It’s almost two years since I attended a rugby league event in Australia and the the thing that stood out for me at the World Cup Nines wasn’t what I expected.
Yes, the NRL organisation has gone from about 35 people to hundreds. While it was great to catch up with dozens and dozens of people I’d not seen for yonks, there was an overall vibe of things being just that tiny bit more corporate and impersonal.
I still hate off-the-record briefings for reporters, as we had over the Lebanon eligibility mess. If you’re an official representative of an organisation, I want to quote you. If not, I’m not interested. Keep that rubbish in politics.
If people can’t be quoted they can’t be pinned down on what they said, which makes spin much easier to execute. It’s a terrible, terrible trend.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that Sydney still doesn’t care about rugby league after the grand final.
If the decider had been shifted to Brisbane for a year or two, would that have been a circuit-breaker? Would it have extended interest in the sport beyond the long weekend?
But there is one aspect of the World Cup Nines that convinced me I was watching something completely different to the Australian sport I last saw live in 2017 – the presence and profile of the women.
Maddie Studon of Australia (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
To stand in the mixed zone and watch these fresh-faced you kids come through and to see the Australia men’s and women’s teams perform a guard of honour for each other was a thing of wonder. That footage of the little girl meeting the Jillaroos on the way to the stadium will melt your heart.
Throughout most of my life rugby league has been swimming in testosterone. That went hand in glove with its image on the field – not just toughness but brutality, a certain bloodthirstiness.
Yes, we had one fight and one dismissal as a result at the weekend but when you take eight players off the field, you remove the close-combat nature of the sport and the skill becomes distilled and vital.
It’s talent and fitness thrown in to the deep end together.
You add women to the mix and the yobbishness dissipates so much as to be almost invisible.
At the Rugby League International Congress, the women’s game was pretty much the number one topic. There are places where the game will start as a women’s, not men’s, sport in the coming years. There is more government funding available for women’s rugby league than men’s rugby league – much more.
Rugby league will, over time, probably become better known as a women’s sport outside Australia, New Zealand, England and Papua New Guinea.
Joanna Lester, who attracted more than half a million dollars in funding for her Power Meri documentary, spoke to the delegates from more than 25 countries about the opportunities presented by the women’s game.
Two years ago I left a hugely popular local pastime with a proud history and increasing commercial clout.
On the weekend, watching these girls go around, I felt that I had returned to find – in its place – a sport.
Superspud
Roar Rookie
Maybe one day.
Dan
Guest
As someone who actually traveled out to the 9s I can tell you it wasn’t hot or uncomfortable and there was a lot to do in the area, which is way more active than I remember Parra from 10 years ago. The key issue they had in my view was scheduling it on an already busy sporting week and deciding to kick it off on a Friday night with the finals on Saturday night. Rather, they should have it run over Saturday-Sunday, with the final being played late afternoon.
Westernred
Guest
I enjoyed the Jillaroos v Ferns matches more then the mens. Always great matches.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I was thinking that also, almost!
Steve Mascord
Expert
No. I live in London.
Walter White
Guest
marketing geniuses at NRL HQ ? What ? You mean that spotty 16yr old on work experience ?
mushi
Roar Guru
There's also nothing wrong with new Jersey
Macho
Guest
Therein lies the problem - another Leaguie not thinking past Sydney heads The NRL season hasn't started in Sydney/ east coast Aus but the Super league has started (maybe the Lebanon League as well!!!) and Townsville in February is like hell for cricketers let alone semi fit footballers some of whom would have to play in the heat of the day due to the number of games.!!!!
Superspud
Roar Rookie
Steve you almost said something positive about Rugby League.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Instead of the club nines in Perth (I'm not a big fan), why couldn't they have opened the new Townsville Stadium with the Intl Nines which opens in February 2020. Perfect timing just before the season. That would have been a winner.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Max, I have lived there and it is nowhere as bad as you make out especially in late winter early spring ...middle of summer you will get no argument from me but at that time of the year. So tell me how you get that volume of people to a Nines tournament at Byron Bay and the facilities that would cater for them...???
Max50
Roar Rookie
West Sydney is hot and has no ocean breeze, I’ve been to parammata loads of times and this yr. it’s not a carnival like place and smaller venues or smaller cities and towns are better.. Gold Coast , Byron bay as well . Or in uk, Brighton or Bristol they are hip happening places..
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
fair point , to a degree, but seriously try to tell me that his problem during the Ashes series was not his footwork. Just half a step into the balls from Broad that he was caught off and they would probably been boundaries
bbt
Guest
A carnival-like atmosphere can be more easily generated in a smaller city. The 9's would have been much more successful playing in Canberra or Brisbane, for example. Newcastle, Townsville, Toowoomba would be amongst the other contenders. Sometimes, I wonder, if the marketing geniuses at NRL HQ have any idea.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Max, not disagreeing but I can tell you there is nothing wrong with Parramatta, as far as I know the Mall still runs up church Street from the Station & the fountain park and if you want to create something there is the massive Parramatta park right across from the Stadium. They could have seriously done as you suggest, but did anyone at the NRL or the Stadium think of doing such a thing that is the question. In fact you could not find a better location for creating a huge carnival atmosphere
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
I suspect DW has a little (no a lot) less time to react once the ball is released from the bowlers hands....
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
mate, just watch the girls play cricket. Fair dinkum it's a joy to watch, the footwork when they are batting is superb......unlike the blokes like Warner the hands & feet seem to co-ordinate. Love watching Lanning & Perry & Healy bat
Max50
Roar Rookie
Suburban Sydney wasn’t the right place to host a nines World Cup.. It Needs to be held in a more party style place or carnival atmosphere eg Somewhere like Liverpool in UK would be good or in Wigan or Cairns or Gold Coast etc..
Insider
Roar Rookie
2 years is a long time to not attend a RL “event” you not is OZ Steve ? , agree with your sentiments on the Ladies game, personally I feel it’s a purer form, no structures, they play the game with instinct and skill!