Finally we have some real football. None of it counts towards the end result of the 2020 NRL season, but it was a welcome relief after a putrid summer of cricket to watch some decent 80-minute games.
Saturday night was a fantastic match between the Maori and Indigenous All Stars. This fixture has become a feature of the preseason calendar and was good fun to watch, with both teams ripping in.
But once again we saw everything that is great and everything that is rubbish about rugby league in the space of a few days.
The 23,599 people who showed up on the Gold Coast got right into the game, and 634,000 watched live on Channel Nine and Fox NRL, well up on the 2019 edition. The 20-minute quarters worked, the first-ever captain’s challenge worked (or didn’t, for the Maori). The pre-match haka and war cry were just incredible, leaving aside Paul Vautin’s horrific attempt to joke about ‘who won the dance contest’.
But while the on-field product was great, more than a few people made clowns of themselves off it, particularly when it came to the national anthem. Paul Kent rambled in the Daily Telegraph the game will “no longer be a celebration, but a protest match”.
The ‘debate’ over no national anthem being played gave racists and dickheads a free swing on social media, and they didn’t need a second invitation. Who knew there was so much passion about playing the national anthem at a preseason game?
In the end the game went ahead, no-one noticed there were no anthems played and the football did the talking.
(Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
And it was talking on the other side of the world as well. Is the World Club Challenge an exhibition game? Roosters fans don’t think so, because their team are now back-to-back NRL premiers and world club champions after an enjoyable game at the fantastically named Totally Wicked Stadium.
The 20-12 result over Super League champion St Helens was played at anything but ‘exhibition’ standard – it was two high-quality teams going after each other. I enjoyed this one as a neutral, although I will admit to being Trent Robinson’s No. 1 fan. If you don’t like him, watch his tactical review on UK television after the game. It’s the sort of thing Aussie rugby league fans are crying out for but only gets squeezed in between ex-players making lame jokes in the winners sheds.
The World Club Challenge is a game that doesn’t get the respect it deserves from most quarters in Australia. It was a shame a lot of the press leading into it focused more on the Roosters having a training session with Catalan Dragons and possibly Israel Folau, but that’s life these days and isn’t going to go away.
We’ll be hearing a lot more about Israel Folau and the Roosters this year, so keep your commenting fingers loose and limber.
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
There were also eight trial matches played at various locations around the country on the weekend, with teams of varying selection strength blowing out the cobwebs in ‘real’ competition after months of training and delicately tackling their own teammates.
I know it’s an obvious point to make, but trial game results really need to be taken with a grain of salt. This is said after more than a few Dragons and Knights fans fired right up when the Dragons towelled Newcastle 38-12 in Maitland and a number of Broncos fans (and haters) put too much stock in Brisbane’s loss to Queensland Cup side Wynnum-Manly.
Thanks for the entertainment, folks, but like I said last week, relax. It’s February. We’ve got a long long way to go and you’ll need all the energy you can preserve.
There’s no point trying to read anything into a trial game result. Usually teams that made the finals the previous year don’t have great trial form. Teams coming off a down year are busting to show they’re better and take the trials a bit more seriously. First team starters play limited minutes, up and comers are trying their best to make a good impression and on the whole everyone just wants to get through unscathed.
But forget all that – as a media and sports broadcasting rights nerd, the most exciting thing for me this week was seeing the NRL.com platform live streaming six of these trials. With the next NRL broadcasting rights up for negotiation ahead of 2023, the league could do worse than keeping a game or two for exclusive broadcast on NRL.com.
Granted, there’s a multiverse of difference between the quality of the streams and production values of trial games and what a full-blown NRL match would need, but the platform is there, the league has ploughed a fortune into it. What was the reason for doing that if you’re not going to make the best use of it?
Exhibition, trial – whatever – I loved getting some ‘proper’ rugby league back. The regular season draws closer and closer and cannot get here fast enough.
AWesternRed
Roar Rookie
AJ, do you think that the NRL, or even other winter codes, do something like the NBA and NFL and sell content directly to the consumer? or is that a whole new article??
Insider
Roar Rookie
No worries mushi, a tip be nice no need for insults aie, or is that beyond your capacity
mushi
Roar Guru
I stated it in a “reply” which is obvious from the indentation. The fact you didn’t quote my post in your response shows you assume the previous post gives context. You screwed up but won’t own it
Insider
Roar Rookie
Well you did state that Ch9 and Fox were not “cutting edge” and with that statement I could only interpret that as a dig with the way the product is being promoted no mention of the “Buisness model “ in your post. Do you believe more should have been paid ? I don’t personally,
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
Calling the cultural pre game dances as a dance contest shows how out of touch and disrespectful he is. It wasn't remotely funny and was disrespectful. Fatty was funny once but that time was a long time ago
mushi
Roar Guru
I’m not talking about it as a consumer product.? My comment was in relation to the last TV rights and the business, it had nothing to do with the content quality. That should be obvious.
Insider
Roar Rookie
Your not pivotal :laughing: I’m simply stating the opposite for your opinion! Fox are cutting edge, tell us what more are you looking for in a broadcaster ?
mushi
Roar Guru
Insider not sure what you comment means? I've got foxtel. I was unaware there was a clause in their contract with the NRL that me being a subscriber redefined the content they had rights to? I was unaware I was so pivotal to the entire landscape of sports media.
Simoc
Guest
I remember singing the national anthem at Subiaco at a rare Freo home game. We were through it and sitting down but the speakers at the ground were only half way through. No-one wants it . It's one of those idiosyncrasies of the past and outdated old fools running the show now.
The Barry
Roar Guru
...apparently that means freedom to a surprising number of people
Insider
Roar Rookie
? You obviously don’t have Fox! It’s coverage is simply the best
Nick
Roar Guru
Hmm...yes and no. TV obviously viewed streaming as a threat early on. I'm not in Australia anymore but when I was the streaming services were severely limited in that they could not be viewed clearly on any device larger than a modest laptop. 9 and Fox knew full well that people pay pretty low annual fee and then chromecast it over and then they'd get no viewers, so I'm fairly sure the streaming limits were a result of TV deals. It's much like the f1 season pass. It's a great, great pass...so long as you don't live in a country where broadcast rights have been sold. You can't access the online streaming in such countries. I'm sure the NRL could do the same if offered the right price by Channel 9/Fox. The market is the market.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
They were clearly the Fat Mans thoughts, whether he put the words together who knows.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
They were a fantastic read and very witty. F20, my father-in-law was an editor. If Fatty was writing his own copy, that's a very rare thing!
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
… and to celebrate all those Aussie car makers?
mushi
Roar Guru
Where there could be a reduction is the shift of viewing to non TV. It's less the content production and more the signalling of content delivery. Again the real value in this would have been to do it in the past two deals where TV didn't consider streaming a threat.
mushi
Roar Guru
The digital rights are already sold elsewhere. It isn't about going alone it's about piggy backing like leagues elsewhere in the world.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
I find national anthems at sporting events weird full stop. If it wasn't for sports events I doubt anyone would know the words. Do they sing it in parliament? No. The High Court? No. It doesn't seem to serve any serious civic purpose. I last sang it with any conviction when I was about 12. What exactly is the point of it? Change it to Flame Trees and I'll sing along.
Nick
Roar Guru
Why would they offer less? That makes no sense. The NRL are payed $1.8 billion by Fox and Channel 9 for the rights simply to broadcast the game. Not one of those dollars goes into production of the broadcast. That's presently the responsibility of Fox/Channel 9. They have to spend considerable sums to actually produce the content, so the figure that the two networks ultimately pay over 5 years goes well over $2 billion. There's no reason at all why the costs for the rights would diminish if Fox/9 are no longer responsible for content production.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Yeah. It appears V8 Supercars has enforced patriotism...