Guess what? Rugby league has already kicked off for 2020.
In Rarotonga, my traditional opening of the season – the Rarotonga Nines – was won by Arorangi Bears when they defeated Avatiu Eels 10-0 in the final at BCI Stadium.
Meanwhile, in the north of England, we had a host of preseason games, including but not limited to Salford beating Swinton 52-4 at AJ Bell Stadium and Halifax upsetting Hull 18-10 at the Shay.
Over there they played the week before too, on Boxing Day.
Super League grand finalists the Salford Red Devils are already back in action. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
In researching a book I’m working on, I recently came across an argument from 23 years ago that I had not previously considered.
The Super League war was about pay television. Until now I would have dismissed calls from old timers for the British game to go back to winter as recidivist rubbish from people who didn’t understand the importance of getting out of football’s way in that part of the world.
But a very wise argument in the Sun-Herald from the great Ian Heads suggested that if rugby league was such an important television product for News Limited in Australia that it would spend $300 million on the Super League war, why would News simultaneously rob itself of three months of programming by supporting a shift of the northern hemisphere game to summer?
Because the British game was substandard? Then why did it spend so much on the World Club Challenge that same year? Certainly rugby league had a higher national profile in the UK in 1995 than it does now, so at least one of the reasons for the switch did not come to fruition.
But where I’m really going with this column is whether rugby league beyond the NRL can be sold to Australians and whether league – like other sports – can populate its off-season with alternative versions of itself to capture that section of the Antipodean public that would watch it all year round.
Rugby league is so big in Australia that if even a tiny portion of its mainstream support could be captured by an outsider, it would still be profitable.
Let’s compare it to a rock band. Cold Chisel are currently doing stadia and festivals across the country. The vast majority of those who fill these venues, perhaps 90 per cent, know the singles like Flame Trees and Breakfast at Sweethearts and sing along with nostalgia and emotion.
Only ten per cent of the fans at Glenelg Beach the other day would be familiar with Yakuza Girls or Daskarzine. But ten per cent of Cold Chisel’s audience would probably still be enough for them to eek out a living as a bar band. That ten per cent would fill performance spaces at pubs and small clubs.
This year the National Basketball League has reportedly attracted audiences of two million worldwide for some matches because of the presence of NBA draft picks RJ Hampton and LaMelo Ball.
Sonny Bill Williams is playing Super League this year, so surely that competition should be able to achieve cut-through in Australia and New Zealand in 2020 to eclipse anything it has managed previously.
Toronto’s key recruit Sonny Bill Williams is the Super League’s star attraction. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
On Sunday, the Rugby Football League announced it would stream 15 Championship games on its in-house channel in the first five months of the new season, mostly in the Sunday night time slot opened up by the Wolfpack. Five League 1 games will also be shown.
From a purely commercial standpoint, this content should be marketed to Australians because Australians like rugby league. But the outlets that feature NRL in Australia have a vested interest in promoting that competition and downplaying other rugby league.
I remember someone involved in the Wigan-Hull game in Wollongong a couple of years ago telling me they felt like they were made to feel they were encroaching on someone else’s turf.
It’s expensive to play Super League games in Australia, but then again local authorities in places like Perth, Mackay and elsewhere seem to have money to spend on events to fill their largely dormant stadia.
Not only that.
The New South Wales and Queensland rugby leagues have significant resources due to Origin but can only service sponsors and media partners three times a year. They are commercially hamstrung for that reason.
What if the states – with youngsters between contracts and recently retired stars – and the top British clubs desperate to break out of their M62 shackles launched a summer Nines series, providing content for five or six weekends of the off-season with tournaments in B markets where the local authorities and audiences would welcome them with open arms?
Don’t worry about the Rugby League Players Association – these players would get a rest when the NRL season kicks off. One thing better than the British game switched back to summer would be the games actually being played in Australia!
As David Gallop used to say, fish where the fish are.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
There are too many teams for a full home and away round system to be completed but the clubs want at least 11 home games to break even. They need to add Perth, The Central Coast Bears and move the Sharks to Adelaide and get by with playing each other once so that all teams get a fair draw. This won't happen because they want to maximize the total TV viewing time with as many games as possible and adding gimmicks like golden point.
Kris
Guest
Hi Steve. There is 11 teams in the USA - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_USARL_season Now if each team has a squad of 26 with 8 Australian players of NSW/QLD cup standard. These players will only play the spine positions and only 4 are allowed on the field at one time. The rest of the players will be college gridiron players who did not make the NFL. Now gridiron player's have speed and strength but no stamina. So have unlimited interchange with all 26 players allowed to participate in a match, maybe also change it to a 5 metre or 7 metre rule instead of 10 metres to take care of the stamina issues. Sixty minute games even. Put the games on at a time when both UK and Australian viewers can watch and have a bet on it. 11 rounds, 5 games a week, this should give us rugby league tragics our footy fix for summer. We need Australian league players and America gridiron players of some name recognition to get eyeballs on this competition.
Nico
Guest
The amount that Watch NRL overseas charges for a yearly subscription is a bit extortionate (something like 125 euros a year, which really ends up being only 8 when you take out the off season, and only gives you NRL) and as such basically only gets in the tragics such as myself. As such there's no way I'd pay another 100 eu+ to subscribe to get Super League. This feels like a missed opportunity as I would probably pay a bit extra if it gave me SL for a marginal extra fee, I'd take watching Wigan v St Helen's over Titans v Warriors any day of the week
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I dont remember anything from the 70's what hour was this replay shown, English soccer programs there were a lot of them in those days , and in the news and everything, and the FA cup was a big thing then. Then the rugby union internationals from UK were also featured but never rugby league .What year in the 70;s did they stop reporting and showing English rugby league because I dont remember ever seeing anything . I think they started showing English club sides in Kangaroo tour matches in the 80's and then started showing some matches after that.
Meatpy Sausageraul
Roar Rookie
Non-NRL games can be marketed better, for sure. The real question is whether - regardless of marketing - anyone in Australia will be interested in the numbers you’d need to make it commercially viable? I’ve been watching the game 30 odd years and it’s always felt like Australians - on the whole - hold rugby league from anywhere but Australia in contempt. Shame - they’re missing out.
Big Daddy
Guest
NITV currently have the rights to this at the moment as you probably are aware. Not sure if they would let them go but money speaks all languages. Went to this year's on the central coast and it was quite good. Next year is at Nowra . Only trouble with is it's basically put on for the indigenous community so not sure although it does display the best of country football with a sprinkling of NRL and lower tier footballers.
mushi
Roar Guru
That's the one!
Bernie Vinson
Guest
This has been tried before and stretches the limit of peoples endurance for the real thing in winter. It will always pale compared to NRL and of course the heat. RL became national to compete against Super Rugby , A League and AFL and that would be a step backwards. The NRL maximises its impact by allowing the 2 city non Sydney clubs to have enlarged salary cap TPAs (Storm (10%) and Broncos (8%)) to ensure good teams and maximum ratings. BTW imagine Storms TPAs when they had the big 3 on the payroll instead of just Smith. Huuuuuge!
Tom of Brisbane
Guest
Fox shows them now. Two games a week, Thurs and Fri nights (Fri AM and Sat AM Aus time), three when Catalans have a home game - usually Sat night (Sun AM Aus time), although Catalans broadcast deal has apparently fallen through this year
Nat
Roar Guru
We do have the Koori and Murri Knockouts that have the possibility of being expanded. It's entertaining to watch, littered with NRL players and has a commercial footprint already. The problem is expanding a 4 day carnival into a 4-6wk event, especially when 95% of the players have jobs during the week.
Big Daddy
Guest
I wouldn't mind watching some Super League matches. I think we had them late at night a couple of years ago on chanel 9. Firstly what carrier is going to want to show them and at what time. I said earlier we now have our second tier on at weekend's which is ok but whoever may decide to take it on it's more than likely going to be very late at night or early morning and if the standard is not so good it's hardly worth it.
Loosehead
Guest
National Rugby Championship. Western Force beat the Canberra Vikings.
Nat
Roar Guru
Beer helps
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Not sure what's being advocated here. Fox show live Super League games - i've never seen any ratings figures for these so presumably they don't attract much of an audience. Is it being suggested that they don't promote these games enough? Maybe, but they're also not played at audience friendly times for the East Coast so it's probably always going to be a waste of money to promote them. The idea of a nines tournament filled with second rate players is just bizarre.
Max
Guest
We've gone backwards. In the 1960s & 70s Sydney tv used to replay a UK rugby league game each week. They flew in the video tape in by plane to Sydney. It arrived mid week and got shown on weekend. The sad thing now is the radio and tv news are more interested in reporting English scooer scores and never English rugby league scores, even though league is the bigger interest with their audience.
mushi
Roar Guru
But you need the core first to get that coverage so that it seeps into the general sports conversation. If it has a narrow appeal it won't get into the general discussion. What was that second tier Rugby Union comp again?
Paul
Roar Guru
you may be right Nat, but I guess it comes back to expectations, especially from sponsors and advertisers. Some lower grade games can be seriously entertaining, but many are pretty boring either through a lack of skill, fitness, etc. I don't think these games necessarily need to be super high standard, but people will quickly switch off if they're fed a weekly dose of error ridden footie.
Andrew
Guest
Nobody has been brainwashed. Who is pushing the shorter season agenda? Not the media or the NRL that is for sure. Empty stadiums, games with no relevance to the Finals, questionable football quality, NRL clubs taking home games to other venues because they can't sell 12 home games - that is what is telling us the season is too long.
Johnno
Guest
Yep
Adam
Roar Guru
Hobart had some beautiful weather last week. Low to mid 20s all week. Just saying