The NRL is falling behind the AFL

Just to clarify about Canberra juniors playing for NSW in Origin it's because they play junior reps in the NSWRL Harold Matthews u16 and SG Ball u18 so qualify on that rule.

Trump is thinking longterm. He knows economics are what matter and that the US is being ripped off in trade by China and other countries.

I quote you "Probably assist”Touch already assists, there are playing currently involved in teh NRL,some star players, who were Touch players." Did they play RL or RU at all? I follow RU, AFL EPL and if I want a close game I watch Cummins and Sutton ref - what more do you want?

There were 11K at ANZ last night which is the same for the last 3 games. Joy quoted you as saying that players came from touch to league (Benji , Johnson) whereas they had different upbringings across all sports and they would have undoubtedly played rugby in NZ. Funny as you say players come from different backgrounds but whenever the All Blacks do OK you pull out a random All Black that has played League along the way as if that's the only thing they did (OK Kirwan, Lomu are not random as if this is the magic qualification so your hypocrisy is breath taking). Benji played touch and Rugby but I repeat he was always trumpeted as a touch player from NZ yet represented in Rugby Union at 15-16. You still haven't answered that the fact that ACT locals playing STATE OF ORIGIN for NSWl Bizarre. It cannot be state of origin.

That's correct JK. Even a couple of the Jillaroos have stated they started playing Touch before switching to tackle. The pity is the Sharks missed out on the initial top female club competition>The Dragons getting the spot. Getting women involved in the various versions has created huge interest for young girls in the Shire. Having the different versions of rugby league ,means grounds get more usage,the opportunity to engage more fans to watch the Sharks NRL team, and due to tjhe must larger numbers they are in a far better position to secure Council and Govt grants. I might note the great E.T was a junior soccer and then junior rl player before hitting the big time.Players from whatever sport they started,do not just get an immediate gig with an NRL team. Yep the senior team has more ups and downs than I care to remember this year.

For Gertrudel For your edification/ enlightenment :- In 2003 Benji Marshall played in the Australian World Cup Winning Mixed Touch Football before switching to rugby league. Players don't go straight to first grade,for starters. He switched to play for the Auckland Blues union team many years later lasting 1 year before coming back. 6 of The NRL clubs are financing a semi pro Touch Comp. Now you can crap on as much as you like,but Touch is part off the NRL scene,and as has been shown (whether you like it or not, and it appears not) will compelled et each other,and the chances of Touch players giving rl a go are real. Them's the facts.

CC I just read there has been a 14% increase in male and 28.5% increase in female participation in the shire this year. The sharks offer 4 different versions of the game including league touch which is a very smart way of engaging female participation and it works. They and Penrith are leading the way in Sydney which I’m happy about. As for the senior men’s team the less said the better ?

The fact Joy is using just another of many aliases for ahis regular anti rl sojourn here,says it all.His comment about refs LOL.Keep spinning. We get enough spin from AFL merchants in rl threads to last a lifetime. Not interested enough to comment in other rl threads.Because tou guys have zero interest.Grow up.You're boring as.

Gertrudrel. Never stated they were touch footballers only. The fact that the NRLhas a semi pro Touch compettion their statement today in the Telegraph that many players come from aT ouch background proves my point. As to Joy I've spelt out exactly my thoughts ,and as to abuse ,being called a spin doctor is not abuse.In the case of AFL people who write short stories hermit proves my point. That fact you guys work in tandem is further evidence.

Joy It was beautifully ironic that CC fell for the NRL spin that spun that KBenji and Shaun Johnson were touch players only - imagine switching from touch to the hardest, most physical game in the world without pads.

Joy Of course CC and JK have no answers so go back to abuse which shows their level Intersestingly when Benji first came here in dozens of articles he was a touch player in NZ - Its only years later we discover he played Rugby at high level ditto all the NZ RU players that come over to play League that cant make the local RU Super 15 squads. Only Tuivasa Sheck was noted as being chased by both codes - Storm Vunivalu was belatedly acknowledged as a RU player who was in the Aucklands wider RU squad but couldn't get a guernsey but obviously talented eg Storms Matt Duffie was bought over as "high jump champion" without it being acknowledged he was a RU player. BTW in the Storm game last night as ref Suttton tried hard to get the Warriors back in game, Fusitua "scored" a try in the 60th minute which showed up as dropped ball by the video ref but the video ref allowed it. Instead of forensically analyzing it as they would do if the Warriors were just in front, the Fox commentators didn't acknowledge and possibility of a dropped ball but the crowd were stunned at the decision and booed heartily (considering they still had a 40 point lead). Masters wrote an article about Fox commentators facilitating the "entertainment value" of the game by not highlighting interesting ref decisions as teams charge back into contention. Entertainment is the key and whether SOO teams or international teams are genuinely selected on proper guidelines. JK suggests Vics should play for Qld - what sort of folk are we dealing with here??/

Joy to be frank. I've finished with your spinning and evangelising. Preach to someone who actually cares. I'm not here to feed the AFL chooks.

@Crosscoder You have not addressed most of the issues in my questions to you of 23.4. Appropriate conclusions can be drawn. Furthermore, it appears that, contrary to your comments ,B. Marshall and S. Johnson played contact sports prior to, or concurrently with, touch/tag etc.. Thus, they were multi-sport athletes -and were not examples of purely touch/tag players being converted to League/joining the NRL. This reinforces my argument that non-contact touch/tag players should not be called, or recorded as, League players (a full contact sport). Do you have any examples of players who played purely touch/tag as juniors -then converted later to players in the NRL, NSWRL, QRL, or any elite U18, U20 etc. Rugby League competitions? Or converted to non-elite adult League competitions?

JK we have a special one here. Not a happy one i might add.

No problems at all Bargeali. SOO is doing exceptionally well in its current format.RLWC are doing similarly ,increasing number of countries involved,getting Govt financial backing. More countries playing rl than ever before in small and growing competitions.Eurpopean Govt providing grants as a result.As well as some european cxountrie's Govts. And the Canadian women thoroughly enjoyed the experience.They will be back for the next Women's event. LOL The Kangaroos are getting offers to play Tonga in the Middle east. NRL will be playing a comp match in the USA next year.Toronto already in English rl,and more bids coming from Canada and the USA to get in also. England is playing NZ in Denver in June. European u19 rl championship to start shortly. I could go on but being a AFL fan boy, you'd find this sort of news just not palatable. Just so many choices and opportunities for the fans and players. So encouraging to have the opportunity to earn full time or part time monies playing rl outside Australia. Fiji is just waiting to finalise entry for the lower NSW Stage Cup. Anything else I can assist you with?

Hi argeball. The answer to your questions are as follows: Yes Yes Not sure Think so Yes Yessiree and Yes

OK so you are happy that ACT locals play for NSW. Why dont Victorians play for Qld? Or Eddie Pettybourne has played for USA, NZ (born there hooray) and samoa in 3 different RL World Cups. Or that the Canadian womens RL team at the WC were RU players invited to a trial as there is no Canadian womens RL team comp. What a bunch of amateurs. BTW What other rugby comp in the world (apart from ESL- Catalans ) has one team from a foreign country in it. (Warriors). Aust will play England/NZ in RL in Sydney when????

Good seeing the NT getting some discussion on here. I'd also add that the NT would easily have the highest participation rate of organised sport of any state or territory in Australia. And yes AFL participation rates at club level are easily the highest in Australia. People that question that need a visit up here. Maningrida is a classic example. A town of around 3000 with a fully functioning comp with 10 senior clubs. Doesn't happen anywhere else in Australia.

Gertrudel. Not checking my posts mate,where I conceded crowds revenue etc to the AFL. So an International between Australia and England,England and NZ,or Australia and NZ is bizarre, are you serious .All those countries have a professional and or semi pro competetitions,Even PNG has a semi pro presence.And now Fij is currently in the throes of doing likewise to play in the Qld cup. I've watched Tests between the Kangaroos and England in England .How many tests between the All Australians and whoever? They(AFL) "could stage a world cup", or unable or unwilling to stage a world cup more like it. There would not be the competitiveness for starters ,because of not having professional or semi pro teams overseas in a few countries.That would be the situation if rugby league only had amateur comps and zero pro or semi pro ones. Rugby league gets bids from various stadiums here /NZ and England (including soccer stadiums)to stage such events.Govts also put monies in to stage them The English Govt is putting in 30million pounds for the 2021 event.And the 2025 one is being staged in the USA. Prelims by countires are staged overseas with overwhelming numbers of locals, when the get through,then the eligibility rules become too flexible.That is changing. How many non locals wre involved in England/France/PNG/NZ/SAustralia and even Fiji had at least 11 born locals in their squad.Future world cups will have to have more locals in their squads. The other countries IMO had too many non locals.We also have a national team, who play Internationals ,not an All Australian team who get merits for being good in this country but playing no one at AFL. In any case comparing the rl International presence above with AFL is ludicrous.Most level headed AFL fans seem to concede their strength is the AFL ,and they are little concerned about Internationals. "It's not state of Origin at all".Better tell the Tv execs who pay a fiortune to show it, better tell the fans who pay the money to go through the gates to watch it,and the millions on TV in this country who help make the series one of the top rating sporting shows each year in this country.And watched in NZ/PNG and England in decent numbers as well as the Pacific Islands. Oh and the Vic/Sa/WA Govts bidding to stage SOO. Seriously mate, you commentary is very much like Clippers.just grab something and run with it.. "Holiness factor".I'd be very careful in that respect.That is the pot calling the kettle black.One could list many incidents that seem to be either forgotten or treated quickly.Neither can claim to be holy.

Cool story