The Roar
The Roar

The Roar

Mike Meehall Wood

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Joined February 2022

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Mike Meehall Wood is a rugby league writer, Celtic supporter and cricket tragic. He has written extensively about rugby league for publications in the UK and Australia, and about sports more widely for Forbes, VICE, LADbible and more.

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It’s an interesting point, but RL bumbled along basically fine for 100 years before the Super Laegue showed up.

In terms of fanbase, the likes of Saints, Wigan, Wire, Hull clubs and Leeds have as many supporters as a lot of NRL clubs and there’s a huge junior and amateur game that SL doesn’t even touch. Something else would exist if SL didn’t.

The A-League could learn a little from rugby league – but not in the way you think

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2d

The Wakey/Cas/Fev triumvirate is still an open issue really, because they’re as rusted on as they come and basically exist to hate each other.

Easy sokkah example would be Marconi, Sydney Croatia and Bonnyrigg, who have three stadiums within a tiny radius and thousands of fans – more than Macarthur you’d say – but absolutely cannot coexist in the same organisation.

Cumbria is a bit different because (unlike most of the RL heartlands) geography is a major factor. Would be like putting Parkes and Forbes into one team (which might work) but then throwing in Bathurst to fill out the region. Sure, they’re all close to each other relatively, but they’re also miles away.

The A-League could learn a little from rugby league – but not in the way you think

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2d

We have a great example of that in Bradford Bulls – multiple world champions (when SL and NRL were closest, too) who got relegated during a period of financial difficulty, from which they have never recovered as a result of being relegated.

Thus one of the biggest, most traditional rusted on areas with a huge fanbase has withered on the vine for over a decade. The Bulls still get 4k fans in the second tier (the highest in the league) but averaged more than 3x that in 2005.

The A-League could learn a little from rugby league – but not in the way you think

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2d

We imported the GF model from Aus in the late 90s, prior to that the champs were the champs.

Ironically, the 2nd Tier GF has caused the most problems: Toronto and Toulouse both lost to London when the league very much wanted them to go up. Catalans also survived a playoff by the skin of their teeth, which would have set the game back 20 years.

Both Toronto and Featherstone have walked the Champo only to miss out in a one-off game to a side that, largely, weren’t bothered about getting promoted and couldn’t afford to go full-time. Easy to see why they’d like to get shot of it pronto.

The A-League could learn a little from rugby league – but not in the way you think

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Football
 
2d

Your cheque is in the post mate 😂

The A-League could learn a little from rugby league – but not in the way you think

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2d

Au contraire – when they play internationals in London, they regularly announce how many of the tix were bought from southern postcodes, and its usually a pretty high proportion.

Some would be exiled northerners but RL does have a significant eventgoer base in the South – as evidenced too by the viewing figures on TV.

OT isn’t like that really, but then events there tend to be more for the rusted-on fans, like Finals (GF or WC) as opposed to England games that are meant to grow the brand.

The A-League could learn a little from rugby league – but not in the way you think

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2d

The 30k is not to be sniffed at but I take your point. One wonders how much of Ponga’s 70k a game at Newcastle derives from him having played Origin, however. In negotiations, a rep player is surely worth more than a non-rep player, right?

If Kiwis and Poms are allowed to play, Origin might be about to stumble into eligibility rules that work

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League
 
4d

You’ve spectacularly missed my point, and yet also kind of proved it.

I never said there weren’t Pacific players prior to 2005, what I said was “As recently as 2005, there were just two Pacific players in State of Origin“.

The point was not that they didn’t exist before, it was that they weren’t as prevalent – that you can specifically list the names of Pacific players prior to 2005 suggests that there weren’t that many, right? I mean it’d take you a long time to list all the Pacific players now…

If Kiwis and Poms are allowed to play, Origin might be about to stumble into eligibility rules that work

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League
 
4d

I’m possibly the biggest WCC fan there is so I’m here with you. Reckon I’ve attended 13 over the journey, plus a few of the 97 debacle too 😂
Saints v Broncos 2001 and Manly v Leeds 2009 stand out as particularly great games, as well as last year’s at Penrith.

Fourth time lucky: Penrith set for UK trip as World Club Challenge clash with Wigan confirmed

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1w

Not a Tour de France fan then 😁

Smart Signings: Why the Tigers need to throw the keys to the team - and the cheque book - at Jarome Luai

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3w

He meant it in the sense that somebody better would come around for Dodd and that playing 7 for the Tigers straight from SL was a hiding to nothing

Smart Signings: Why the Tigers need to throw the keys to the team - and the cheque book - at Jarome Luai

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3w

I’m worried at how much I convinced myself this was a great idea by the time I’d written it

Smart Signings: Why the Tigers need to throw the keys to the team - and the cheque book - at Jarome Luai

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3w

Did you read last year’s Smart Signings?! Think I told em to get Hiroti then 😛

Smart Signings: Why the Tigers need to throw the keys to the team - and the cheque book - at Jarome Luai

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3w

I did not, that is a real stat 😂

Smart Signings: Whoever Des Hasler gets, it's the collective that will make the difference at the Titans

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League
 
Nov

Seibold and Demetriou were regulars of my childhood watching 2nd tier UK footy.

Seibs was a battling backrower at Hull KR, regular visitors to Rochdale Hornets in our golden era during the Northern Ford Premiership (what passes for a golden era at least…). He scored twice the day we beat them in early 2003, a huge upset at the time, with former Magpie Harvey Howard and ex-England international Nick Pinkney in their team.

JD actually played for Hornets, as I tell him regularly, and was at the club when I was a ballboy in 2000. He was more than a solid SL player at Wakey, I’d say he’d be considered one of their greatest imports ever.

He also has won a title, winning the NFP GF with Widnes in 2001 alongside current Warriors assistant Richard Agar and against Oldham halfback turned RU coaching guru Mike Ford.

A playing team of coaches: How would the current 17 NRL mentors actually go playing alongside each other?

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League
 
Oct

That’s me for the night, keep an eye on the site for an incoming match report.

We’ll be back next week – Friday night, I reckon – and you can get all the best A-League content in the week from Mike Tuckerman, Stuart Thomas and myself.

Thanks for reading along, congrat Brisbane, goodnight Suncorp!

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

FT

That’s it! Embarassing stuff for Sydney FC, who remain pointless and goalless, but let’s not talk about them: the Roar were exceptional and deserved every inch of their win.

Hore started it early, Redmayne gifted them a second and then denied many more before Hore made it three.

3-0 it finishes at Suncorp.

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

90+3′

Nope.

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

92+2′

Kucharski shows good enthusiasm to win a late corner…

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

90+1′

Freke saves again, this time from Fabio…who I had forgot was on the field.

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

89′

Sydney look so beat now. 180 minutes plus in the books and yet to score, too.

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

87′

Locerda smashes MacNicol. Boo!

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

83′

Berenguer off, Quinn MacNicol on – he’s 15! That’s the third youngest player ever, he was born the week Low by Flo-Rida was number one and Juno was in cinemas.

Feel old?

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

81′

So close for Markovski! His first touch is a shot that ripples the sidenetting.

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct

80′

Mak, SFC’s best I’d say, gets a shot away but Freke is confident it’s going wide and the dive is strictly for the cameras.

Mileusnic is departing, Markovski on.

3-0

AS IT HAPPENED: Sydney FC's nightmare start continues as Hore and Roar secure win

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Football
 
Oct
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