If the NRL format remains as it is, Greg Inglis will be left with a third of his hamstring, one kneecap and no arms by 2019.
Cameron Smith will have two prosthetic legs, one shoulder and a thumb by 2017. Sam Thaiday will be blind out of one eye and using a pacemaker as the 2016 finals series roll around.
Okay, these predictions may be slightly exaggerated, yet they are no more ludicrous in nature than the current season’s schedule in which our rugby league superstars are expected to compete in.
Some of the game’s most talented players may be forced to play in more than 30 physically demanding matches in 2015. Add onto this the two or three weekly gym and field sessions and it is clear that the NRL hierarchy could justifiably be accused of a multitude of cases related to grievous bodily harm. The solution?
Less is more.
Less pre-season matches is the first point of call. Trial games and the World Club Challenge tournament seem quite unnecessary while the highly popular All Stars fixture and NRL Nines competition remain in existence.
Furthermore, the searing heat of the early months of the year is not at all suitable for the sport of rugby league. Every individual club can and will run many training sessions between the different grades throughout the pre-season which can provide the opportunity for brand new combinations and game plans to be formed.
Less NRL matches is next on the cards. The current format of 26 rounds is far too much footy, it is clear that the quality of games drops significantly towards the end of the season as players battle injury and fatigue. This results in many fans losing interest as the use of the wrestle becomes more important than skill, speed and creativity.
A more sensible approach would involve something like 16 rounds with no byes, that way the fans remain engrossed in the competition throughout, similar to the highly successful NFL over in the U.S.
Stand-alone representative weekends should also go. There are three consecutive weekends of gripping representative footy involving a tri-series between New Zealand and a Pacific nations all-stars team, City and Country and, of course, NSW and Queensland.
This should be staged in the middle or at the end of the NRL season. I will also concede that we need to find a way to involve our English players during this period, otherwise we may well lose another Sam Burgess or two.
This reduced schedule would also allow a four nations tournament to be played yearly (except World Cup seasons) as it is essential that the game grows throughout the world. This would also help to deal with the current threat of rugby union poaching our superstars.
Although a lot of you may disagree with the above concept, we can all agree that the current NRL season is far too jam-packed and is clearly taking a heavy physical and mental toll on the players. Feel free to put forward your own ideas and suggestions.
Chris Sanders
Guest
Spot on.We need less NRL games.NFL have got it right.No over kill.
AWOL
Guest
Like Yeah I think this is on the money. Coaches will begin to adopt managerial approaches with their players (EPL Style) and we will still receive the autumn to spring season. Perhaps top 5 contracted 6 weeks exemption following 15 contracted 4 weeks off remaining squad 2 weeks off. They can create greater sized squads (44man) and better depth. Its hard to watch when your star player is out and a young bloke from NYC or q cup gets chucked in and he hasn't been properly blooded. I would like to see 2 divisions (Sydney and australasia) with central coast- norths, perth, central qld,and bris 2 admitted. 28 rounds no byes - home and away within division annual- 18 games and home/away for other division biannual to account for the other 10 games (28 total). I would also like to see clubs play at their spiritual home grounds during rep season e.g. refdfern, belmore etc. as well as games be taken out to regional and international destinations during this time as well. Each club must take 2 games to alternative venues etc.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Watch how the schedule will change once the potential of matches between Super League and NRL clubs is realised.
Higgik
Guest
No economics 101. Basic supply and demand, limit supply to create greater demand is a basic concept. The NFL do this really well, by limiting the number of matches per team to 16 in 17 weeks, then play offs lasting 5 weeks, (including a week off between conference championship and super bowl). This method works well and they get full stadia every week, because it becomes a special event. Think like Saracens fixture with Harlequins in English Premiership, played as a one off game, and gets 86,000 at Wembley, but every other week struggle to get 10,000. It is to do with the event being special that creates demand. I would be for limiting the number of matches to around 20, plus play offs, SOO could be played in the week before final, A bit like the all star game in NFL, with players voted for by fans, and not including players from the 2 final teams.
The Barry
Roar Guru
A January to November season every year is ridiculous.
The Barry
Roar Guru
How did Thaiday lose his eye....? Hopefully not in a cubicle incident with Darius Boyd...
Jayson
Guest
I totally agree with that schedule, there is way to many nrl games. Make it happen!!!!!
Epiquin
Roar Guru
The sad part is that he really does influence the fans. I hear so many people complaining about certain aspects of the game after reading his articles and I think "are you actually upset about that issue, or did Rothfield make you upset about it." One of his worst offenses was last year when he reported on poor crowds. He did a bit of "creative accounting" to show that certain teams' averages had dropped, but failed to mention things like the fact that Souths hosted good Friday in 2013, but Bulldogs did in 2014. he did a similar thing with the Anzac day clash between Easts and Saints. There were so many people on here saying "you can't ignore the facts. NRL is dying and the fans are leaving." and then referencing his article.
peeeko
Roar Guru
the majority of their money comes from their club who wants them to sit out the 4 nations
Kingcowboy
Guest
Eqiquin the NRL have no chance of coming up with a draw to keep the media in Australia happy. I just can't understand how people such as Rothfield have any influence over the game itself. I would rather hear Matty Johns and Gordon Tailis talk about football. I don't agree with everything they say but I don't thin they have hidden agendas. On the others side of the coin I want David Smith and John Grant to run the game. These two and their team are doing great things for the game. They are putting the structures in place that will take the game forward.
Alvin Purple
Guest
What marketing course tells you this?? Sounds more like an economics class whereby there is a need to drive up the prices of products and or services. As far as I can see the NRL is working with Channel 9 to get a better deal for fans. Live games now on Sunday. The SOO needs to be on mid week as this is when it will maximise the audience which was around 4M last year. They as in Channel 9 have every right to ask for the best possible outcome for them as they are the one's putting up the money for the game.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Yeah I hear media outlets calling Souths "one of the losers of the draw." As a Souths fan, I think the draw suits us pretty well. But now everyone is calling us whingers.
Stifler
Guest
AGREED! rep rounds must be in the middle of the season. breaks up the season into 2 halves to give most a break and playing rep games at the end of the season has a sense of "no-meaning" about them. good call here. Now if we can just get a regular Super Sunday with back to back to back live games on free to air, then we really are talking.....
The eye
Guest
This customer wants quality football games,not like the ones dished up during origin,and not grossly unfair ones where the Storm are handicapped out of games with their 'team' with Mal..ditto,Bronx with their pack and Dogs having to play TRex at 1/2..looks better this year,but 2 week break would refresh all players for the run to the finals..
Epiquin
Roar Guru
"Marketing 101 is to create a scarcity of supply." That's not marketing at all! Marketing 101 would be more like "understand the needs and wants of your customers." In this case, the customers want footy games and its up to the numbers men to work out how to give it to us.
Kingcowboy
Guest
Boo hoo. Everything is unfair isn't it. On one hand you get people who say the players are overpaid and get given a free ride and then you get other people saying they are overworked and need more rest. It is what it is. Let's just get the footy started.
Kingcowboy
Guest
I saw Rothfield's headline of how the draw is unfair and lacks integrity which is no great surprise. He just appeals to the fools out there. No draw is ever going to be perfect and people just need to get on with it. I understand that the cows are going to have to travel more due to our location compared to sydney teams. On the other hand we have the advantage of playing in humid conditions up north that most teams are not used to playing in.
Haradasun
Roar Rookie
See my comment above. Too many injuries as league is a brutal contact sport and much tougher than other leagues. There were plenty of superstars that couldn't play for Australia due to injury and see the season out.
Haradasun
Roar Rookie
Yes my view is that there is no one size fits all approach. Just like NFL, rugby league is a brutal contact sport. Players have a much shorter career generally than in other sports. How big is a league squad, 26 players? I am just perusing the NRL casualty ward page and most teams have 5 to 6 players injured from that squad. That is a huge injury list and has a material impact on the outcome of the comp. In the age of salary caps, teams can't afford to run with injured superstars and still expect to win. I don't buy the less money argument. A lot of players could have played on in the international season but instead opted to head off to the panel beaters for surgery instead. There was the carrot of playing for your country as well as match payments, but a lot of players just couldnt see the season out. That would indicate to me pretty strongly that the season is too long. Besides a shorter season would mean less meaningless games and would make each game count more, which in turn would mean more interest in each game, higher crowd attendances and more people viewing each match. In a 24 game season, each team meets some teams more than once and some just once. Souths fex have a horror draw and have to play this years' top 8 pretty much twice next year. I'm not a souths fan, but that is hardly a fair draw.
melbourneterrace
Guest
How does it go on forever? The majority of leagues in the world go on for far longer.