High time for Origin to truly feel the love

Steve, it's quite complex and messy. Metro audience is the 5 capital cities and is what the advertisers and TV channels take note of. It is the official record of those 5 cities and there is no dispute over the coverage. Regional overlaps several areas and excludes areas - most notable Tasmania, although as it changes it still may not. It's a pity they just can't have an Australia wide standard.

Seems you are so rushed to rip out the Toni Carrol example from 30yrs ago you missed the point completely. Ever heard of a bloke called Viliami Ofahengaue? The Tongan who toured with New Zealand in 1988, moved to Aust and was playing with the Wallabies by 1990. Your sport is dead in Aust. When RU has to nationalise players from tiny Pacific Island nations because you cannot find enough talent in your pansy private schools to field a competitive international team. RU cannot field a competitive local team. How many times has an Aust SR team beaten an NZ SR team in recent years? NZ has 2m men to find a team and they dominate the world. It's embarrassing. 5yrs here in Oz and that 'fair dinkum, Aussie Joe' enough to line up for a country they have no passion for or family heritage to honour. League allows their players to represent their home nations to bolster their player ranks, therefore, making the entire international competition stronger. The biggest question facing NRL at the moment is whether to expand or not. ARU cannot hold a competition together. Ziggy Forrest says hello.

Joseph Paulo is another cracking example! It's just why Rugby League will never be respected as an international sport

NRL has also recruited from the islands and Rugby Union will soon have 5 years residential which is far superior to anything NRL does. RL can never forget at least 2 examples such as Toni Carroll who played for NZ, then Australia then NZ without ever having moved back to NZ. Or Eddy Pettybourne who despite being born in Sydney played for NZ, Samoa and then USA by which the officials were too stupid to realise that American Samoa and Western Samoa as it then was were different. And speaking of residency, Cotric and Vaughan play for NSW in "State of Origin" despite them both being born and lived in the ACT for 20 years and never having played in a NSW comp in their formative years in contravention of the alleged "rules"..

Craig that's just wrong. Origin is a bigger spectacle. The biggest pinnacle in every sport (maybe not AFL) is playing for your country. It is significantly harder to make the Kangaroos then State team. You think Mbye is lining up in the green & gold anytime soon? Players selected make big offseason sacrifices to rep for Aust of selected. Every single one of them would. Don't give me this BS about eligibility. The IRLF relaxed the rules and it's significantly more insulting to say I cannot play for a country of my family's heritage. Ask Andrew Fifita's grandad what he thought. Further, look at the Aust athletics team, RU team for internationals. That's embarrassing. At least in league Aust are resourcing the international game by making small but passionate nations more competitive. Those other comps are drawing from developing nations, they barely speak English to enhance our large pool of talent. But hey, 3yrs here and slap a 'made in Oz' sticker on em.

If my parents are Tongan, and I am a Tongan citizen , what gives you the right to say I can’t play for Tonga. As for international games being something ‘Players couldn’t be bothered with. ‘ Why not ask the Tongan players ,why not ask the Fijian players? I’ll tell you why. Cause you are scared of the answer.

Jimmy, as a non metro participant in the SOO issue, I think it's a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Channel 9, I assume, is happy about the current broadcast arrangements, otherwise we'd be hearing about it for sure. The Clubs aren't squawking and again, they'd be totally up in arms if this situation was not at least okay in their eyes. If these two heavyweights are on board, then the NRL is happy because they get to showcase some great Australian footy around the world, to hundreds of millions, if Ray Warren is to be believed. The fans must also be okay otherwise the millions who tuned in wouldn't have done so. There's always going to be peripheral "noise" about which players should or should not be eligible, whether the mid season could be better used for internationals, etc, but until someone comes up with a plan that keeps all investors onside, as the current arrangements do, why dick with it?

The International series is four years apart so there's a lack of player continuity from one season to the next. That makes it difficult to really get invested for me, as someone more interested in the players than the colour of the jersey. And most of the games are terrible. Sure Tonga vs New Zealand was great but what about Scotland vs New Zealand? Did _anybody_ enjoy watching a team get flogged 74/6? Or Australia vs Lebanon 34/0? Italy vs USA 46/0? Don't get me wrong, I like the world cup. But seriously - the NRL and Super League both produce better games than the World Cup. And those two both pale in comparison to Origin. State of Origin is the pinnacle of the sport for three reasons: - there are games every year, with players fans are familiar with - despite player familiarity, nobody knows who will win any given game - the level of competition is first rate with the best players in the world The World Cup is lacking in all three areas.

State of Origin is the Pinnacle of Rugby League and always will be. International Rugby League is something the players can't be bothered with just a handfull of fans that have seen other sports leave Rugby League for dead internationally and think Rugby League can do it to. Aussies, Kiwis and Northern Englishmen playing for countries they've never been to let alone locate on a map isn't International sport. In fact it's an absolute insult to proper international sports

Of course international footy is the pinnacle and getting stronger again. I would argue England, NZ and maybe Tonga could/would beat either of the current state teams. Origin isn't BOTB, is the best rivalry in Aust sport, they hype the bejesus out of it but more importantly they play it on a Wednesday night against little viewing alternative. We shouldn't confuse 4m viewers with 4m fans. I'm sure MAFS doesn't have 2.6m fans but 1m will tune in to watch the 'car crash' that it is, not for the love story. The ARL/NRL have more control with origin where international league requires participation with other leagues and their schedule as well. The PI contest/s are a little easier but that still requires a good amount of SL players to venture back here, fit in with our schedule to represent their nation. I respect since 2017 WC internationals involving Aust are scarce but an average total over 12 months, there would be more Internationals than Origins but played on a Saturday night, mid November, they are never going to get the same arbitrary following than the Wednesday night advertising behemoth can muster.

Hi Jimmy, Great thought provoking Article. Lead me to think on different fronts with both positive and negative thoughts running through my mind? I too love the different facet’s of our game, but as a Northern Englishman, I do cringe sometimes at the Aussie prospective towards its Worldwide growth and many, so called experts who are in my opinion fact quite insular?? I talk about this a little later in the piece. As kid growing up it was great to see the Kangaroo & Kiwi touring squads coming to the Heartlands of Northern England & Wembley to show their superb skills. I still remember recording NZ v Great Britain games and watching the famous invincible 1982 squad, both live and on a special video of their tour . What a touring party, who again have not been idolised enough? With the All Blacks they have ultimately been the best team in the RU world, but because of their worldwide reverence they have now become a Brand like Coke Cola ,Ford & Big Mac’s , so they are obviously doing something right? As Jimmy says it’s, as much, as if it’s like, “Let’s not brag to much” about how’s good the Game Rugby League actually is around the World. We should singing it from the “Roof tops”. Little film clips & mini adverts need to handed out to media organisations & Major Airlines. Last weeks, State of Origin was the fastest, highest intensity game of Rugby in last Five years. The closest games have been last year’s SOO & the British Lions tour. But be honest these games were more of game of Chess than a spectacle to watch? In the Northern Hemisphere, we have enough trouble with the Oxbridge Ruggar Mafia, which as infiltrated the BBC and most Media News outlets in the UK to be try suppress our great game over in Europe. In France the RU game is near ready to implode, so watch this space? In other regions of the world, Rugby Union has again been, so frightened of the threat of our game that they tried every obstacle and tricks to try to quell our brand. They’ve even put in Covernants & got other small minded Countries to ban the participation the Great Game of RL, as part of their portfolio!! Back to here and now and Australia. With people like Paul Kent , who needs enemies? Last night he stated there wasn’t another English Hooker, as good as Josh Hodgson? Wrong , wrong, wrong. The week before that he said SuperLeague Standard was not Good Enough? How does he know when he doesn’t obviously review SuperLeague properly to check? How did he think Bateman, The Burgess boys & Whitehead we’re produced? Off a “Gum Gum Tree”? No from the Bradford Bulls production line. And I guarantee at least two them mentioned with win an award at the end of the season. I know that SuperLeague is often maligned and the quality & depth is no where near as good, as NRL, but having the attitude “Well I’m All right Jack” only takes you so far. For close example of this; is Super Rugby. Just take a closer look at this competition to see if you “Sow bad seeds “ “Look what you going to get”? Self Interest , Narrow Mindedness and self indulgence, and WIN at all costs. Enough about SANZAR (South Africa ) and their mentality. I think “Brainwashed “comes to mind. There are loads in Perth, and most are in denial about how good the West Farce, actually were and how a New NRL franchise in Western Australia could bring them a Successful team to watch for change? On the subject of expansion, Perth needs a NRL team soon.We are ready, as city to get a new Franchise up and running. What we do need to do though is build a new squad here and now to get ready for 2023. At NRL headquarters please send over “Phil Gould “to get the ball rolling. We need a Mastermind to get us out of the “StartingBlocks”, so let’s us get the best. If Twiggy’s listening? Please lend us some small change to get our man. Back to our initial point: International Rugby League. Yes let’s keep building the International Calendar. How good were Tonga, Fiji and Samoa in the last World Cup, especially Tonga who set everybody tastebuds going for more action. The game against us, England was dramatic to say the least. “You can bet “ in the WC -RU Japan this September they will certainly try to replicate that atmosphere for certain? So where’s the “Blushing Bride” in all this? With that, I mean Australia or really the Kangaroos? The game over here Loves to stick its chest out, about how good the NRL is and the game on Eastern Seaboard. Commentators and Media can’t wait to Jump up and tell us how good things are, but if anybody mentions an International Fixture, say against the Kiwis , it’s as if they have been chewing a Old Lemon covered in Dog poo? Here are the Four things that the GAME needs to do for It to grow:- 1.) To Have Inclusion. Encourage Everybody to Participate.Touch Football. Push the Women’s Game. Get NRL/ ARL to work with ERL/ SuperLeague, NZRL, FRL,TRL,FijiRL& Samoa RL & International Federation. 2.) NRL expansion- SuperLeague Expansion. NRL- Perth, South Island -NZ, 4th QLD side ,PNG & Pacific Islands & maybe Adelaide? 3.) Build the International Game with set weekends. 4.) Pump money back to the Pacific Islands Tonga, Fiji & Samoa to start with building individual independent NRL franchises. Start with Full Open -Pre- season clinics and preseason NRL training sessions over on each island. Fully organised Coaching selection Camps to stimulate interest. LETS Give back for what these countries have provided in playing talent?

Can someone explain to me how metro and regional audience works. How does it rate 2.1 million from Sydney 5mill, Brisbane 2, Mel 3.5, Perth 1, Adelaide 1 and almost 2 mill from the rest of the country