Yesterday the NRL released a 45-minute documentary on the Kangaroos’ journey during the 2016 Four Nations.
While it included a good deal of on-field footage, there was some great behind-the-scenes material, depicting the team as they prepared for each match.
Although it was released on the official NRL website in a fairly understated way, it felt like it would make a good blueprint for where NRL media can go next.
While each club has their own website and media presence, there don’t tend to be many long form documentaries or behind-the-scenes looks at the life of the NRL.
For the most part, we either get comic sketches from The Footy Show or The Matty Johns Show, or training and preparation videos that clubs upload to their websites for promotional purposes.
Over the last few years, the latter have become more and more professional.
With digital technology rendering film-making easier and easier, several clubs have produced shorts that could easily have been expanded out into hour-long specials.
I remember a great Eels pre-season clip that depicted the team training on the Gold Coast. The editing, montage and musical accompaniment were perfectly synced.
Similarly, Souths have taken to using drone cameras to capture the ambience and scope of their preseason training.
If the plethora of American sports documentaries teach us anything, it’s that the strongest sporting codes have a clear sense of their own myths and narrative, and make sure to enshrine them.
Imagine a version of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series that was focused on Australian sports.
Obviously, economies of scale make that much more tenable in an American market.
Still, a documentary like the recent Netflix release Last Chance U would easily work in an Australian context.
Imagine a documentary about a year in the life of a struggling team, like the Knights, or a team that went through multiple player changes, like the Panthers.
Alternatively, imagine a documentary following the reigning champions as they struggle to hold onto their premiership.
For a code like the NRL in which consecutive victories are virtually a thing of the past, that would make for great television.
At the very least, the NRL should aim for longer features along the lines of the Kangaroos doco, preferably with less on-field content.
While watching replays and commentary is great, there’s something unique about witnessing a team preparing for a match.
You can certainly tell a lot about a team’s character from how they perform on the field, but there’s a different kind of insight that comes from seeing them train and hang out together.
It’d be great if the NRL managed to do something along those lines in 2017.
Chook
Guest
Sounds pornographic Epi......
3_Hats SSTID 2014
Roar Rookie
You are an uneducated cowboy Squid, your sharks were definitely gifted its entry as a "CRAPY-LEAGUE" aligned club. They were broke, News Ltd wanted the Dragons but settled for the fourth rate Sharks. Talking about being gifted a Premiership, your sharks received so many leg ups by the officials it bordered on corruption! Both games in '16 Vs Souths your blokes had the rub of the green a try of a knock on at dummy half at shark park won you that game. At ANZ Souths won 12-6 but the refs kept you in it. In the GF, what can we say? As a retired ref, myself your blokes were given about 75% of the rub of the green!
NRLFan29
Guest
They should make a series like A Football Life for the NRL with each episode having a different story/theme
Squidward
Roar Rookie
The NRL gifted souths 2014 on a bell ringing platter
Birdy
Guest
Thanks 3 hats. I have a vague memory of all those events.the league at the time used souths poor performance over a long period as the reason for punting them as well as their so called financial position. A lot of rumours floated around like chooks wanting their territory. The rumour of souths as well as souths juniors going over to union taking all the juniors sponsors everything was also doing the rounds. I cant remember where i heard it. Odviously just a rumour.
3_Hats SSTID 2014
Roar Rookie
In 1999 before Souths got punted Piggins, Politis and Packer had a meeting on a possible merger! At the request of Kerry Packer as he told George back then... "Your card has been marked" George reluctantly went to this meeting! Piggins question to Politis was, "how much say would Souths have in a Merger"? Politis answer was "NONE". George got up and walked out even before the entree was served. Souths Card was marked during the peace process back in 1997. The Politis controlled NRL had no intention of allowing Souths to play in 2000. Now you guys can see why I am pretty one-eyed and absolutely HATE all of the other clubs. 2014 was an "UP YOURS" to the NRL and everyone else!
3_Hats SSTID 2014
Roar Rookie
No mate, NO Merger talks with any club at all. Completely untrue! Souths priority was to stand alone at All COSTS. George Piggins even stated publically that the Club and its Members at the time would prefer to retire the colours than to support any Takeover/MERGER. The News Ltd papers wrote rubbish in the papers about a possible Takeover/merger with the Roosters then the Sharks but both of them were from their respective board's viewpoint, NOT SOUTHS Both were RUBBISH reports! What is true however is that the Roosters then the Sharks and finally the Bulldogs all tried to muscle in on our Juniors and our district. Both the Rorts and the Dogs wanted our kids. The Sharks wanted our kids PLUS the backing of the powerful Juniors Club at Kingsford as the Sharks were Broke. This criterion if it was fair dinkum then the Roosters should NOT have passed the first section on Juniors, they had none, about 300 kids or thereabouts. Souths over 7,000. The Storm, Sharks, Panthers, Cowboys, Knights, Warriors and the Raiders would have failed under finance, they were ALL Broke. Souths had $2.5M in the bank when we were kicked out!
Birdy
Guest
Hi 3 hats. Can you enlighten me and my memory. Is it true tha souths were in merger talks with randwick RU When they were kicked out? Also how close was this to happening and would the souths army have followed.
3_Hats SSTID 2014
Roar Rookie
Were Norths afforded the extra funds to relocate? The Dragons and Tigers received Cash for merging!? About $6M or $8M. I think the Dragons may have received $11M?
3_Hats SSTID 2014
Roar Rookie
Well, Squidward, that goes to show your uneducated ignorance, the Criteria was based on exclusion from the NRL NOT the fight back.
Matt
Guest
Why do you hate them Jeff? As I mentioned above if Arthurson and Ribot had worked together they would have achieved a lot for the game. As it stands they have still achieved a lot for the game.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
The criteria being used by the NRL to decide who stays and who goes was clearly not up to scratch. The Bears had just put money into moving to a brand new stadium in Gosford, but the NRL said they had to go because they had no money. Norths were trying to argue that they had no money because they were relocating but this fell on deaf ears. No disrespect to Cronulla fans and their history, but how can they decide that Cronulla are worth more to this new "National" league than Perth or Adelaide?
Hanrahan
Guest
We also had a war in the 90s where the code split in half - the 1890s when English Rugby split into Union and League. Another great story.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
I would rather read the entire Twilight series than a book about Souths fighting to get back in the comp Is it a picture book anyway?
Squidward
Roar Rookie
I say West Tigers to Perth. Don't even need to change the name
Squidward
Roar Rookie
"Decent reason" was sarcastic and alluding to something sinister this golden boy may have done
Jeff milton
Guest
21 years later i still cant stand Ribot and Johns
Jeff milton
Guest
relocate the roosters, no one in the east deserves a RL team
3_Hats SSTID 2014
Roar Rookie
If you guys are interested in reading a top quality book about Souths fight during the War. I suggest you buy the book called Moving the Goal Posts by Mark Courtney. It is the story on how the NRL and News Ltd... "Limited News" screwed the Rabbitohs. It mentions how everytime Souths made positive inrodes in regards to the Criterion the pricks would change the rules. Effectively "Moving the Goal Posts" Crowd figures at the Roosters run SFS were always 2,000 less than Souths official count. $3M in sponsorship was not included. Why the hell not? Many non TeleCRAP journos were quoted as saying "many decisions being made on the field didn't have anything to do with Rugby League". We played 3 or 4 games where we didn't receive a single penalty. In some games our first penalty was in the 60th minute, the game was over by then. The Penrith Panthers at the time even conceded publicly that they were worried as their figures put them behind Souths. The News Ltd aligned NRL would have nothing of it.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
The decent reason will have to do with the above city and multiple years, hence the "which year" comment