Gee I would have liked to watch those two eager nigglers Will Chambers and Sam Kasiano exchange a couple of haymakers in last night’s Storm-Bulldogs game.
Except at 5.30pm Brisbane time I was still chained to the desk at my weekday job – like I expect thousands of other office drones around the nation would have been.
By the time the second half commenced, I was still on the Riverside Expressway trying to make my way to an appointment.
Lucky I had the car radio on to catch any of the game at all.
“I can’t believe this early kick-off on a Friday,” said one talkback caller, as if telepathically connected.
“I’ve missed half the game already.”
The NRL came under fire back way in November when they first unveiled 6pm Friday kick-off times, equivalent to 5pm in the game’s true spiritual home of Queensland.
Never content to let the sport rest on its laurels, the NRL found it appropriate to trial yet another obscure time slot.
At the launch of the 2017 draw they described it as “family-friendly ”.
That, my comrades, is what you call publicity spin.
Indeed, the early kick-off was so family-friendly that just 8712 people bothered to walk through the gates at Belmore.
When I finished my after-work appointment and arrived home at 7.30pm, my wife hadn’t even realised the early game had already been run and won (nor realised the Tigers versus Rabbitohs game was approaching halftime).
She, like many others in this neck of the woods, counts the Storm as her second team.
She doesn’t mind the Bulldogs either.
They’re two attractive, tough teams who could be counted on for a close contest – one that should have been firmly in the spotlight.
Whoever decided the early Friday timeslot was a good idea, go stand in the corner, turn towards the wall, think about what you’ve done and don’t come back until you’ve seen the error of your ways.
This is only March after all.
At this time of year, bosses still have unrealistically high expectations of a full eight-hour day.
They have yet to have been ground down by the slacking tendencies of Australia’s working masses.
This isn’t October when you can slide out the door at 3pm wearing your jersey with some vague excuse about collecting kids from childcare.
It’s too early to call in a liquid lunch with suppliers that extends into the evening.
And with the toffs in power and Mr Turnbull pinching workers where he can, now’s certainly not a good time to be getting out of your seat early.
It’ll be filled by the time you reach the door.
Even with the hour’s headstart in Sydney, surely the southerners would’ve still been battling traffic at 6pm their time?
One hour is barely enough time to work your way across Anzac Bridge.
I still have PTSD from the last time I braved Parramatta Road at that time of night.
Even if we dismiss the workers, what about all the ‘bros’ who would have been heading to the gym at that time to get their pump on before hitting the pub?
They’d either have to miss the match or turn up for drinks in their skintight tee with embarrassingly flaccid biceps.
There are no winners from this tragedy.
A 6pm (or 5pm) kick-off is one of those unfathomable decisions that reminds everybody what time of year it is again.
Welcome back rugby league.
Big Daddy
Guest
Jono, It should be called the greatest shame of all. This is supposed to be our premier sport in Sydney and we can't get people to go. That's because of poor programming by by NRL. Our game is good but unfortunately poorly administered.
Big Daddy
Guest
Jono, I think Brisbane are probably exception. Good TV coverage and average 30k plus.
jamesb
Guest
Then how do you know that families don't watch rugby league?
Your kidding
Guest
The Newscorp press are taking great pleasure in sinking the boot into nine. All those suckers believing what they read in the telegraph and the courier mail are being told Foxtel is the best thing going. Foxtel is good but please don't tell me they have got the best interests of the game in the back of their mind. They are a business and are chasing subscribers and want the Newscorp owned Broncos to dominate tv exposure. They want this early Friday kickoff to lure viewers away from nine. The NRL need to have the balls to dictate the terms in the games interests. But they never do.
Fix the scrums
Guest
If teams give out too many free tickets or 2 for 1 offers etc they go backwards. Bums on seats are important. If the NRL wants it to look like a small piddly suburban competition then they are on the right track. It is very much becoming a TV only sport.
Big Daddy
Guest
The NRL contradict themselves in everything they do. They put all this money into advertising the game for families and how much the membership numbers are growing and they still get no one to games. The NRL spectators are so 2 faced. Take South's for example - without inglis their chances of making 8 are slim , so you watch their crowds drop off when they start losing a few. As far as early starts as I said earlier they say for families - how can families get organised for early starts as some posters have said. NRL marketing people have never understood how to attract crowds.
Justin Kearney
Guest
Sorry jono. I am just used to reading these exact same style posts by another nickname. I eagerly await your first positive comment about nrl.
Jono
Guest
Every post Justin? I just signed up yesterday. What a very insecure comment to make
The Barry
Roar Guru
"You lot harp on about being the Greatest Game of All..." Possibly the most spurious, puerile and inflammatory sentence I've read...well done.
Justin Kearney
Guest
Depends on your point of view jono. If you really dislike a sport you will always focus on the negatives. Every post you write about the nrl is negative. I suggest you get over it.
The Barry
Roar Guru
The media is on the media's side. Damned media.
The Barry
Roar Guru
So once it started raining the NRL, to avoid looking incompetent, should have moved all the cameras from the grandstand side of the field to the hill so the most crowded part of the ground would be in the background. Ridiculous.
The Barry
Roar Guru
One side of the ground has a grand stand where they put the cameras. The other side is a hill where they can't put cameras. The camera angles are set and the same for every game. In pouring rain most people sit in the stand not on the hill. There's no conspiracy.
Bakkies
Guest
Further to add it may have changed, it costs the Gold Coast 300k just to host a single home game at Robina due to the stadium deal. http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/gold-coast-titans-to-push-for-better-stadium-agreement-saying-they-are-bleeding-money/news-story/cdb96f6ccf3d734ee46562a11ca23854 TV rights distribution money handed down to the club isn't going to meet those stadium costs on their own Poor kick off times that makes it more difficult for supporters to attend costs significant revenue
Jono
Guest
Well Terry you lot harp on about being the "Greatest Game of All ". Its an embarrassing look having nobody watching dont you think if you call yourselves that. Notice how the big sports around the World fill stadiums as well as TV Viewers?
Jono
Guest
JamesB families dont watch Rugby League mate. These are the best times for single middle and older aged males that watch it
Bakkies
Guest
TV rights don't cover for ground rental payments as most teams don't own their own ground. Your own club covers these costs and are dependent on gate receipts. The Brumbies for example need to get attendances of 10,000 just to break even on just a single home game. Throw in other overheads like catering, security, lights, these also don't pay for themselves. People not bothering to attend games makes it a hell of a lot more difficult for the team that you support to make a profit on their home games. Players and officials don't go out and market games to encourage supporters to attend for a laugh. Sponsors fill corporate boxes at home games which support the clubs
Jono
Guest
Dont worry Justin there is no way known that the NRL would undervalue themselves.. Both crowds are pretty pathetic really after all the hype and crap on tv and the media
Richard Maybury
Guest
If you want to know why Rugby League will never expand in Australia - you have your answer right there.
Richard Maybury
Guest
OH, he doesn't. I thought that Nine was the official free to air partner of the NRL. SILLY ME!