Dionysus's Roar Profile

Yes, it is improving isn’t it. Congratulations to the Ladies.

'Gutsy', 'brave': Aussie women survive first-half red card to claim back-to-back tournaments, men go down in final

View Comment

Today

I know that Rugby keep harping on about how Suaalli’s salary is not being paid by RA and the 1.5m pa is being paid by a Sponsor but really that in itself ought to be ringing alarm bells. Yes it gets them the Headline but it has to cause massive disruption with the other players. RA needs to get a grip on its remuneration policies.

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

The problem is in 2028 when the credit card needs paying back. What do we do then ? Call Wallet Wizard ?

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

On the face of it, it does sound a little crazy but Bellamy has been very quiet and if this year is to be his swansong then who knows. Throw in any salary cap discount as a bonus and I wouldn’t put it past him to come up with some nugget of gold. If anyone could pull it off, Bellamy can.

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

Lets face it, Mark is a direct replacement for Suaalli at a third of the cost RA is paying. The Roosters had an unexpected gap which they have just plugged.
On a slightly different front, I have a feeling that the next one to strike might be Craig Bellamy. The Storm have a big weakness in the forward ranks and so far he hasn’t spent a penny this off season. He either has a surprise package coming through the ranks or he will be weighing up some options behind the scenes. The Storm have currently allocated 27 of their top 30 spots so there is some room to move. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bellamy suddenly strike amongst union ranks.

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

You mean

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Railway Station

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

Roosters likely have a whole range of Life management and post Retirement development activities to help their players. Brandon Smith hinted at such a couple of years ago.

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

RA’s biggest problem right now is credibility. A player at the elite level not only wants to play in the big games RWC, Lions, Origin, Grand Finals etc they also want to win them or at the very least, the illusion of being able to win one. Right now, most Rugby players will have low expectations of being able to achieve very much in the coming “Golden Years”.

Every player wants to represent their Country. They also want to represent their country with pride and they want to represent their country and win. Minnow countries that out perform can celebrate that out performance as if it was a win – their team did better than expected and their players are all heroes but when the expectations are that their country will win but deep down, players know that is an impossible dream, playing for your country suddenly becomes a dis-incentive.

Maybe it is this year’s World Cup disaster that has important Rugby elements deserting the (sinking ?) ship. Sponsors, Coach, Players ….. what next ? Rugby needs to consolidate and start setting expectations at a more realistic level. They need to focus on the foundations of the sport and start building for the future. RA is a business in Crisis. RA must start to focus on the fundamentals of that business restoring Credibility and Confidence in its ranks. Lets stop pretending everything is Rosey. The illusion needs to stop, sack all the magicians, get rid of all the BS, forget about winning the RWC and get down to the hard work of fixing things.

Until Rugby does that, there will be more Marky Marks and Harvey Normans to come.

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

I know that is the hope of many Rugby fans in the same way that League fans are hoping Suaalli comes back. Despite any intentions or promises made at this stage, once they switch, it becomes a whole new ball game (no pun intended 😂 😂 😂 ).

Roosters offer 'something I couldn't knock back': Marquee Mark reveals why he's joining the Bondi bunch

View Comment

League

1d

The Trouble is that Rugby is CH9’s whipping boy. They say jump and RA says how high. It would be nice having games on TV at 7pm but good luck with that. Nine will put it on at midnight if it chooses. At least with SBS we might get a true partner.

This is a good example of where we need to start putting the customer first. Everyone knows that RA is desperate for the dollars, so it is a difficult choice.

'Agonising rawness' that must be a lightbulb moment for RA’s new powerbrokers

View Comment

Rugby

3d

Tongue in cheek of course but lots of truths and half truths in there. Mark will certainly find a few differences and he will certainly be put through the pre season grinder on the fitness front but if this kid lives up to his potential, he could be a big hit.

Anyone know how fast he is ?

Welcome to the NRL, Mark - here's everything you need to know about The Greatest Game of All

View Comment

League

2d

I thought that before Canberra hired him….. Heck, I thought that when he left Cronulla.

Pressure Points: If Ricky picked up his first wooden spoon, would his position at the Raiders be at risk?

View Comment

League

3d

“What has Sticky done as a coach to be considered unsackable?”

What has Sticky done as a coach to be considered employable?

Pressure Points: If Ricky picked up his first wooden spoon, would his position at the Raiders be at risk?

View Comment

League

3d

Sorry but playing at an elite level in any sport is more than just $$$

There is value in playing a sport that you love
There is value in becoming a household name and even a hero in your own country
There is value in playing for your country (and Origin in the NRL)
There is value playing at home with the support of friends and family
There is value in winning cups/shield/medals/titles and getting your name in local history books
There is value in having a statue of you erected in your home town
and there is massive value in having your kids/grandkids respect you for all you have achieved.

Money is important to a point but once that point is reached then these other things kick in big time.

'We don’t hold any grudges': Why Wallabies star will still be picked in 2024 despite NRL defection

View Comment

Rugby

3d

I also think that SBS have a good set of values and appear very competent at what they do unlike a certain other channel I could name.

'Agonising rawness' that must be a lightbulb moment for RA’s new powerbrokers

View Comment

Rugby

3d

My biggest worry is over Rugby’s finances. This is an aspect of the game (business) that is often hidden from fans and yet can have the biggest impact on our game in all of these areas out into the future. We are borrowing money on the strength of a golden period of Rugby just around the corner (where have we heard that one before) with a strong focus on Elite Players and Systems.

I feel that in Australia, we almost have to say stuff the golden decade and go back to putting all our efforts into grass roots rugby and the basics of the business. We have to rebuild from the bottom up. We have to support efforts like the Fountain Gate thing and build structures and pathways that excite our youngsters.
We have to count and recount every penny and not spend anything unless there is a clear return. Stop worrying about glory at the next WC, if it comes then so and good but it is what we are doing internally that really matters. Rugby needs to behave as if we were in “Administration” focus on survival not taking on the NRL or worrying about whether some kid defects or not.
We need a simple clear direction for Rugby that restores faith and confidence in what we are trying to do and rallies all the moms and pops and part timers and myriad of others to put in every week and restore those solid foundations that Rugby today so desperately needs.

A slogan adopted by a Canadian Rugby League club has always felt so apt for us here in Australia and would serve well as a goal. That slogan was “to put a Rugby Ball in every kids hands” because that is where RA needs to focus.

'Agonising rawness' that must be a lightbulb moment for RA’s new powerbrokers

View Comment

Rugby

3d

“My view is we’ve been coexisting for a long time and we need to continue to coexist, so you certainly won’t have me going out and picking a war with any other code.”

That would be a bit like Belgium picking a war with Russia

All joking aside and for the good of Rugby Australia, we need to calm things down and concentrate on managing our own patch. The NRL will do whatever it wants and if that includes raiding our ranks well that is unfortunate but not much we can do about it. Better working with those who do want to stay. Get our house in order and make Rugby as attractive as it possibly can be for these guys.

'We don’t hold any grudges': Why Wallabies star will still be picked in 2024 despite NRL defection

View Comment

Rugby

3d

Cookie you are forgetting that one of those sums is NRL dollars and the other is RA dollars.

Q.E.D.

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

and that is before he touches the ball. 😂 😂

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

I would love to know what is going through Suliasi’s mind these days. He was in a good place in League and doing well but his time in Rugby has been less than spectacular. There are quite a few NRL clubs that would take him like a shot for the right money.

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

The sad thing is that, having caught him in high school, we couldn’t make Rugby attractive enough to change that idea. His Dad might influence but his experiences could have trumped that.

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

Makes no difference where the $ came from, they still spend, they cause disquiet in the playing ranks and eventually ………

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

Many of the comments on this article are looking through Rose tinted Rugby glasses.

If we take those off for a moment and look over the fence, the “really exciting time in Australian Rugby” is not really exciting in isolation. There are numerous attractions on the NRL side of the fence for a youngster who is still very much in the “developing skills” stage of his career.

With our Rugby specs on, we might see it as a one sided argument after all we are about to embark on a golden 4 years aren’t we ? But on the other side of the fence, players and fans (with their NRL specs on) alike would genuinely wonder why anyone would want to play for Rugby Australia.

Jumping up and down and passionately declaring that the lad is useless, has no loyalty, is only after the money, never cared about Rugby or has no team spirit is simply disappointment expressing itself in a mean spirited way. Heat of the moment and all that.

A more balanced view should be wishing the lad well, hoping he comes back but also examining why a lad such as this might want to switch codes and then doing something to discourage future code hoppers.

The NRL is now awake and its clubs will now be looking at our best players choosing who they like, a little like the hungry diner at a buffet table. They wouldn’t want many from our ranks but they would like the look of a few and that would be enough to devastate our future WC / Lions ambitions. The fallout from the Suaalli coup could end up devastating for Rugby.

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

Of course, it might just be, possibly perhaps as unlikely as it might seem, that his long term love might be of the other game.

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

@ Biscuit man

I agree with you. Of itself, this may not be major but it is a case of drip…drip…drip and we ain’t catching many.

Done deal: Wallabies star signs with NRL powerhouse in brutal reality check for RA at start of 'golden decade'

View Comment

Rugby

4d

The Roar

Dionysus

Dionysus hasn't published any posts yet