Roar Guru
Joined January 2010
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The continual rhetoric in the Sky commentary box (filled with ex-England captains) regarding James Anderson and the fact that he is apparently the best…
what makes australians with an island background any less australian than any other australians?
i want the island teams to prosper as well, they need regular games and our sport needs rules in place which stops players switching countries, but i would never deny an australian the chance to represent his country if thats his goal!
NRL dodges crowds, ratings bullet
yet you seem to love spending your time on rugby league threads!
NRL dodges crowds, ratings bullet
There has never been a non australian player play for the kangaroos!
NRL dodges crowds, ratings bullet
Once again you seem to ignore the fact that more Australians watch the nrl on tv than the afl, why does it hurt you so much?
NRL dodges crowds, ratings bullet
Along with merchandise sales, betting revenue, Facebook fans.
Also, the afl might be ahead of the NRL in quite a few areas and have fair enough claims to be the number one sport at the moment (although not by anyway near as much as some people on here like to claim), but remember that rugby league us actually the bigger sport overall!
NRL dodges crowds, ratings bullet
But, but, but!!!! The same excused are getting tiresome! It’s ok mate, let it out!
Sydney, where's the support for the NRL?
How do you get the time to keep trolling rugby league sites! You mist secretly love the sport!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
But you would say that wouldn’t you?
The RWC starts getting serious in the quarter finals, whilst this year has improved a heap, the minnow nations are barely above park standard! It is not tougher than the 30 weeks of tough games that the NRL provides! The NRL is most definately the biggest domestic comp in the world out of both the rugby codes!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
You make some good points when you’re not code warring jaceman!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
Another union fan who has no idea about rugby league! Why do you guys spend your lives on the Internet commenting on a sport you dont even like? It is pathetic!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
and none who were scouted playing rugby league in the pacific unfortunately!
this needs to change!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
“If Jarryd Hayne does not make the Australian squad for the upcoming Four Nations, would anyone really consider it to be to the detriment of international rugby league if he instead played a few games for the Bati?”
yes, this is one of the main reasons our sport isnt taken seriously as an international sport, and also why it is not developing. stop looking for the quick fix! the road to having a larger number of competitive and ‘legitimate’ teams is not by having 8 teams of australian rejects pretending to be national teams, this is not how international sport works!
what we need is to plan our season so that all countries have the chance to play in legitimate and meaningful test matches and tournaments mid season and post season. our sport needs a vision and a long term plan. stand alone weekends for origin, nz origins, pacific cups or test series etc, regular tours, 4 nations, world cups and we need stricter eligibility laws which stop this rubbish of players switching countries almost at will which is competely amateur. if we do allow players to switch (and i would suggest that we didnt), you must stand down from test rugby league for 5 years and you can only switch once. this allows countries to build a squad of players that they can work with. it builds the player pool, team character, the teams reputation and their national identity.
it is going to take time though, and we are obssessed with the quick fix. the typical rugby league attitude (lead by the rlif and arl) is lets find every player with samoan heritage who isnt good enough for aus or nz and put them in a team and call them samoa, but when they are good enough to play for aus or nz we’ll have them back. THAT DOES NOT HELP GROW THE SPORT! the island teams do not benefit from this in the long term. it is not that hard if the powers that be really wanted to put in the work required!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
i wondered why nobody had picked up that wales were in the 4 nations. they beat france last year in the final game of the european cup to qualify in front of a huge french crowd.
also, the crusaders arent folding, they will be competiting in the division below the super league. there is also another professional club in wales called the south wales scorpions who play in championship 1 (third tier).
How to close Rugby League's international gap
youre very ill informed about the growth of rugby league internationally over the last few years rob. not that i can blame you because our sport isnt exactly good at the pr side of things. rugby league has grown significantly over the last few years. they now have a large school competition, national comp and a high number of regional comps. a number of schools have actually converted from rugby union. although union is still king and may always be, rugby league is growing and is a very well known sport, the nrl is in the national papers along with the local league every day.
i notice how you completely neglect the uk and our nearest neighbour in png as well who live and breath the sport. do we just ignore them too? while we are doing well with the nrl and origin is bigger than ever, this is not the be all and end all of rugby league. it is played now in more countries than ever and has a heap of potential as an international sport, not that its ever going to take over the world.
How to close Rugby League's international gap
great points matt. the nrl should be doing a hell of a lot more to promote the game overseas. they cant even promote the sport in australia and nz very well so there it isnt any wonder they dont care about the international side!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
i dont believe this is the best way forward for our sport. also, the arl have the right to choose only players eligible for their own domestic representitive series. what we should be doing is giving players more incentive to represent their nations of heritage by having meaningful tests and tournaments during the time australia plays its origin series. why is it fair that australia can hold a mid season rep series which pretty much shuts the nrl down, but no other country can? players need to be given the option to choose who they wish to represent and once they make that choice, they stick with it.
and why would you limit your idea to polynesian players? nobody seems to get upset that someone like nathan hindmarsh chose nsw/aus over scotland when he qualifies the same way that a lot of polynesian/melanesian players do. it seems as if a lot of people dont like the idea that a lot of the polynesian players are australians (not that im referring to you when i say this tigger)!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
yes it would be good if more players did commit to nations outside of the big 3, and one of the things that needs to be done to ensure this is to have regular, meaningful test matches and tournaments played both mid season and post nrl season by all nations. but you need to also consider what you are saying, petro is just as australian as matt scott and has every right to elect to play for australia as he is an australian. you cannot take away his right to represent his country! players who are eligible for more than one country have the right to choose, this is not what is holding our sport back!
hayne also played for australia first and only played for fiji because our ridiculous eligiblity laws allowed this to happen when he was dropped from the australian train on squad. THIS is what makes our sport a farce when it has so much potential as an international sport!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
spot on crosscoder, it is good to see someone posting who has a bit of background knowledge of international rugby league and its development. it has certainly come a long way over the last 5-10 years despite a weak international federation which is unwilling to put in the hard yards required!
and a europe team???? really??? one of the most ridiculous things ive read!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
i agree sailosi, what we need are legitimate international test teams representing their nations. not a bunch of australian and kiwi rejects playing for their second nation of choice. the eligibilty laws need to be tightened to enforce players stick to one country, whether they qualify via birth, residency or the grandparent law as used in all major sports!
How to close Rugby League's international gap
oh, is this an australian rules article? i just saw footy and assumed it was the sport that everyone i know calls footy. my bad!
The SCG is the best place to watch footy
woah! the old 3rd biggest sporting event in the world lie is being used! next you will be telling us that 4 billion will be tuning into the world cup. the rugby world cup is a great event and has grown considerably but i think some union fans overestimate its importance and worldwide appeal.
anyway, i dont think it is a complicated game, too many referees just have different interpretations of the rules. i prefer rugby league as i enjoy the bigger hits, open space, greater attacking plays and greater all round skill imo, but i dont mind the odd game of union. sydney club rugby isnt too bad to watch.
Rugby a simple game made complicated
the best place i have watched footy in australia is suncorp, followed by the sfs. i didnt mind the scg when the tigers played there last year and its great for cricket of course, there is something historic about it.
The SCG is the best place to watch footy
the afl the 2nd in the world for sports administration? above english premier league, nba, formula one, any european soccer league, mlb, ipl etc? that is a massive call!
NRL reveals an Empire State of Mind
if the afl have set the bar, i cant see how the nrl wont get a billion dollars. it is certainly worth that much. interesting times ahead!
How the NRL can match the AFL’s TV rights deal
what the hell are you on about?
New Zealand the true kings of rugby league