This is rugby league’s most mystifying question. Hardly a week goes by without NRL boss Dave Smith either making a blunder, or coming up with a bone-headed suggestion.
The latest is handing Auckland hosting rights for the launch of the 2015 NRL season, and giving serious consideration to increasing every NRL game to 100 minutes, in four quarters of 25 minutes each.
Insanity, both.
How on earth will the code benefit from the launch in Auckland? Just because the Auckland Nines will be played as the curtain-raiser?
New Zealand provide one 16th of the competition, hardly a fraction worthy of such a ceremony of importance.
Besides, Auckland and Eden Park are married as the home of All Blacks rugby, where the 15-man code is a religion in a nation whose total population is 4.471 million, smaller than Sydney’s 4.667 million.
If the NRL are so keen to move the season’s launch away from Sydney, Brisbane deserves first call, certainly not Auckland. In fact, Broken Hill, or Bourke, in far western NSW, would be better still if the NRL wants to attract new faces to kick-start the season.
Country areas in both NSW and Queensland have been shamefully ignored and neglected by the NRL. They used to be huge rugby league domains, but have been lost in the telling for decades.
So Auckland is a poor call, but the latest mistake takes some beating.
Increasing play-time to 100 minutes of 25-minute quarters will increase the television take to $2 billion, the next time the contract falls due.
Imagine the boredom of television viewers of the commercial bombardment in the five-minute break between the first and second quarters, plus the third and fourth quarters.
And to magnify the commercial break bombardment, it’s suggested the half-time break would be 10 minutes.
Maybe. Bank on 15 minutes minimum.
Nobody loves watching rugby league on television more than I do, be it Channel Nine, or Fox Sports. But up to 25 minutes of commercials before full-time would be a sure-fire way of diving for the remote.
And notice there’s not much being said about expansion at the moment, one of the code’s touchiest subjects. Perth and Adelaide keep being mentioned in hushed tones, both potential disaster areas where AFL reigns supreme, to be joined by rugby in Perth.
Another Brisbane team, and another New Zealand team, have also been mentioned under the breath, while nobody in the NRL wants to admit that not having a team on the north-side of Sydney from Manly to Newcastle is just plain stupid.
There are hundreds of thousands of rugby league fans in the 166 kilometres between Manly and Newcastle. As it sits, not having the Central Coast Bears domiciled in the NRL at Gosford is giving a massive free kick to the Central Coast Mariners with the thousands of kids in the area.
Launching hosts, more playing minutes and expansion? Forget it.
Clean up the rugby league scrums, the code’s biggest embarrassment, cut out the chicken wing tackles and the lifting beyond the horizontal, then fans will listen.
Rugby league is a great game, always has been, always will be. Pity it’s run by too many who don’t understand what makes it tick.
Birdy
Guest
Naturally the 25 min quarters have better marketing potential , which is what it's all about but the extra 5 min per quarter gives the superior team , in most cases a better chance of winning by building on their momentum. I'm sure it will be mentioned in the book just released about western division in the old AMCO cup .
Birdy
Guest
The biggest point is CC getting a team. If they get a relocated team that's fine , but if they get a team in their own rite , eg the bears, then expect a war from all other areas. Imagine Perth , SE Qld , CQ , NZ 11 , all missing out just for a higher saturation of the Sydney area.
Birdy
Guest
You simply got what you deserved because of what you said. Did you expect everyone to congratulate you and jump on your band wagon? I don't think so. Loosen up and enjoy the game again. But I want you to confess, you at least smiled when you read it
P Air
Guest
Thanks Birdy for your wonderful insight into my life. Unfortunately you are 100% wrong. I dislike Union - always have. The only thing more boring is American Football. I was a centre for my local league team as I was tall and could motor quite well once the long legs got pumping - so your inference of my being a prop forward is a mile off. I was dumped many times, on my back, on my shoulders, and even by some girlfriends, but never on my head - so you're wrong again. I grew up catching the train from Parramatta to Lidcombe to watch the mighty Western Suburbs Magpies. Players had jobs to go to on a Monday - many of them had tertiary education as well. I have seen great players, great teams and fantastic games. My interest in the last few years has waned because the game has become so obsessed with completion rates and error statistics. I stand by what I said - if you have proof showing me that I'm wrong then please feel free to share it with everyone. BTW - I don't think I'll get your help just yet - not at least until you can score better than 0% in facts. Cheers
Birdy
Guest
P air, when you signed in you had the option of telling us about yourself , so let me do it for you. ...... My name is P air cause that's what I look like, , you can already tell I have a sense of humour. My favourite sport is rugby union and I used to play prop, my team friends liked me too as I could push so hard in the scrums, except for the time I forgot to go to the toilet before the game. The other other thing I liked about prop is that I only had one number on my back, having two vinyl numbers made me very hot. The other thing I liked was all the talks we had when someone was kicking a goal, that happened a lot. I like most things, but not rugby league, you see I played it once, and I'm big and strong and this half back dumped me on my head. So I don't like rugby league! ...... So P air you can thank me later for writing that for you. Any time you need help just let me know. Birdy
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Different rules LOL.There are numerous negative rugby league threads on this site ,and there are numerous fans of other codes seeking to throw in their fair share to try and negate any positive articles.Wonder who that could be? In reality just another pot shot in a line of pot shots at David Smith,not once giving the guy any credit for anything he positive thing he has achieved..As if Smith was the originator of the 100minute suggestion.Oh we had the Benji Barba,not knowing Cam Smith, a couple of belated decsions on players who should have been penalised earlier. Smih handled the ASADA issue far better than the mob down south,which is still ongoing.All the ASADA drama in fact happened under his predecessor's watch,rarely if at all recognised by David Lord. NO expansion move is a sure thing,but Perth is a far better propostion than any other non heartland state,as crowd numbers for NRL games have shown,as junior numbers now operate at greater than levels when the Reds were in vogue,and substantial numbers of sponsors are waiting in the wings some already committed .There are also rl people who follow the Force ,because they don't have an NRL team.So I understand there may be a concern in those quarters,namely competition.Especially if the competitor has some success initially. Who would bankroll the NRL team,certainly not the NRL.The club has to show itself to be self sufficient long term,and not be a financial albatross such as the Rebels are to the ARU. The comparison with GWS is laughable.For a start Perth is making the bid to enter, Greater Western Sydney did not ,additionally there was a premier rugby league team in existence in Perth prior. Based on News Ltd suggesting, the NRL launch was out of the spotlight LOL, due to an A League derby.Their moment in the sun,is fading somewhat of late,judging by the crowds.
P Air
Guest
Yep - the great new age of Rugby League. Prices up, crowds down, boring robotic play, run by idiots and played by morons.
ac
Guest
I like the four quarters option !
Cathar Treize
Guest
Bondy, how are those TV ratings going? Heard an A League match on the weekend got 30k on Fox, no other football code in sight. That's a worry? You guys never mention NRL goes up against 2 other football codes. The A league?
Bondy
Guest
fiver Gee the A League goes close though in crowds compared to the market saturation the NRL receives, those figures are closing each year...
Parra
Guest
Rugby league is poised to grow significantly over the next few years after 100yrs of self interest mismanagement. it's quite extraordinary how the game has survived and grown over the years. Now with a commission in place the game can now finally reach its full potential. Dave Smith is the right man for the job.
fiver
Guest
A quick google search tells me A-League average attendance for 2013-2014 is 13.4k, NRL average for 2013 was 16.6k so not sure where you are getting your info from.
In Brief
Guest
Not correct and borderline trolling
clipper
Guest
David - you made the fatal flaw of not being absolutely positive and glowing when writing a league article. You can be questioning and realistic when writing a Rugby article, which you often are, but there's different rules here. I have often said Perth is not a sure thing - huge waiting lists for AFL, even with two teams, and the Force is an established side, even if they haven't been contending, although if they did introduce a league team there, they would bankroll it for ages like GWS, as to pull out would be something they couldn't contemplate. I don't agree with you on the 25 min quarters - could make more of a day of it and please the advertisers, but do agree on launching in Auckland, although after last years disaster with an all Sydney launch and the A league stealing the spotlight with the derby, perhaps anything is an improvement.
Harry
Guest
David, Are you writing for the Tele. I don't envy anyone being head of RL which is why they struggled to get a boss. Player atrocities, News Ltd seeking revenge, bone headed players who make it difficult for the majority, declining adult numbers, mums scared of letting their sons play against islanders - a lot of issues.. Auckland is the new launch site so to scare the other bidders to compete with Wellington. News would like perth for pay Tv subs and to keep the broncs as a monopoly but Stokes owns the Perth paper and Nine is the pauper. Interesting to see no Adelaide bid..
Harry
Guest
Read what you wrote again and yet you are telling Lord to grow up...
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Malcolm X said "If you have no critics you'll likely have no success." and in that vein let's stop attacking David for having an opinion on the decisions. We should focus on his opinions, not his age or qualifications. David, you seem to have a dislike for David Smith using terms like "blunder", "bone headed" and "run by too many who don’t understand what makes it tick". Your arguments lose credibility when you make personal attacks on David Smith. It smacks of a personal agenda against him. If we were asking him to coach NSW or play in the front row for Brisbane, then his background in the military and banking might be a drawback and lack of league nous might be a problem. But his job is to lead the organisation and the skills required for that are learned in many walks of life, not just in league. His lack of understanding of the rugby league "product" as it were, is more than made up for by the numerous executives in the NRL who have the in depth league knowledge. If he fails in his task as CEO then it will be because of his lack of leadership skills, not because he doesn't have a background in league. The best example of this is Nick Politis, who turned the "transit lounge" that was known formally as the Roosters into a premiership heavyweight. He is a car dealer and as far as I can tell never played or coached league at any meaningful level. He seems to have done an OK job.
Rodney
Guest
They don't own the CC catchement, that's part of the problem. The Centurions are ambassadors of the junior rep teams, and they're effectively puppets of the Newcastle Knights. The Knights and Centurions regularly swap players and are closely tied, effectively giving Newcastle control of the CC feeder base. And the Roosters haven't just partnered with the Roos, but the Central Coast RL division. They're very involved in the area and have fingers in multiple pies. Both of these teams aren't going to give up their investments just because the bears would like them to. The Bears are still sitting on a junior patch which they really shouldn't be, if they want to be a central coast NRL team they should be running the Central Coast first, imo. If they wanted to be the central coast bears they need to get in charge of the Central Coast junior systems and they would've preferably set up their NSW cup side in the area.
Aljay
Guest
I don't understand what's wrong with 4 x 20min quarters?
Michael
Guest
Sounds like David Lord is one of those private school rugby boys who arrogantly believe that RU is is for those above and RL is for those below. At 72 I still witness this a offensive ideology by private school rugby nobodies . This is the 21st century David grow up RL is very popular RU is boring