Transfer gossip – the blood that carries the oxygen to the heart of modern professional sports coverage – bores me to to tears.
I can remember when I first started at the Sydney Morning Herald in 1994, a senior reporter (I’m not naming him in case my memory has misidentified him – not to protect him) made it clear he disapproved of a story I had written, quoting an agent talking about his client’s likely change of clubs.
“It should be up to the club to announce a signing,” I recall him saying.
At the time, when rugby league players still had jobs, it was a position that seemed perhaps a tad old fashioned but certainly not completely outrageous.
Press releases came out by fax – and a few years previously by mail. Reporters went to training on Tuesday night and rested their notepads on the picket fence.
Today, the senior reporter might as well have been saying that flight is impossible because planes are heavier than air.
There are lots of important issues in rugby league right now, such as the World Cup, players’ families in quarantine and rule changes.
But the papers and websites are all about Tevita Pangai Junior going to Penrith and where Anthony Milford will end up.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Not only that, I tuned into a live stream by a couple of English journalists recently and they spent the best part of an hour answering questions about when someone’s contract extension is going to be announced and who has cap space and who didn’t.
Sorry, I just glaze over at this stuff.
Of course, the explosion in treating the rugby league transfer market like it’s the New York Stock Exchange has coincided with the rapid expansion of fantasy sports. Everyone gets to play recruitment manager or CEO so it’s natural they would take a greater interest in these matters.
This, in turn, leads to a greater public interest in the minutiae about which only coaching staff and player agents previously gave a rat’s: post-contact metres, effective tackles, minutes played, yada, yada, yada. Stats are king.
Why doesn’t all this connect with me? Because I’m old? Don’t remind me.
But I think it might be largely because I don’t have a favourite club, that I’m one of those rare birds known as a ‘neutral’.
The World Cup issue interests me infinitely more because I cheer for rugby league against other sports and when other sports do things and we don’t, it’s like we missed out on signing the best player in the world and he went to our arch rivals.
(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
But if, say, the Illawarra Steelers were still in the premiership, I doubt I’d take much interest in transfer speculation surrounding any other clubs.
I’ve seen some headlines about the Wests Tigers proposing some preposterous swap with Canberra but I’ve not cared enough to click on the stories. If I had a team I think that would still be the case – unless my team was the Tigers or the Raiders.
It seems too grist-for-the-mill for me: the same old stories with just the names changed; boring.
Transfer speculation just seems to be the sporting equivalent of celebrity gossip – mildly voyeuristic and a predicable, a fake-able and cynical way to attract clicks and ratings. A magic media formula made a tedium.
The 80 minutes of rugby league themselves risk being swamped by the soap opera.
Of course, I’m not going to argue that my learned colleague 27 years ago was right. It’s a reporter’s job to inform the reader of anything newsworthy.
But part of me – a big part – wishes that in 2021, the comings and goings of players at clubs were considered a little less newsworthy than they are.
up in the north
Roar Rookie
Rational unbiased and non sensational reporting of analysis of RL died a quiet death a long time ago. These days it's talking heads mouthing off with one line sound bites - shame really.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
Successful inter-club transfers: Johnson to AC/DC, Hagar to Van Halen, Dio to Sabbath, Bush to Anthrax, Dickinson to Maiden, Ripper to Priest. Mixed results: Corabi to Motley Crue, Fail: Cherone to Van Halen, Bayley to Maiden. And that's only the singers...
Steve Mascord
Expert
I don't like the stuff most people like Jamie. Never have.
Steve Mascord
Expert
Hey all. I’m not interacting with people on Twitter until my book is off to the printers because it was taking up most of my day. But I’m here. And I’d like you to see this amazing LinkedIn post by Robert Burgin, who started rugby league in a host of South American countries. It’s very powerful https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robert-burgin-7a109141_nrl-rugbyleague-activity-6826985279161819136-F2Ng
Steve Mascord
Expert
I agree actually. I prefer Sabbath with Ronnie. \m/
Steve Mascord
Expert
I knew Tony Harnell to Skid Row would never work out.
Steve Mascord
Expert
Watch a Super League game. Jon Wells' analysis at half- and full-time is fantastic. All the staff the Australian (and NZ when the Warriors are home) stations have at games and they don't attempt this sort of content.
Steve Mascord
Expert
It's perfect for the social media age. Suddenly you need content all day. It's not one big hit in the morning. Teams Tuesday always excited me but no-one else. But when the media moved into real time, it suddenly became a big deal.
Jockstar
Guest
Seriously who would want Brooks or Mbye I’d rather risk getting an u18 clovelly crocodile rookie. 8 teams have clocked out of the comp and put the cue in the rack. letting RTS go with so many games to go. Cowboys playing Jake at fullback, Broncos letting TPJ go . Tigers being the Tigers ridiculously trying to swap Brooks for Wighton. Bulldogs just waiting for next year. Knights saving Ponga for next year. Sharks and St George just basket cases.
Paul
Roar Guru
I know what you mean. As a Caaaarlton supporter ever since I could spell Jesaulenko, I've watched my team choose all manner of players in the draft. I'm still wondering what the carry'on's all about, given our results over the past decade.
zonecadet
Roar Rookie
Not next year on the field but this year, while your team is trash, it seems like things are going to get better. We see the same, also rans, move around the bottom clubs year after year.
zonecadet
Roar Rookie
Eaxactly, down here in Melbourne they go on and on about who's going to get who in the players draft and we're talking about 17 year old kids who are years and years away from fulfilling any potential, and most don't.
steveng
Roar Rookie
:laughing: Yep let’s see? Me thinks Milf might snap out of the Seibs and Broncs nightmare at the Broncs and get the reality shock of a true “pride of the league” club like the Bunnies have always been and are, he needs to come up to the plate (are you listening Milf??) otherwise he won’t be accepted! I’ll get back to you in R8 2022 as I’ll give him a chance, if he’s a dud still? I will agree with the dud swap.
Rellum
Roar Guru
So we got Reynolds in what basically adds up to swap and you got Milf. I am happy with that deal. Very happy.
Lance Boil
Roar Rookie
Their best was Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Without which much of rock music would simply not exist!
Rellum
Roar Guru
You would still get that in the off season where the click bait would be more enticing
steveng
Roar Rookie
You should have included this breaking headline: :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: Fallen Broncos star Anthony Milford has found a new home for 2022, officially signing with the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The move will see Milford, once the star playmaker at Red Hill, link up with former Brisbane assistant Jason Demetriou, who will take control of the Bunnies next season. "We're really excited to have Anthony joining our club in 2022," Souths head of football Mark Ellison said. "He comes to us highly recommended by Wayne and 'JD' who both worked with him at the Broncos where he played a leading role in taking them to the 2015 grand final."
andrew
Roar Rookie
Even some commentators talking American, it's not the defence, it's the deeefence.
jamesb
Roar Guru
Maybe have a loan system for mid season signings, whilst post season, have transfers for permanent signings.
dogs
Guest
Always hated it. I especially dislike it when journos ask recruitment questions in the post match press conference. But I guess the reason media companies pay big bucks for the NRL/AFL/etc is to generate content. So I cannot really blame them for doing their jobs (generate content to sell advertising space) really well and squeezing everything they can out of their investment. Just kind of "fairyland wish" it wasn't that way