I reckon it would be a decade since I attended fewer than 100 rugby league games in a calendar year. This year, I might scrape past the 50 mark.
“Might”.
I can vaguely remember a time, in the early 1990s, when I had Saturdays off and watched games on TV or attended with a beer in hand.
But from pretty much the turn of the century, I was a three-a-week man. When Monday Night Football came in, it was four-a-week, for 26 rounds more or less.
The century would come up before the semis, before Vanuatu took on Niue in Port Vila on the way to Malta versus British Armed Forces.
What caused the change this year is only of passing importance. What I want to write about is what I’ve noticed.
But I’ll explain the cause for the sake of thoroughness. This weekend’s grand finalists, Brisbane and North Queensland, I have seen the majority of the home games in each club’s history.
And I’ve never lived in Queensland.
When the papers stopped sending reporters interstate for matches – and that was at least a decade ago now – I kept going by paying for it myself. One financial year I spent $64,000 on work-related travel, leaving precious little to spend on luxuries like food and water.
So that’s why it changed – as well as me generally letting go of obsessive behaviour for reasons I will not bore you with taking a stab at.
These days I go to games in Sydney, I live blog three matches of a Saturday for Fairfax and I go to a game on Sunday if it’s in driving distance so I can perhaps pick up some radio work and do my column more thoroughly.
Whereas I was always Triple M’s sideline eye on a Monday, no matter where the game was, I only perform those duties now if the match is in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra or Wollongong.
And how about this. I was overseas for 9 weekends out of 26 this year and the only impact it had on my income was I could not do radio.
In fact, coming back to Australia after Challenge Cup Final has been a massive loss-maker for me. I should have stayed there – I’m at Old Trafford next Saturday anyway.
What I have learned is that there is almost no advantage for a reporter being at the ground anymore. In fact, it’s a disadvantage.
Do I like going to games? Yes, love it. I love going to the pub too, and if I run into someone I know down there, I might get a story. The odds are actually about even – which makes both destinations tremendously enjoyable wastes of time, 98 per cent of the time.
Bear in mind I’ve been around for eons. I know touch judges and doormen and ground managers and club doctors and they will occasionally tell me something newsworthy.
If I was a kid who was not just trying to get feature stories for the following week, I can’t imagine why I’d go to a match today, the way the media access is.
At the game, the wifi doesn’t always work. Sports Ears, those little contraptions that let you hear what’s happening on the field, used to give you a few stories but now the TV and radio commentators know to be quiet when something juicy is being said.
Last Saturday night I was able to write a story about Johnathan Thurston discussing his injury while the game was still in play, leading with quotes on the siren.
If I had been at AAMI Park, I would ha been too busy topping my running copy to listen to the interview, then I would have gone through the old school routine of asking about it at the media conference and missed hundreds of thousands of readers during the intervening 45 minutes.
Everyone sees the media conference live on the NRL app if they want to. If you ask a question at the presser, I’ll report the answer before you do from the luxury of an air conditioned office, taking a break from my pad thai.
The players are made available, after a night game, around 10.45pm which is too late to get any quotes in the paper unless you don’t bother writing your match report with press conference quotes, which will probably get you sacked.
And even if you do get a player, it may not be on your own. If you don’t get anything different, why are you there?
From the office, I can monitor three radio stations, the TV coverage, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and write story after story, tweeting as I go. The man at the ground is cracking jokes waiting for the media conference to start, looking at his watch waiting for players to emerge from the sheds, rushing back to the press box too late to do a good job on his ‘replace’ (match report with quotes) and spelling the star player’s name wrongly as a result.
The only part of covering a game now that reminds me of the old days is when you’re sideline eye for the radio and you run on at fulltime. You can ask “did he stick his finger in your eye, Gal?” or “Did Shillo get you with the headbutt, Woodsy?” before the media manager gets to them and before they cool down.
That amounts to around one hour and 15 minutes before the print guys get to them.
Sideline eye is still my favourite gig in rugby league media. Cutting video, copying embed codes and writing wry asides from 1457km away is now a clear second.
Is this good or bad? Actually, I don’t care. It’s just the way it is now.
I don’t think I’ve missed a grand final live since 1985. This Sunday, I’ll be in an office in front of the box, embedding tweets and uploading screen captures.
And my competitive juices are flowing once again, in a way they haven’t from going to a media-managed, keep-em-waiting live NRL game in a long, long time.
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
Excellent point. I do think too many journos rely on press releases though. What name do you write under in MSM?
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Ouch. I'd consider social media as a primer. It can get you in the door.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
No, I don't think that is right at all. It is real, very real otherwise it couldn't exist. But it is different, and perhaps, not for everyone.
The Barry
Roar Guru
It's not wrong and there's plenty right about it. Being able to chat about footy around the clock for starters. Cypher: You know, I know this steak doesn't exist. I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realize? [Takes a bite of steak] Cypher: Ignorance is bliss.
Joe Blow
Guest
Its phony superficial interaction, or, what's the term "virtual," as in not real.
pjm
Roar Rookie
You still work for Fox Sports Effeney
pjm
Roar Rookie
Throwing in your wife, that's a bit mean to Steve
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
I started in the industry about 2 years ago and I learnt very quickly to build a network of contacts if you want to get a good story. I rarely work off press releases because what can I say that the press release hasn't?
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Fair enough. Online reaction, true, isn't the same. But I don't think it is necessarily 'worse', per se. Though I appreciate how it could be.
Jason Hosken
Roar Guru
Certainly more friendlier player/fan interaction these days. One of my most vivid memories as a kid was running onto Brookie after Wombat Eadie's last home game. No body cared about the Wests players so I approached Warren Boland for a signature - the head-geared skipper nearly ran over the top of me. I don't think he saw me to be fair, looked buggered after a 30-point hiding. Kids have it easy at todays well organised events, but I know which is better!!
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
Very good point, Paddy. I actually trained as a journo with Fairfax for a while about 10 years ago, but could see the writing on the wall for the profession. Truth is, most young journalists are overwhelmed by the PR machine and never get the sort of real life experience they need. It's all a bit sad.
Mangrove Jack
Guest
yes, mike.....
The Barry
Roar Guru
True. I meant person to person in person interaction. I think online interaction isn't the same. But I readily admit to being old school in this space.
Mike from Tari
Guest
Are you saying EMTV will no longer show all the games.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Are you sure there is less interaction? I mean, with social media, basically anyone can get in contact with anyone, anywhere at anytime. Unless you mean something else.
Patrick Effeney
Editor
Great bit Steve. When I worked at Fox Sports, the norm was for all young reporters to do the work from the office. We could cover 3-4 four games at once, depending on what you were doing. it was great from a productivity standpoint, though I do wonder what the future holds if we're all just using quotes from press releases, and not chasing stories ourselves. Contacts are king.
Mangrove Jack
Guest
ONLY IN PNG, NRL TV RIGHTS IS DBATED IN PARLIAMENT AND IS A NATIONAL IMPORTANCE - THE NRL TV RIGHTS CAN MAKE OF BREAK A GOVRNMENT. READ ON. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Communications and Information Technology Minister, Jimmy Miringtoro MP, has foreshadowed important reforms to cross media-ownership laws in Papua New Guinea in the upcoming session of Parliament. Minister Miringtoro further stated that he was concerned at the way NRL broadcast right were suddenly taken away from a free-to-air television station, which he said is a move that leaves a lot of unanswered questions. The minister said there is growing concern that competition in the communications sector would be crushed if large foreign conglomerates could begin to monopolise the market. "We will not allow one dominant player in the Papua New Guinea communications market as this is not fair on the people of our nation,” said Minister Miringtoro. “Given enough power these large companies can force out the smaller phone, television, radio and newspaper platforms, and then expand to other areas such as advertising. “When one company has a monopoly over multiple media platforms they could potentially take the market for granted and charge much higher prices to our people. “Cross-media ownership structures need to be clearly defined so that competition is ensured in our country and this will deliver better media services to our people. “We already pay high prices that are imposed for Internet and mobile telephone calls. “If a large phone company was able to expand into television, the savings afforded by vertical integration backed up by the deep pockets of the foreign conglomerate, would probably mean the end of any completion in Papua New Guinea media and communications. “It would also mean one foreign company had control over the entertainment, news and sport seen by our people, and would probably see Papua New Guineans forced to pay to watch each NRL game. “The O’Neill/Dion Government will not approve the takeover of our communications sector by a single company, and we will legislate to ensure clarity and competition in the sector.” Minister Miringtoro said he was particularly concerned at the way the rights to broadcast NRL had been taken away from a free-to-air television station and given to a pay television broadcaster. “For decades Papua New Guineans have been able to watch rugby league on free-to-air television,” the minister said. “This works in a developing country like ours as the television station gets advertising revenue from companies and our grassroots people do not have to pay to watch. “Suddenly we find that has changed and now everyone will have to pay to buy a box to watch NRL. “This is a major disappointment for people around the nation and we will consider legislation to ensure free-to-air channels have first right to broadcast significant national sports. “NRL and State of Origin would certainly be considered in such a list of sports. “We will find our what was behind the sudden loss of NRL broadcast rights on free-to-air television.” -post courier
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
Completely agree Steve. I'm currently freelancing across a couple of sites and unless I'm going to the game to purely watch it and then do my media work after, I don't bother. It's much more comfortable to be watching either in the office or at home and be able to write it up as the game goes, using the comments from radio and tv rather than hang around for 30min after the game to get the presser.
catcat
Guest
Interesting article...thanks Steve
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Well then, here we go. More evidence that life changes. Who'd a thought?