As a NRL-loving Brit I read loads of articles on The Roar and on other sites and am genuinely confused by this doom and gloom laden picture I am constantly being bombarded with about the great game.
Our old Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, could be talking about you lot when he declared: “Our people have never had it so good.”
I guess context is everything and you must understand how dire the state of rugby league is in the UK.
Open up our national newspapers and you’d be hard pressed to see a mention in the sport’s pages of the game.
In some papers women’s rugby union, American sports and yachting will all get more column inches even though they have far fewer professional or amateur participants or viewers.
Being a northern sport, untouched by the interest of the wealthy, it has second-class status. Oh how giddy I get when I see tomes of writing in your papers.
Your administrators are all a load of clueless duffers apparently but we have this nailed down.
Witness Bradford Bulls going into administration in 2012, 2014 and finally folding in 2016.
The RFL in their wisdom decided that poor governance shouldn’t be a hindrance and fully reinstated them again back into the fold this year.
Well, they do own Bradford’s stadium so I guess they needed someone to pay the rent.
They also have a head coach that is not allowed to coach! Geoff Toovey wasn’t granted a work visa but mysteriously is still on holiday in Bradford all this time.
They surprisingly did do one good thing which made league fans simultaneously drop their bacon sandwiches on the kitchen floor by taking the national set-up seriously.
Wayne Bennett was brought in at a fair expense to bring about change. He organized a mid-season England training session abroad but this was cancelled by the RFL at the last minute as the parochial interests of the clubs took precedence.
We love to triumph a bold new direction as long as there is an understanding that no change should actually happen.
Your players are rewarded handsomely which is only right for such a brutal and skilled game although there seems to be discontent nearer the low levels of player in the NRL.
In the 2016 World Club Challenge the young Leeds halves of Sutcliffe and Lilley were up against Morgan and Thurston. They were on a combined annual income of £30,000 a year.
Seeing that to rent a one bed flat in a stabby area of South London costs a grand a month please just be happy your players can afford food!
The main reason I would watch NRL over Super League is the wonderful coverage you get and still you seem to have it in for Gould et al.
The knowledge, humour and ease your boys have over us is embarrassing, (perhaps with the exception of ‘Blocker’ Roach who is a living example of why lax concussion rules in the old days were a foolhardy thing).
We have the combined commentary power of Eddie Hemmings, a man whose knowledge is in a race to the bottom with his humour and the two old meat heads, Barrie McDermott and Terry O’Connor.
These guys are an out dated stereotype of what a Londoner assumes a northerner is. In your currency it would be having two Les Pattersons in the commentary booth.
But even worse is the camera work. Imagine watching Test cricket but you miss the first ball of every over because they are showing a super slow motion replay of last over’s forward defensive shot. It’ll drive you insane.
This is league on Sky. All flow and momentum (and enjoyment) is lost due to pointless replays. Watching the NRL is thrilling and enjoyable but I just end up shouting at the TV with SL.
Coming from the Old Dart I know about negativity for a good reason, cut me and I bleed despondency and grey clouds.
This is not your territory, this is not you. Rejoice in the fact that you have a game that is on telly, that is splashed across the media, that is a glorious spectacle.
Justin Kearney
Guest
The qustion remains as to why the mods let this peanut get away with it?
Justin Kearney
Guest
Good old clip. The afl fan boy at his most boring. Derailing another league thread out of pure spite!
Justin Kearney
Guest
Hi craigo. I think led medley is the new id of the fraud who promise you the origin tickets.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
And if the situation happens to change Clipper for SOO3,.one will expect you to be honest and forthcoming ,giving your usual admission.Or maybe not.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Led Medley is just Mathew Stealer & whoever he was before that. I see he brought me into this conversation even though until now I haven't even read the article. Same person who trolls me on twitter & facebook. Get a life please.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
So true, I would never have imagined that I now watch more NRL on my mobile than a TV, it's just the way my lifestyle has changed that has seen this phenomenon
Craigo
Guest
@Led Medley OMG you are back. I've upset you Led Medley by pointing out the true facts and I'm sorry. The best thing you can do is stick to the Rugby Union & Football pages on the Roar. Well...Maybe not the Rugby Union pages they are pretty depressing reading. Maybe just read the Football pages it's a big game OS. Or be like clipper and learn everything about Rugby League so when you write a post you don't embarrass yourself so much.
Craigo
Guest
@clippper How about those ratings for SoO in Adelaide 102,000 and Perth 139,000 on FTA and they don’t even have a RL team!! The NRL would be pretty happy with that. Thanks for the Heads up on all things Rugby League clippper you must be a closet fan.
Led Medley
Guest
Craigo wouldn't know what sport is the Australian open. Typical Leaguies its Rugby League and nothing else. Hence why it continues to go round in circles
clipper
Guest
Neither of us can predict the future, Crosscoder, but as it stands the original comment was incorrect.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
It may well be only temporary Clipper,so I know you will be watching in anticipation.
clipper
Guest
Craigo - the Australian Open final is the highest rated sports program so far this year, just to correct your claim that it's SoO..
Craigo
Guest
@Crosscoder LoL!! That gent was full of it. Never got any SoO tickets. But I would of been shocked had I got the tickets. He was just trying to big note himself. Sad guy. feel sorry for him.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
BTW Craigo.Did you get those so-called ( "8 free SOO2)" tickets from a certain gent, who shall remain anonymous, mailed to you?
Craigo
Guest
@Led Medley Mate, I picked you for a Rugby Union guy hiding behind the A-League banner. Your Union is dead so you need another sport because you are to embarrassed to say to follow union and you hate that RL is taking any junior with talent. "thats the pinnacle of your sport State of Origin" And doesn't Australia Love it!!! "The A League is probably the 40th ranked League in the World and gets bigger regular season crowds then NRL" You are embarrassing yourself. I love proving you wrong!!!! ATTENDANCES for A-League 12,650 in 2016-17 ATTENDANCES for NRL 16,142 in 2016 http://www.austadiums.com/sport/comp.php?sid=10 The NRL is the second most attend football code sport in the country. Great game last night looks like more BILLIONs coming the NRL way!!! Looking Forward to game 3 and so is AUSTRALIA!!!!
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I believe Led needs to keep up to speed. One of the first responders to this thread was an obvious AFL fan, who bagged rl crowds ,and he is hardly alone. A Mr C Foster and a Mr Hill from the A League perspective have no problem having a regular snipe at rl. And of course Mr Medley initially had a go at rl on this thread,suggesting it can't grow ,as no one is interested. Then he made an ignorant comment stating only Australians played in rl comps in other countries.Which is false.Sometimes it pays do do ones homework. You reap what you sow ,with the responses you receive.
Led Medley
Guest
You really do believe all yhe hype dont you Craigo? Its bloody scary.. By the way you're the one who says im a soccer fan. Whats wrong with following 2 or 3 sports mate. I know Rugby League fans think its the be all and end all but remember Craigo, thats the pinnacle of your sport State of Origin. It doesn't get any bigger.The A League is probably the 40th ranked League in the World and gets bigger regular season crowds then NRL. Take Broncos out of the Comp and id hate to see the crowd averages.. So in this article you've attacked Rugby Union, AFL and Soccer like a good true Leaguie
Craigo
Guest
@Led Medley LOL!! Not only was the game a sell out look at those TV ratings!!! #Origin Game 2 had a national average audience of 3.483 million (5 City: 2.380 mil/Reg: 1.103 mil) last night. National Peak 4.013 million Adelaide 102,000 Perth 139,000 on FTA and they don't even have a RL team!! Thats the growth of Rugby League we love to see. Football would never get those number in Adelaide and Perth and they have A-League teams.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I don't know whether Led Medley or Lead Zeppelin is a new moniker from the same old mob who haunt rl threads, suffice to say he has displayed the usual ignorance about rl so typical of these try hard posters. FYI if rl is only followed in Nth England and 2 states of this country, what on earth is PNG (pop 7.5m est) where rl is the national code doing? All walking the Kokoda Track apparently with no interest .Seriously your obversations are clueless. Again you have shown little idea as to what rl development is /has taken place overseas.Thus the only growth you perhaps recognise is ,ego.Talk about insecurity. Then he waffles on about" desperation to keep up with soccer or ru" internationally.Reality check ,growing a code is not an act of desperation but a natural progression for any code to expand its borders ,in a world that is shrinking due to technology.
Craigo
Guest
@Mickyo The drop in FTA TV ratings can be explained here. Sorry! Origin delivers record audiences for Telstra as fans switch to Mobile https://decidertv.com/page/2017/6/20/exclusive-origin-delivers-record-audiences-for-telstra-as-fans-switch-to-mobile-telstra-origin