Last week, in the space of five days, I attended one NRL game at a stadium, watched four other NRL games on TV, drove three hours to watch a mate play a country semi-final, coached two training sessions and wrote three funding applications for my team.
Because my wife hasn’t divorced me so far, I even had the temerity to wake up in the middle of Saturday night and go and watch the Challenge Cup final live from England with a mate, getting home around 3am.
I then tried to wake up in time to watch the full USARL final live from Atlanta, but only caught the end.
Obsessed much?
I use all this to preface what I’m about to say because I don’t want to look like some curmudgeonly critic who enjoys denigrating rugby league without having any real stake in it.
As much as anyone, I hate reading those columns by blokes who rarely watch a game from outside the press box, have never tried coaching or playing, but love to run the game into the ground.
Regardless of my fanaticism however, if you break things down dispassionately, it’s hard to rate season 2017 as a shining light in the history of the NRL.
Going into the final round, average crowds were at their lowest level since 2004; this coming after last year’s finals series attendances were down 13 per cent on the previous year.
Melbourne has been runaway minor premier, which is fantastic if you’re a Storm supporter, but a bit boring for everyone else, even if they’re an admirable outfit.
More disturbingly it felt like the competition split into ‘finalists’ and ‘also-rans’ at a very early stage this season, save aside the Dragons who have helped maintain some interest to the end.
Of those in the lower half, it’s been the manner in which they’ve lost this season that causes concern. There are some extremely good rosters that have played dispirited and seemingly disinterested.
(AAP Image/David Rowland)
I can remember plenty of seasons where teams copped a pasting, but very few where I got the lingering impression they didn’t want to be there.
If you look to the superstars, Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston and Shaun Johnson have all been missing injured for big chunks of the season, while Sam Burgess has played banged up and been a shadow of seasons past.
The supposed jewel in the crown, State of Origin, struggled to sell tickets in Brisbane at the usual frenetic pace as people felt the administration were milking them like farmer’s cows.
In the end the crowd of 50,390 for Game 1 this year will cover over the lowered demand that everyone in the city could sense.
It was the lowest Suncorp Stadium crowd with the series undecided (i.e. excluding Game 3, 2014) since 2001 when Queensland was coming off the back of a 56-16 pasting by the Cockroaches.
Of course you can’t put all of this down to one or even a handful of people. And certainly nobody can blame Melbourne for being winners or Inglis, Thurston and Johnson for being injured.
But you can say all these factors have aligned to have left everyone a little, well, flat.
Maybe it’s too strong to describe it as an annus horribilis for the NRL. Perhaps annus mediocre would be more apt.
To me, the factors that have added excitement and unpredictability to rugby league this year have been Papua New Guinea taking the Queensland State League minor premiership, the continued growth and spectacle of women’s rugby league, the Pacific Test, and speculation over looming World Cup squads.
Everything else has been much of a muchness.
So where am I getting to with all this, aside from having a potshot from my lounge chair?
Essentially I am saying this isn’t the end of the world, but neither is it a great time to be puffing your chest out, strutting around like cockatoos and making big demands.
And to further entrench something I have always believed – timing is the most valuable attribute you can have in rugby league.
You don’t threaten to boycott a World Cup, as NRL players have been for several months, when you have a top four team that doesn’t have a major sponsor on their jersey.
You don’t say too much money is getting directed towards the grassroots when it’s those peripheral competitions which are keeping some spice in the relationship.
I’ve believed as long as I can remember that rugby league players should be paid more than what they are, but the way the message is taking shape at the moment is terrible.
It’s terribly phrased and terribly timed.
When your excitement machines for the season are two flying Fijians who have been lighting up scoreboards, you don’t seriously consider disrupting a competition which highlights your diversity.
As others have already pointed out, James Maloney describing everyone aside from players as “accessories” to the game will win you no fans, nor will torpedoing a competition that is unrelated to your employer, but has capacity to grow the global audience.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
At a time where we can look at our national cricket team and our national rugby union team for an example of what it looks like as people progressively lose interest and affinity, do we really want to risk that?
It could be the tipping point some fans don’t come back from.
The World Cup has the potential to save the NRL from its annus mediocre, and should be welcomed by players as a distraction and a chance to reconnect with supporters, rather than a plaything to be taken away on a whim.
(Yes, I know ‘annus mediocre’ is not true Latin form. It sounds better than the alternative. I’m here to entertain more than be correct, just as NRL players should be.)
hutch
Guest
But still has the biggest comp of the two codes by a long way. Not bad for a tiny code.
Mack
Guest
So the RLWC and women's RWC are basically on a par.
Rob9
Guest
Keeping in mind that I've always suggested that rugby league clearly dominates rugby union in Australia, given this is about international presence (eg. Beyond our own borders), I wonder how the Bledisloe rated in NZ in comparison to the ANZAC test?
Rob9
Guest
So Fred, as clearly mentioned that's of little suprise. I and I believe the most dyed in the wool Australian rugby fan would readily admit to you that the game is on the ropes here at the moment. Out rating international rugby in Australia while the game is effectively at rock bottom is to be expected. I guess I'll keep waiting for the 4/6 Nations link comparing the two which is what I was actually critical of in my reply.
Big Daddy
Guest
Just imagine if Cameron Smith were to break his arm ( heaven forbid) Robbie Farah would pick Australia over Lebanon. Or if you asked tedesco, hayne or Napa who their first pick would be - Australia. They are only human and want to win a world cup
Big Daddy
Guest
Hutch, I think it is a big concern. Throw in Dylan Napa who played for cook islands in 2013. Who's he going to play for. I can understand why people are very vocal about this subject. Or do Australia take first pick and everyone else get the leftovers. I have played and am still an avid fan so you can see why some people see this world cup as a joke. As I said it looks like there will only be 7 players left over from 2013 due to injuries and retirements and some guys are just getting older. RLIF need to make some hard and fast rules.
Fred
Guest
Rob9 Here's a link to my outlandish claim https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/96070562/bledisloe-cup-pummelled-in-australian-tv-ratings
hutch
Guest
I understand it's different and is a concern for some. I used to think it was wrong for the sport to allow players to play for more than one country. But it's 2017, people have allegiances to more than one country. Taumololo is Tongan and New Zealander, Tedesco is Australian and Italian, Hayne is Fijian and Australian, Farah is Australian and Lebanese. I think there should be a minimum amount of players per national team that are products ofcthat countries domestic rule but the switching isn't as big a deal as I thought it would be.
Big Daddy
Guest
Also include Robbie Farah and jarryd hayne who played in 2013 for Australia . The last Australian squad of 24 looks like there will only be 7 left due to retirements and injury. Makes for an interesting selection for this cup.
Big Daddy
Guest
James tedesco is another prime example. He played for Italy in 2013. Is he going to play for Australia or Italy. Just another example of players using the rules to suit their own needs or to build up a better résumé.
Big Daddy
Guest
One of the main sticking points in this "what country is someone going to play for". Jason taumololo is a prime example. He played for Tonga in 2013 world cup and since has played for NZ. If he plays for NZ this cup this is one of the things that gets up people's noses. I am sure there are other players but that is a prime example of selection criteria.
Rob9
Guest
Fred, what exactly is my 'ilk'? You have no idea who I am but if you actually read my comments you'd find Rugby League is just as much my sport as it is yours. And please point to any comment I've made in response to yours that isn't accurate of reality as opposed to this made up anti rugby dreamland you're in. Believe me, it's very clear to anyone with even a moderate interest in rugby union that you don't follow the sport. Any opinion you've expressed here about the sport is completely misguided and just reeks of your hatred for it. As is proven in even your most recent remarks about the Bledisloe and 6 Nations. I'll look forward to links for these outlandish claims. You may actually be right about the Bledisloe given the current state of the game in Australia which I've been completely open about is in dire straights. But 4 Nations outrating 6 Nations in England is adequate proof of you operating on another planet. Back this up with links please because your track record isn't good and there's no substance to what you're saying when it comes to passing judgement on that 'little sport' called rugby union.
Justin Kearney
Guest
Hi big daddy. In my view rugby league internationally is about where union was 30 years ago. It doesn't particularly worry me as the world cup is a great excuse to watch some great footy over spring and summer. This whole debate is a waste of time. Union has grown considerably because if its international profile. League has a lot of catching up to do but, hell, what do i care? There's 40 of us flying to melbourne to watch the opener in october. Not one of us will be giving any thought to debates like this. Its footy and its fun.
Justin Kearney
Guest
Lets face it clipper. You just hate rugby league. End of story.
Big Daddy
Guest
Rob, Interesting comparison on the heritage and genetically linked players and we use the current political birth scenario. To my mind of thinking you are either Australian or not Australian. If politicians have to renounce their allegiance to Australia because of this so called family or place of birth why not rugby league footballers. It makes sense but I will probably cop a lot of flak from the usual suspects.
clipper
Guest
Rob9 - very fair and reality based posts. My original post was to quash the plainly ridiculous statement the Japan's Ruby team is as Japanese as Ned Kelly - as we have shown, that's not even close to being the truth. For well over 50 years the Soccer world cup had only 5 winners, it's only recently that the number has increased to 8. If Rugby is stuck on 4 winners in another 50 years, then these posters may have a point. The real clincher, as you mentioned is that lower seeded nations do beat the top guns, with the blossoms being the standout, but by no means the only occasion this has happened. How often do teams outside the 3 ever beat Aus. Eng. or NZ? Not for a very long time, which shows how much league has declined internationally.
clipper
Guest
The facts are 3.7m pounds does not equal $8m - it is actually closer to $6m, so I was actually being generous. Please do more research when flinging around figures, which funnily enough, always seem to go league's way, not that I'd expect otherwise.
Fred
Guest
Rob9 This is a rugby league article. I wouldn't even be mentioning your little sport that can't manage 5 pro teams in all of Australia, if you and your ilk weren't trolling articles like this. I don't comment on union articles, soccer articles, or AFL articles, because I don't follow those sports. If you're envious that Aus v NZ in league outrates the Bledisloe Cup, if you're jealous that the 4 nations in England last year outrated union's 6 nations, take your bitterness elsewhere.
hutch
Guest
What about them? Do you have a point?
hutch
Guest
England rugby league games in BBC drew over 2 million viewers, stop making things up.