Will cost increases spell league's demise?

Right on. Bring back International tours, add the pacific and PNG. SOO is buggering up the premiership and internationals, not to mention the players. Get rid of that player destroying golden point as well.

The NRL shoul;d be cognizant that there are four major codes in Australia ( ok, three and Rugby) and that the fan base is mostly at the lower end of the earning scale. HELLO! They can't afford your prices.

Expansion was always going to kill Origin. It used it be the best of the best now it's not. So many of the best players are from NZ or England and we haven't even touched on when people come from another state.

You can still follow the Bears, always a good day a Concrete Pk. Still, not the same. You've got the best of both worlds, you've moved on but you still appreciate why Floz doesn't give up.

Do go and watch Rugby League and Union any more as can not afford not even watch local Rugby.

Thanks Jase and Johnno. I may well be in your position one day. Keep in mind that the team that I used to support and who helped me fall in love with the game as a kid are now gone and the ground that I used to spend every weekend hasn't hosted first grade in years. But I've made a conscious decision to embrace new things. If you spend your time lamenting change, the rest of your life is going to be s loooooooong haul.

I'd love that, Brin. Even better if it was on the wireless!!!

You blokes are classic. Should get together and do a podcast called 'The Halcyon Daze'...

Epi, will, maybe as you get older you become more demanding and hard to please, or can just compare more with the back in my day stuff. But yep, SOO for me has lost that valuable asset, care factor, no cares who wins anymore in SOO.

Gday Johnno - you've nailed my thoughts and feelings with all those comments...brilliant! Gee, we sound old. I can see Epi having a good laugh with his mates at the 'two old fella's having a sook'. That's the great thing about sport...the memories always get better with time. The Epi crowd will be in our shoes soon enough..I wonder if we'll be belting the keyboards then. Go NSW...hahaha!

SOO has had empty seats before and if they are short they will just give cheap seats to local footy clubs to fill the stadium; big deal same as low crowds this year - Four Nations, Asian Cup, Cricket world cup, Nines, Indigenous, World Club Challenge , off field dramas its as if the RL season never stops, the fans have had more sport this year than ever and need a break, A-league and Super 15 crowds sem to be down as well..

Jason Good point. I reckon a lot of the current SOO fans, are the younger breed. I'd say born between 1985-1995, as opposed to say fans born between 1945-1980. The Broncos, was the beginning of the end for SOO in so many ways, it just takes time, like city v country. Back in the 80's it was a big deal for NSW RL fans to see Wally Lewis etc. Some say SOO with all the loose eligibility rules and definition of being a NSW or QLDer, it will simply be a game between Blue and Red. But like you Jason I don't get hung up on the result anymore, I couldn't care who wins or loses. The game is played at a good quality still, but the feeling means nothing. Such stark contrast to 80's and 90's State of origins. Like you and many others of that time, I use to at high school think all day about the game,I'd count the minutes to the game I'd think about it all day, can't believe I got so excited about the game, 8pm couldn't come fast enough. Same way I used to feel about regular ODI cricket. After school I couldn't wait to get home and watch the rest of the game, and every game in the triangular world series cricket involving Australia was hyped up it felt like a big game. Now it's only the ODI World cup that hypes you up, and that only at the finals stages.

NO .... league will rise to become one of the powerful sporst around the world

I understand where Johnno is coming from - must be similar age. I used to love Origin in the 80s when the distinction between the teams was more evident. Prior to the Broncos, this was the only time we saw Wally et al. I still enjoy Origin, more so for the amount of quality players on offer as opposed to getting hung up on the result. The posts have moved now. For me, Aust v NZ is more relevant. And I'm busting for an Ashes series. I wrote a blurb last year on the origin concept. While ratings are a winner at the moment, the relevance will diminish down the track and Pacific Island nations will need to be catered for. Possibly included in the series or the series replaced by more Tests. Most fans of Origin probably fall in the Epi age bracket and will dictate the format for at least the next decade. http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/07/12/place-pacific-origin/

Overseas players have shown, instead, that there is a future for internationals. Origin means nothing to me. Absolutely nothing.

Epiquin, your right about all that. But to me SOO has lost my business, and I'm one of the die-hards rugby league fans. I've walked away from SOO, they've lost my business, for my reasons given. But clearly at this point in time, they don't care and don't need me as I'm in the minority. Many have walked away from SOO, but enough bandwagon fans are still giving SOO street red and a chance. The NRL doesn't need to listen to my grieving about SOO, as enough still follow it, I'm aware of that. So SOO won't stop coz I don't like it for my reasons, for now it will continue, I wish it the worst and hope it fails. I find it a boring product unlike still many out there at this point in time. I love test footy much better e.g. 4 Nations, and gave it my time and money and went to a few 4 nations matches last year and watched it on TV, so gave it TV ratings.

Johnno, Origin set both attendance AND viewership records last year and were the two most watched programs of the year. It even 'won the night' in Melbourne and Perth. ALL the evidence supports the exact opposite of your argument.

SOO is on it's way out, it's a boring outdated product. NSW V QLD, only 2 teams and 2 states unlike say an Ashes which is at least 2 countries in cricket. Who really cares about a game played between 2 states in OZ. AFL was wise to dump it's SOO, which the fans have shown there happy about, as AFL gets bigger crowds and TV ratings. SOO is going like city v country, outdated. And so many players aren't even true NSW or QLDers anymore, unlike the 80's and 90's where it was overall more true NSW,QLD people, not kiwis like Ben Te'o and James Tamou who should never of been allowed to play SOO, devalued it,same with Fijians like Uate. Overseas players in SOO has devalued it.

Price of Origin tickets are up but club tickets surely can't be any lower. Majority of clubs offer membership options that equate to much less than $20 per game - too expensive...just give it a rest! Sure it's expensive travelling from regional centres to home games in the city - at least be happy with the smaller mortgage. Some of my best footy experiences are the two road trips we'd do from western NSW each season - enjoy what you have. If the origin games sell out, then the market dictates tickets aren't too expensive. If you don't believe they will sell out, wait till the final weeks and get a better deal.

Really dislike how all sports go for TV ratings over atmosphere at the grounds, need to fill smaller stadiums constantly and not just rely on high TV viewership. But the NRL has other reasons to lose fans, like the constant off field issues...