Old suburban facilities like Telstra Stadium (or whatever name it goes by)?

Brilliant!!!

Any business will buy product (NRL) if the price is cheap enough. Channel 9 bought FTA screening rights for $56m less over the next 2.5 years. As sure as night follows day Foxtel also paid less than previous agreements for their new NRL contract. Just because Fox signed a long term deal doesn’t make it good if it’s for a lot less money.
The NRL is a business and good business decisions need to be made.
To be fair it may be a case (and probably is) that there are/were no other people interested in broadcasting the NRL and therefore PVL had to get what he could. That’s fine as long as moving forward he spends money proportionate to what he has.

Great deduction but no cigar.

Phil, regardless of the hard dealing CEO’s that PVL had to do business with, he must look after the game moving forward and not just for today. He is being purposefully negligent if he keeps the salary cap the same. The game can’t afford it but it’s a nice story which people are lapping up.

He wasn’t the first in the world to start up a sporting competition after/during Covid-19. He is the first in Australia and has taken a start at any cost attitude. We are privileged to know the amount of the TV deal………Channel 9 for one have paid $56M less over the next 2.5 years.
Somehow PVL wants to keep the salary cap the same with at least $100m less broadcasting money to work with.
He’ll need to turn water in wine or at least find $100m plus over the next 2.5 years just to keep afloat in what is going to be (no need to be Einstein) a very tough economic climate.

All he was interested in was the short term………..right now…………..life tends to exceed the short term, not sometimes but all the time.

Justin, I’m trying to get people to look a little longer term than just this year. Otherwise we’ll look back in 3 years time and go………”why didn’t we do something when we should have”.

As far as last night’s game is concerned, it was ok. Parra looked good but at the same time Bris looked bad. Time will tell if Parra are flat track bullies and Bris are their proverbial “bunnies”.

101 of business suggests that you can only spend as much as you earn and need to save for a rainy day.
The NRL had a chance to learn badly needed lessons in the 101 of business by reining in their spending and saving for a rainy day.
They take a “bad haircut” in their earnings and then say that salary caps (spending) will remain the same moving forwards whilst at the same time saving money for the next rainy day.
Unless PVL can “turn water into wine” then where is the money going to come from to both continue the salary cap at it’s present rate and save for a rainy day?
As I continue to say PVL is only looking short term whilst blowing his own trumpet. He’ll be gone sooner than we know it and leave someone else to pick up whatever pieces are left.
In the short term we have this years season going at whatever cost it is to the long term.

Yes yes yes yes yes.
Which is why I’m questioning what V’Landys has actually done for the game. Short term bullying, posturing for long term…………?

Crowds have gone lower and lower, viewer number have gone lower and lower. We are reaching or have reached our new normal.

The habits of people change and have changed. We need to prepare for the future.

“Build it and they will come” used to be the catch cry but no longer is. Times have changed.

Ask Myer or David Jones how whether they’d like to (a) get more showroom space (b) keep the same showroom space that they have or (c) reduce their showroom space and they’ll categorically answer “C”.

Peoples habits are changing and we need to change with them or risk bankruptcy. The NRL was slowly going bankrupt before Covid-19. Now’s the time to get the decisions right for the long term and not be so short term focussed.

Dictionary
Search for a word
sarcasm

the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
“she didn’t like the note of sarcasm in his voice”

The Everest pushing the Melbourne Cup aside, Rugby League starting a fortnight before the AFL! Why, the man is verily a miracle worker, a genius! The AFL must be livid. How can they possibly compete with this almost supernatural V’isionary?!

If “Under The Bus Throwing” was an Olympic sport than V’Landys would only be 2nd favourite to win the event behind Trump…………..daylight third.

Walter, thank you for your thoughts and i’ll comment on them point by point.

Abdo or whoever gets the NRL CEO position moving forward will be responsible for the NRL.

V’landys as The Commissioner of the ARL should do what his job description dictates and leave the NRL CEO to do his.

1. Finalise the tv contracts…………….The money received will almost certainly be less and possibly significantly less.
2. Develop the NRL’s digital app………totally agree although i’m uncertain how well it can be monetized.
3. How do we market this game better (particularly with the ball and chain that is Ch9)………Channel 9 at present have more money than the other FTA channels but more importantly I can’t see bigger money being paid regardless of which FTA broadcasts the game. As far as marketing the game, that’s the job of the NRL.
4. How do we expand our reach (Australia, Globally)…………..we don’t, consolidate and make the best of what we have. I’ve seen the NBA, NFL expand worldwide reach whereas the NRL in the same timeframes has tried and failed. The two aforementioned sports come from a significantly bigger base. The NRL comes from such a small base (NSW and QLD) that it’s futile to send good money after bad, chasing a rainbow that won’t be caught.
5. How do we restructure our finances and make clubs stronger ?…………reduce the number of clubs so that we build a stronger base to strengthen the rest and maybe, just maybe in time we can broach the subject of expansion again. In the meantime we have to use what we have to it’s best.
6. How do we expand our game (teams, womens juniors)…………see my comments above.
7. What about Origin Scheduling ?……………I think that playing Origin mid season devalues the competition and therefore should be played post season with International series scheduled every two or even four years apart. If you ask players whether they’d rather play Origin or Test matches that they’d answer Origin. Playing International series as i’ve suggested will possibly engender an appetite for the Tests.
8. FTA tv rights 2022 and beyond………………as above.
9. How do we grow our income ?……………….as above.
10. What about the international game ?……..as above.

Can you envision what the EPL, NFL, NBA etc etc must be thinking about how many people will forgo watching their sports and cross over to watching the NRL…………..no?………………maybe they’ll just ask, who or what is the NRL or maybe no one outside of NSW and QLD will realise.

Danwain, take off the myopia sunglasses and realise that we in Australia are ever so lucky that we’re in the position to start our sporting competitions earlier than most. Not because of Vlandys but because we are geographically isolated but more importantly had a government that implemented a good strategy quickly and decisively. Whether NRL starts 2 weeks before AFL is in the long term irrelevant.

What is relevant for the long term is whether the salaries and clubs remain as per the present status quo. You seem to think that the Vlandys line of get the game going at all costs and being first kid off the block in Australia matters. Vlandys is first kid off the block in Australia but just like “First Movers Advantage” it means nothing or little if you can’t continue to move forward.

Salaries must contract for players as the game can’t afford them They have been too large. The other option is to leave salaries as they are and cull teams. Probably both have to happen in my opinion.

FTA broadcasting deals will NEVER !! be as much as they were. Anti siphoning laws dictate that we must have FTA broadcasts. NRL is primarily watched in NSW and Qld only so that when we move forward and try to monetize digital subscriptions the NRL is preaching to the converted (NSW and QLD). People in other jurisdictions that will watch via streaming are in numbers that resemble an endangered species.

The monies that thr NRL and therefore players and clubs will have will be limited further. It’s time to consolidate and that in my opinion is to cull downwards to 14 or even 12 teams. Make what there is better by streamlining everything but building a more solid viable base.

I’m not convinced that Vlandys has done anything that any other administrator in his position wouldn’t have done.

The NRL is about to start but so are many many other competitions around the world. Some have already started and some barely stopped.

Vlandys signed new broadcasting contracts for less money going forward. Channel 9’s contract is only short term and as night follows day whichever FTA broadcaster signs the next contract will not pay more than Channel 9 are paying.

Vlandys will be long gone by then and will allow someone else to take the blame for the financial mess the game will be in. Now is/was the time to rather than keep salary levels the same or at least similar, to cull teams and lessen salary caps.

Vlandys as ARL Commissioner is responsible for much more than the NRL.

The primary objectives of the ARL Commission are to:

– (a) be the single controlling body and administrator of the game;

– (b) foster, develop, extend and provide adequate funding for the game from the junior to elite levels and generally to act in the best interests of the game;

– (c) liaise with and delegate appropriate functions to governing bodies of the game in the states and territories of Australia, including the NSWRL and QRL;

– (d) organise and conduct all State of Origin and Australian representative games;

– (e) organise, conduct and foster the NRL competition;

– (f) liaise with the Rugby League International Federation Limited and organisations controlling the game in other countries in the fostering and control of the game of rugby league throughout the world;

(g) promote and encourage either directly or indirectly the physical, cultural and intellectual welfare of young people in the community and, in particular, the rugby league community;

(h) promote and encourage either directly or indirectly sport and recreation, particularly rugby league football, in the interests of the social welfare of young persons.

What actually has Vlandys done?

The NRL starts on 28th May……………it was inevitable that the game would restart whoever was in charge.

Some sporting competitions around the world have started before the NRL……..so he’s not a world first by any stretch.

He “negotiated” new broadcasting contracts………..whoever was in charge was going to do that……..but…….the new contracts are for less money and in the case of Channel 9 only for a short time.

Indicating that players will receive same or similar money next year is short term thinking to an extreme. It’s inevitable that some form of team culling and player salary cutting must happen in years to come. He is only prolonging the inevitable.

So I come back to my question………..”What actually has Vlandys done?”………..at least, what has he done that any other administrator in his position wouldn’t have done at least the same.

None or at best little has been mentioned by Vlandys re anything else apart from NRL competition. His role as ARL commissioner means he needs to look at many other things.

The primary objectives of the ARL Commission are to:

– (a) be the single controlling body and administrator of the game;

– (b) foster, develop, extend and provide adequate funding for the game from the junior to elite levels and generally to act in the best interests of the game;

– (c) liaise with and delegate appropriate functions to governing bodies of the game in the states and territories of Australia, including the NSWRL and QRL;

– (d) organise and conduct all State of Origin and Australian representative games;

– (e) organise, conduct and foster the NRL competition;

– (f) liaise with the Rugby League International Federation Limited and organisations controlling the game in other countries in the fostering and control of the game of rugby league throughout the world;

(g) promote and encourage either directly or indirectly the physical, cultural and intellectual welfare of young people in the community and, in particular, the rugby league community;

(h) promote and encourage either directly or indirectly sport and recreation, particularly rugby league football, in the interests of the social welfare of young persons.

Changing the number of officials between seasons is ok as is changing of rules and definitions of them. But changing the number of officials mid season is not.

We all understand that the NRL is stoney broke and the broadcast deal they’ve done hasn’t changed that, one little bit.

They need to take their medicine this season and then go about shoring up the game which inevitably means that the culling of teams must be done.

The “National” part of NRL is a misnomer. It should be renamed ESRL (Eastern Seaboard Rugby League”.

They need to understand their position and make most of what they are and have. Chasing a pipedream of taking the game to the world is just that……a pipedream.

People in all countries of the world love Soccer. People in most countries of the world follow and really like basketball. NFL and MLB are broadcast live around the globe.

Rugby League is a niche sport played primarily in the North of England and on the Eastern Seaboard of Australia. Its following outside of those areas is very limited unless you include small pockets of New Zealand and world power house nation Papua New Guinea.

The newly named ESRL should make a return to suburban grounds and be the best that they can be rather than spreading themselves way too far and trying to exist way beyond their means and station.

If it’s ok to cut number of referees from 2 to 1 then it’s ok to cut number of players from 13 to 10.

Lets see what the players say about that.

Absolute joke for NRL to do anything but reduce wages for this year, cut number of teams for future years.

Do those things for a start.

Please forgive my punctuation but I asked PV to check it for me and he said it’d be done for sure…………..almost.

Larry, are you the one and only Larry David, because your post is hilarious but oh so true. Got to love it when a bully boy gets his comupence.
Now lets see, all jurisdictions are in agreement……..almost
All broadcasters in agreement……….almost
All clubs agree with rules and game structures……almost
Money’s in the bank……..almost
Competition draw ready……..almost
Referees ready……….no
Referee ready………almost

Well ok then………we’re almost ready
Nothing has changed with the NRL, it’s just a normal day……….SNAFU

Peter……..are you there…….did you mean May 2021…….trying hard to believe you but finding it hard……..what’s the draw……how much money are we getting……..who’s actually in charge…..oh dear oh dear oh dear.

Subscribers outside of Australia…………….100
Subscribers in W.A, S.A, TAS, N.T…………..500
Subscribers in Vic…………………………………1500
Subscribers in NSW, QLD………………………35000

Somewhat short of 1M

I may be wrong and probably are but there’s 6 zero’s in 1M and i wouldn’t expect that the NRL could possibly get a 100k subscribers.

Whether Channel 9 have treated the game with utter contempt or not is debatable but what is not debatable is that as far as FTA channels are concerned, they are the only possible station who will/can broadcast the NRL. Everyone else has a few reasons but mostly they are all penniless. So whether you/we like it or not Channel 9 are in charge of negotiations because no one else is in a position to offer more money than them. Don’t forget that the anti siphoning laws say that there must be FTA broadcasts.

Big Daddy, with the anti siphoning laws in place, there has to be a FTA broadcast of games.