who can kick and a bloke who can jump and catch. The constant rule changes do nothing but suggest the game is flawed at its core and needs to be revised in order to fix it. But as a kid in the 80s I don't remember the game being flawed at all, except maybe for spear tackles. The crowds at matches have always been fairly ordinary. The chants are quite frankly pathetic and rarely is their a decent atmosphere. Back when joey was setting Newcastle on fire with his brilliance the fans would just chant new-ca-stle. Does anyone really think that's good? But it's fairly minor because when the game is good the fans are abuzz regardless. I went and saw Boca Juniors play in Argentina a few years back in a fairly boring 1 all soccer game. Probably one of the best nights of my life, which shows what a passionate crowd can do, even if the game is ordinary. The elephant in the room has to be competition from other sports. I personally think the a league has some of the same problems and I rarely watch it on TV. I used to go to games occasionally and enjoyed them more than rugby league matches. The crowd is smaller but makes more noise, but I also liked them because the a league was played in summer and it made for a nice day out. Living in the uk I started to get into union. It's way more interesting to me now I've started to understand it more. It is ready made to capture the hearts and minds of league fans. It used to be that league was the peoples game and union was for private school tossers. I'll tell you now, where I'm from at the grass roots league is for arrogant wankers that are doing their best to embody the jock mentality in the states while union is for the working class blokes who work hard and play hard. The local union and soccer clubs (and recently afl clubs) have fantastic club cultures and great relationships with each other while the local rugby league club is an embarrassment to the region and largely alienated by the other codes. I know the same is true in a couple of the neighbouring towns. I work in a school that has produced a few great nrl players and the kids now are having to make decisions on whether to go to an nrl academy or to the swans academy and nrl just cannot compete. I'm at the point where I hope Rugby League dies. It's not going to go back to the glory days. The new breed of players and fans are arrogant tossers. It's a sport that attacks the other codes, who don't particularly care, because it knows it's on its way out. There are better options out there and the nrl is just wasting stadium time.

I just think it's boring, run up get tackled, repeat over and over. I used to love it too but it's all choreographed by the looks of it, not like the excitement of pre super league or early to mid 90's

I am still a religious every-game watcher (Eels fan for the record, but not one of those crazy get a new jersey every year, Parra mug at work etc fan. I have following them for over 30 years, it's nice when they win), but it is tough. I have been starting to go off the game every since the referees started telling the players what to do. " Isaac movement". "Ryan get up" "Andrew use your feet" "Anthony off, off" etc At work, if I do something wrong, I will fix it and learn from it to make sure I don't do it again. If a player is lying on an opposition player, just staring at the ref, don't tell him to move, penalise him. It is not the ref's job to coach the players, tell them how long they get to wrestle and lie on players. I hate that so much, when the players just stare at the refs, waiting to be told. Blow the whistle, then blow it again. They'll learn

I don't understand your beef with the themed rounds, every sport has them and it shouldn't logically affect your enjoyment of league. You couldn't even single out a round and address why it was bugging you and did the exact opposite explaining why you liked two causes to save your hide. But apparently there's too many of these rounds? What about Indigenous Round sir, should that also go to buggery because it didn't make the cut in your poor excuse for a gripe?

i agree that tallis, johns and fitler should never have been allowed to commentate, but the whole aussie boy culture in league is pretty healthy, i remember playing under 18's, and it was the best time of my life, playing footy with youur mates, going to the pub afterwards, i know their are alot of dickheads around, but rugby league represents the laid back young aussie, always has and always will.

Mate the whole working class thing is still alive today, trust me, heaps and heaps of kids are still coming through being plumbers carpenters, there is heaps and heaps of young working class kids in the country mate, and its how australia is and always will be, just like england, nz and the u.s.a, there is always that difference between classes, and it comes through in sport definetly, especially in england with soccer and rugby, i do agree that i would like to see league appeal to more people, but its roots will always be in working class suburbia and country.

I forgot about the Souths song! They get it Souths - they always have, and thanks for the reminder.

Games I go to in the NRL include a game prior to the main game such as the Holden Cup where you see amazing talent, or a Q Cup like before the recent Cairns game. You can go to a game for as long or as short as you want. Also nothing beats Glory Glory is you're a South Sydney supporter.

I am a Bear supporter, so I will try and be constructive.... I should disclose I gave up on NRL when my beloved Bears were kicked out, but I watch Origin and still enter tipping comps for fun. Rugby is my chosen sport. It's ironic that since losing my Bears in the NRL, AFL has exposed itself to me and I have taken notice. I have made some observations over time about how the AFL 'do' their sport, and I think the NRL can learn an immense amount from the AFL or other sports: (1) AFL knows Grassroots: they just know what to do, and the amount of development officers all over the place is staggering. When I worked in Cairns and travelled through Cape York, I would regularly see the AFL development car driving down dusty roads to remote communities. Just an example of the stretch that AFL has in this country. (2) Tribalism - I think the NRL is still recovering from Superleague where it lost its identity. Poor management and confusion, still infiltrate the game. Its fine if you are a passionate fan from your chosen club, but from the outside looking in its clear the NRL thinks its something that it is not - get back to basics you fools, and re-engage the fans. Its improving, but a long way to go. (3) Competition format - see point "2" above. Introduce a conference system for the following regions: NSW/Vic, QLD, NZ. Introduce more teams to each state and spread the players. Each year, have a conference system, and at the end, the 'championship' play-offs. That would focus the attention on each state and local area, introduce more teams, and spread the 'love' around each conference. Sure, I see some problems with this as well (salary cap) but gee there would be some great stories coming from this (bring back the Bears). (4) Non-tacky bogon entertainment at games - the AFL games are a joy to attend. The whole day is a celebration. The old-school anthems for each team (note NRL, I have never heard a team song being played since I was at Bear Park), the relaxed atmosphere, the family atmosphere.... I love taking a paper to the AFL, and taking my time.. for league, its all about 80 minutes. I remember, like the author the good old days where reserve grade was the entree, and you didn't feel rushed to cram in for 80 minutes. It actually reminded me of the AFL games I now regularly attend. NRL, you have lost your way. (5) KISS - keep it simple stupid. The NRL are over-complicating things, and their management are misdirected in their attentions - I don't know where it went wrong, but I feel there were some bad decisions made about the future of the game at some point and these continue to be compounded. See points above - forget about commerciality for one second, and think about buidling long-term interest in the game over short-term gain. Bigger picture please NRL, stop pandering to TV and commercial interests. So there you have it - a few points as to why I don't follow this game any more, and a few hints for the NRL to follow.

I'm tired of hearing the foul language on field, its not a good look for the game, especially when its trying to attract more family's to it. The players that let all the curse words go should have a look at how union players conduct themselves, they are a lot more mature and behave like men, when things don't go their way they just get on with the game, not act like whining brats with toilet mouths. Any player swearing loudly, should be sin binned for ten minutes, to set an example for kids.

"...Dave Smith’s biggest concern should be that NRL fans are not being replaced by new fans as younger people switch to soccer and many people from overseas who move here don’t feel any desire to follow the sport as perhaps once they did..." What is your proof that younger people aren't interested in RL? Have a look at the TV Tonight site. The younger the demographic the better RL rates. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/league-the-big-prize/story-e6freyar-1226274125269

I note the call up of Slade to cover the loss of Dan, Here is hoping he will vary his kick offs from sending the ball well into the opposing 22 metre line, thus presenting the opposition with valuable possession. The Aussies made a meal out of that strategy til someone tipped at the interval that short kicks to about the 10 metre line offered the possibility of a 50- 50 contest for possession.

You would rather watch a bad game of AFL than a good game of NRL? I'm pretty sure your on the wrong tab then and really should be on the AFL tab then. A good game of most sports beats a bad game of your favorite sport.

Contested possession isn't suppose to be part of League. I don't know why fans of other codes use this as a criticism. The game isn't about contesting possession in every play. It's about building pressure and making the defence tired. Or as the defence it's about slowing down the attack and minimising their space to move and making sure that when its your turn to get possession you are in good field position. Some games are a boring overly defensive arm wrestle, some games are open and free flowing attack. That's just how it is.

Done a conversion $160 is €110 still bloody expensive. I was going off the older rate of a couple years back to get the €140

'All these costs have been converted to AUD for like comparisons. I went to the club websites for these prices not some micky mouse knock off retailer.' €80 is seen as the highest price at point of sale for Rugby and League. That is regarded as too high and you would be a mug to pay more. As a side Manure jerseys retail at €65 here in store for the latest shirt sans name and logos. Name is about €10 extra. That's $93 without the name and that. Far cheaper than a Wests Tigers, State of Origin, etc jersey that often don't sell without numbers and names. You wouldn't pay much more than €80 for any Rugby international jersey. No club and provincial jersey costs that amount of money (that is more the NRL level in comparison). The latest test Rugby shirts often range at around €80 at release price. Occasionally they are released at €65. Retailers in store cop that €80 is expensive for a test Rugby jersey so it drops to say €60 for an Ireland one. Even with shipping to Australia from a traditional retailer online you are saving a lot of money. With the amount of Irish in Australia there is a market there but why would they go down to Rebel Sports and pay $160 for an Ireland jersey. At club level Munster has one of the highest European Rugby sales in regards to their jersey. Usually starts at €65 in store for the latest release. I have seen them on sale at €45. Their polos, jackets and hoodies retail at about €45 and are excellent quality so you don't have buy new ones for several years. In comparison the full price of a Brumbies or Tahs jersey in Australia in store or online is $160 so you are discounting from a very high base. The quality of the rest of the Brumbies merchandise is ordinary. I can imagine the Tahs is better due to their kit supplier. At pointless conversion that's €140 for a jersey. Exorbitant. If I was to buy one I wouldn't touch an Australian website with a barge pole. You can get them in store here for €60 full price. NRL shirts on sites that do sell them are around €50 for the latest one (such as the marvel releases). Why on earth would you drive to a shop in Australia or purchase from an Australian website when you can get it delivered to your door for far less at $100. The $136 you paid at the Manly store with discount is still too much. I just went on to the Brumbies site the full price of the jersey is $155 and that is before postage which is about $8.50! The ARU charge about $9.95 for Australian domestic postage on their site. I can imagine it's similar for an NRL site. To go to a traditional sports shop such as Rebel in Australia you have to pay for petrol and parking. You would have to be a mug to buy an NRL or Rugby jersey in Australia. Daylight robbery.

Whether having contested ball is a good thing or not is a matter of opinion, but the reality is that in rugby league the contest has been removed. Striking at the play the ball, stripping and contested scrums have all gone. The game is less 'messy' but more predictable. In rugby union, the contest for possession is still very much alive at the lineout and the scrum (particularly this year with the new law interpretations). At the breakdown if the attacking team makes a bad decision they will be penalised, but I will grant you that it has developed a league style formula. Nevertheless the opportunity for a turnover/ counter ruck is still there if the defending team is good enough.

Here is an interesting passage on union & the contest of the ball from a site called Rugby Reloaded: " A contest for possession? August 12, 2012 This post was originally published on rugbyreloaded.com on 6 May 2010. Former Scotland rugby union coach Jim Telfer's grumpy dismissal of last week's Murrayfield Magic contained one of the classic myths of rugby union: Some aspects of rugby league are worth noting such as good passing, angles of running and organised defences but rugby union has far more variety especially in the contesting of possession such as scrums, lineouts and ruck and maul. Of course, if you don't think that the essence of rugby is passing the ball, running with the ball and tackling the player with the ball, then endless stoppages for the ball being kicked out of play or for set-pieces to formed possibly do offer an attractive form of 'variety'. But, like beauty, rugby aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder. The real problem with Telfer's statement is that the 'contest for possession' in rugby union is essentially a myth. This is confirmed by a 2005 statistical study - 'Changes in the Playing of International Rugby over a Twenty Year Period' - that compares union international matches played between 1982-4 with those in 2002-4. The report demonstrated that in the 2000s: •13 out of 14 times the side in possession retained the ball at the breakdown. •9 times out of 10 the side in possession retained the ball at the scrum. •8 times out of 10 the side in possession retained the ball at the line-out. The report's authors conclude that 'the contest for possession is largely predictable if not almost wholly guaranteed' [my emphasis]. It also finds that the 'contest for possession' didn't amount to a huge amount in the 1980s either. Then, the side in possession retained the ball at 88% of scrums, 83% of breakdowns and 58% of line-outs. Ironically, the report found that in the 1980s, sides with the ball turned it over on average once every six breakdowns - pretty much in line with league's turnover after every six tackles! But in the 2000s, the ball was turned over only once in twenty-three breakdowns, suggesting that possession is more evenly distributed in 'one-dimensional' league than in 'ball-contesting' union. Typical rugby league propaganda, you might conclude. And indeed it does confirm league criticisms of union rules. So who was the author of this report? None other than the International Rugby Board"