There was something palpably different about Sydneysiders’ morning coffee today.
An eight-page lift-out dedicated to…the AFL?
Surely this was a grave mistake? Surely something is amiss? A bad printing run, perhaps?
The back-pages of the Daily Telegraph have long been the dominion of rugby league, but after the ARLC snubbed the Murdoch empire in its most recent broadcast deal with Channel Nine, those days may be changing.
The sporting world suspected Murdoch might be shifting gears when the AFL’s lucrative partnership with News Limited was announced on Tuesday.
“This is a very significant investment for us. We’ve always believed that this is the premium code in Australia – it’s the national game,” Murdoch said.
Just two days later, Murdoch proved he wasn’t bluffing.
The front page of the Daily Telegraph’s ‘Battle of the Bridge’ lift-out
After years of AFL news being a mere footnote in the Tele’s pages, Friday’s edition had an eight-page lift out devoted to ‘The Battle of the Bridge’, Sydney’s Saturday afternoon clash with cross-town rivals GWS.
It raised eyebrows:
No stone was left unturned: Richard Hinds, Eliza Sewell and Neil Cordy all penned pieces, a full page spread on the back promoting the game and remarkably, not a single advertisement on any of the pages.
This wasn’t a PR stunt. This wasn’t a commercial. In fact, underlining that this was purely coverage, with no money changing, was the fact that not a single ad from anyone graced the liftout – except the ones promoting the actual game.
This was at the very least a statement, and perhaps even a changing of the guard.
After Fox Sports was left to ponder NRL’s new broadcast deal with Nine, Murdoch’s vengeance was swift.
First the landmark deal with the AFL, and now rugby league’s premier mouthpiece is, for the first time ever, being invaded by its greatest rival.
To think that Murdoch would be doing this purely out of spite, however is to grossly underestimate the man.
If nothing else, he is a wildly successful and shrewd businessman.
But the NRL forced his hand with their latest agreement and he has put his chips on the sport of Australian Rules.
He has proven time and time again that he’s more than willing to use the Telegraph to promote his own agenda.
Today’s paper shows that this partnership will be no different.
Perry Bridge
Guest
Generally Auskickers - the Melbourne example anyway - get up to 4 free GA tickets to a choice of 2 games. In my family this year with 3 Auskickers we had access to 12 free tickets therefore - across 2 games. As North members we took friends with us to one game and gifted them to other friends for the other game (that we couldn't make it to). In Sydney for GWS - with only so many home games I don't see any issue in offering freebies to the Auskickers pretty well any time. The reality is that through Auskick you generally have either kids of familys that have club memberships already - or - kids who might be the first generation of footy followers in households for whom freebie tickets might be the only way to get the family to the footy.
Richard
Roar Guru
Obviously Murdoch thinks we're all sheep, waiting for the dog to bark so we all know where to run to. His arrogance to frame the news to drive his own agenda knows no bounds. It's why I haven't bought a Murdoch paper in years.
bart
Guest
LOL, well the NRL has been bunkered down in the last couple of days, probably in nein compound.
Nick Nack
Guest
Exactly. It is bizarre why NRL is even on tv outside of NSW and QLD such is the interest. It is just because the lazy tv networks cannot be bothered creating local content. Just cheaper to pump in this foreign northern English game to pad out programming.
Nick Nack
Guest
AFL only needs to kick the rotten door down in Sydney and the whole rotten NRL structure will fall down. This is the final battle, we are storming Berlin.
clipper
Guest
The smartest move he could make is start promoting Soccer in Sydney. AFL is really no threat to NRL up here, but Soccer is really starting to take market share from the traditional areas, especially the Juniors
duecer
Guest
Also to do with only having one breadwinner, so the wife could stay at home to produce and look after all the kids - can't do that now, unless you're happy to rent forever. The PI population still have large families and is a fast growing section of the population, so the NRL is wise to encourage them into the sport.
cm
Guest
Western Sydney. We could start with the assumption it's all the same. And then go on with assumptions about GWS crowds and their makeups and motivations... but you'd just tell me I'm assuming things no doubt. Lol indeed.
bart
Guest
Good post duecer, smaller families also mean kids are treasured more than in previous generations, no longer do white anglo/irish Australian families have 10 kids expecting a couple to die prematurely or from disease which was reasonably common up till the 1960/70's, i remember as a kid that disputes with other kids would be settled by donning boxing gloves or brotherly disputes settled by the same thing, of course as soon as someone gave in or was knocked over no one put the boot in or anything like that. The aspiring whitebread middle classes of Sydney moved away from RL a generation ago.
bart
Guest
I have lived in Sydney and i have played in Sydney, why don't you tell me all these assumptions i am making ?, LOL
Jackso
Guest
Bruce Nine and fairfax papers have done deals before - Stan TV ring a bell?? The NRL games are exclusi ve to Fox whereas the AFL games are on FTA and Pay. Fox subscribers will drop as Nine has 4 FTA games and that maybe enough for most people as is AFL with 4 on FTA TV and subscribers in AFL lands are low. Pay TV is getting used to something - once you have it you dont churn because it is part of the NRL for 20 years and FTA TV is hopeless and Rupe could do a deal to keep the disenfranchised NRL people. Maybe the streaming Stan will do the NRL which may work but u have peed off a mogul. I get Fox so I can watch 4 codes of footy - if there is one less code I will watch the other 3 codes and watch 4 FTA NRL games on Nine...The risk for the AFL is that Murdoch has taken it hard so he is keen to negotiate on RL which means RL can do a hard bargain deal which stuffs AFL - \so dont count your chickens just yet...
cm
Guest
Hey man. I live here. Played here. You and others are the ones making assumptions. Including about me as usual! And myths become reality when left unchecked.
bart
Guest
Nah you are just one angry dude Cuidad, your assumptions are endless and quite often wrong, if it is not a footy team for you sobeit, just move on to what you actually like rather than continually dwelling on what you don't.
Parra
Guest
The superleague war and mismanagement has done a lot of damage to rugby league that it is still recovering from. What it has done from 94 to 12 when the commission formed was give other sports aft and soccer a foothold or market shar given they were better organised etc. having said all that it's remarkable how resilient rugby league is that it can still compete and outrage all other sports on TV. Extraordinary yes but at the end of the day rugby league is made for the small screen and is a wonderful product. Afl regardless of memberships, media saturation, crowds will still struggle to rate higher than league as it's not as attractive to watch on TV. This is why people still watch and love league. It delivers. Dave smith knows this and is not worried. He knows he has a superior product to sell to broadcasters and will ensure the game maximises its value. Further the potential for league is huge domestically and internationally, whereas afl will likely be restricted to growth in new and qld. The future looks bright. I also think all codes have a place in Australia.
cm
Guest
5000 empty seats. Yep. :lol: Not angry mate. Well okay a little bit. :lol: cos it isn't just a footy team. But moreso just willing to call out the rubbish from those literally or figuratively thousands of miles away in AFL agitprop land.
bart
Guest
Wow, you are one angry dude, 19,507 is a very good crowd all general entry tickets were sold, the wings are obviously premium and cost much more, in time they will be sold out every year in memberships. It is just a footy team mate, calm down.
cm
Guest
"from all reports it is close to or has sold out." now is that huffing? Or puffing? Or did you just mistake "had all tickets given away" for "sold out?"
duecer
Guest
One of the reasons for the decline in Rugby League juniors and rise in Soccer juniors has been the increased PI population (especially on the east coast), who tend to be larger earlier. Calls for weight based divisions instead of age have been going on for awhile to combat this, although I think it would be unfair, as this is one positive area for PI families who are usually in harder economic straits. The other reason, of course, is the propensity for parents to wrap their kids in cotton wool and guide them to less physically contact sports. Maybe this is why the shoulder charge ban was pushed through. But make no mistake, each code is after the juniors - they, of course, are the future.
bart
Guest
It is all good, don't get so upset, Bruce can use the lift out for his fish and chips. Stop the huffing and puffing please.
cm
Guest
An 8 page concentration of afl puff may be standard for the hun mf but its simply not the case up here. Especially when there isn't widespread interest (and there isn't). The deal would have been done in the negotiations a while back. Plenty of time to do it, especially for a lift out which doesn't affect the standard printrun. Thing is its all so hamfisted. Harbour bridge everywhere!