Footy Developments in NSW and Queensland

[RedV3x]

we no longer talking about tennis. .

If you say so. I was talking about participation and choices.
People, when given the choice, then a substantial percentage of the population will play Australian Rules Football.

And please, having a different opinion is not troll..

But mentioning irrelevant stuff like a one-off rl player or basketball player or not sticking to the subject matters is TROLLING.

 

[Rob]

Total joke. A person has to have a certain ability, I won't call it skill, but it is an ability to run and take hits for 80 minutes.
American Footballers are in awe of the toughness of NRL and it takes dedication like any professional sport.
As for athleticism, nothing beats AFL.



Total joke. Easy to play tennis (except for the serve) and tennis is dominated by older people.
The easiest game in the world to pick is definitely soccer.

This is getting a bit silly now.

You cannot say any sport at the highest level isn't exceptionally difficult to play. If it was easy anyone would do it.

What can differ amongst sports is the uniqueness of the skills needed. Such a trait can lend itself to favour players that have been doing it a long time. Soccer is one of those sports - the ability to dribble a round ball using only your feet is not a skill that can be acquired in other sports, yet is integral to soccer. If you can't do that at an elite level then you're pretty much useless. That's why you rarely see players from other sports transition to elite level soccer late. Which also is the case the other way - a kid that's played just soccer for most of his childhood is unlikely to be able to make a transition to another sport at a high level as the skills developed in the game aren't a lot of use in most other sports.

 

[Gigantor]

As a Giants fan, I can confirm that Izzy was terrible. I was embarassed watching him.
Now I think it's fair to say that he lost interest very early on and his heart was not in it.
He has played at the highest level in both rugbies, both are very tough, robust games. He performed exceedingly well in both.
In our game, it became apparent pretty early on that he had no inclination to sit under a footy, and more often than not, got the hell out of the way.
Karmichael Hunt performed to an acceptable standard, he was really good below his knees, quite balanced, not easily pushed off the footy, but once the Suns started maturing, there really wasn't a spot for him, and he conceded that he wasn't built for the game - but good on him, he gave it his best and came away with a few highlights.
I think most footy fans would have respect for Hunt, even if he didn't really scale any great heights.

 

[RedV3x]

You cannot say any sport at the highest level isn't exceptionally difficult to play.

Totally agree but we were talking about taking up participation in sport and I was saying that given the choice a large percentage of the population would prefer to play Australian Rules Football.

If it was easy anyone would do it.

Well a lot of people do play soccer because in fact it is "easy".

This is getting a bit silly now.

Yes, we were talking about general taking up of participation in a particular sport when people started trolling elite level comparisons.

 

[BobbyMorri]

If you say so. I was talking about participation and choices.
People, when given the choice, then a substantial percentage of the population will play Australian Rules Football.

AND I WASN'T when I replied to Gig. I was responding to his last line when he said

Once again, not really an issue for me, and the positive for the NRL is that they have a steady stream of willing participants at the professional level.

I was agreeing with that point, stating that the skills of NRL are easy to pick up if you are an athlete, where other sports, such as tennis, golf can take years and years to master and are a lot more difficult.

So, when you randomly replied to me, guess, what I assumed. And the fact you said Tennis is easy was a huge joke and deserved to be laughed up. Life as a professional tennis player is one of the hardest careers paths in all of world sport. The sport itself I not easy. A lot of people would struggle to hit a ball over a net.

And I am not the only one who has assumed that you were talking about the pro level. So, perhaps maybe, look into a mirror.

But mentioning irrelevant stuff like a one-off rl player or basketball player or not sticking to the subject matters is TROLLING.

I WAS AGREEING WITH YOU!!!!!! I SAID AFL(AUSSIE RULES) IS AN VERY ATHLETIC SPORT!!!
geech. I can't win.

btw, it was one line where I mentioned the RL players. I didn't even mention AFL in my first post. I was basically saying there is a lot of transferable skills and athleticism in the sport. That a good athlete can be trained to pick up the skills quickly compared to other sports(tennis in this case). There is nothing wrong with that. I am not saying AFL doesn't have skills. I not saying tennis is better because it does require extreme refinement of its skills. I am just saying, using the example of the RL players and Lebron James, that AFL is an easy sport to pick up on, due to its athleticism compared to others. That is all. Perhaps it is a small market, or perhaps it is the sport itself. Mason Cox is a damn good set shot, better than loads of others, for someone who had never heard of the sport 10 years ago. Greenwood goes alright in the middle of the park.

let me put it this way. Since I can't mention AFL without insulting people, Can you name a tennis player who hasn't played since they were a kid in the top 300-400. You won't be able to. I never forget Nadal, doing a Q+A, basically saying you won't make it unless you trained as a kid. *

*that opens a whole can of worms regarding tennis parents and how they treat the tennis-playing kid. So many talented tennis players without a childhood.

 

[jatz14]

AND I WASN'T when I replied to Gig. I was responding to his last line when he said


I was agreeing with that point, stating that the skills of NRL are easy to pick up if you are an athlete, where other sports, such as tennis, golf can take years and years to master and are a lot more difficult.

So, when you randomly replied to me, guess, what I assumed. And the fact you said Tennis is easy was a huge joke and deserved to be laughed up. Life as a professional tennis player is one of the hardest careers paths in all of world sport. The sport itself I not easy. A lot of people would struggle to hit a ball over a net.

And I am not the only one who has assumed that you were talking about the pro level. So, perhaps maybe, look into a mirror.


I WAS AGREEING WITH YOU!!!!!! I SAID AFL(AUSSIE RULES) IS AN VERY ATHLETIC SPORT!!!
geech. I can't win.

btw, it was one line where I mentioned the RL players. I didn't even mention AFL in my first post. I was basically saying there is a lot of transferable skills and athleticism in the sport. That a good athlete can be trained to pick up the skills quickly compared to other sports(tennis in this case). There is nothing wrong with that. I am not saying AFL doesn't have skills. I not saying tennis is better because it does require extreme refinement of its skills. I am just saying, using the example of the RL players and Lebron James, that AFL is an easy sport to pick up on, due to its athleticism compared to others. That is all. Perhaps it is a small market, or perhaps it is the sport itself. Mason Cox is a damn good set shot, better than loads of others, for someone who had never heard of the sport 10 years ago. Greenwood goes alright in the middle of the park.

let me put it this way. Since I can't mention AFL without insulting people, Can you name a tennis player who hasn't played since they were a kid in the top 300-400. You won't be able to. I never forget Nadal, doing a Q+A, basically saying you won't make it unless you trained as a kid. *

*that opens a whole can of worms regarding tennis parents and how they treat the tennis-playing kid. So many talented tennis players without a childhood.

While I agree with the general sentiment that you cannot be a top tennis pro without a long history in the sport, and you can in footy, I don't think that actually says anything about the sports.

There are, very broadly, roughly the same number of full time pros in footy as tennis. But tennis is a world wide sport and footy isn't.

That means, being a top 200 pro in tennis means your in a lot of competition for that spot. And it is a competition. Your number 200 in the world because you beat the players below you.

Mason Cox is a pro footy player because someone thought a guy of his height and athleticism were worth a punt. He never had to beat anyone for that spot.

Or, put it another way.

If footy was popular in the US, and Europe as well as Australia, and some of the top athletes in those places grew up playing it, do you think a Mason Cox cross code athlete would even get a glance?

The difference isn't the inherent skill, it's the depth and the competition. The less skilled aren't getting a look in in pro tennis, but they are in footy, because there aren't enough highly skilled players to take all available spots.

On moto g(6) plus using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[TWLS]

Daily Telegraph P. Kent 30.4.21

C. Belamy is joining the 30+ MSM RL experts who have publicly expressed concerns about the decline in standards in the NRL.

Kent said "Bellamy's concern is like that of almost all coaches, which is a lack of talent to spread across all 17...teams".

Kent, & others, are saying the big fall in male GR contact RL nos. has directly contributed to the decline in skill standards in the NRL, & blowouts/"the gap".



"AFL invasion of country footy means expansion goalposts have well and truly moved
Before we worry about the alleged inequities of any NRL conference system let’s ask where will the talent come from to fill two teams writes Paul Kent.

The solution to both is there in front of us.

A day after news broke about a dual-conference system in the NRL, Craig Bellamy is on the phone and we are talking about what seems to be one of the great concerns about this idea of expansion.

Bellamy's concern is like that of almost all the coaches, which is a lack of talent to spread across all 17, and perhaps eventually 18, teams.

This competition is already divided into teams that can win the premiership and those struggling to improve, and already the NRL is talking about adding one and then another team who, under the rules of simple mathematics, means they are adding the 481st- to 540th-ranked best players in the land.

Storm head coach Craig Bellamy doesn’t think there is enough talent to fill two new teams in the NRL. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

For those a little mathematically challenged, the first 480 are already contracted to the 16 NRL clubs.

How does that make the competition better?

Bellamy is worried there is not enough good players to spread across the NRL already.

“Back in the day when you and I played,” he says, generously assuming I had a day, “all you could do was play footy.


“Nowadays there’s so many other things they can do.”[Explanation is invalid- contradicted by significant growth in GR club & school AF comp. nos. in NSW, ACT, & Qld.!]

He starts talking about Melbourne’s game against Penrith in Bathurst in 2019 and of their bus trip after the game, driving through the dark streets of Bathurst when suddenly the world lit up.

Bellamy grew up not far away, at Portland just outside of Lithgow, hidden behind the Wallerawang Power Station.

And here out of the darkness rose an AFL field lit up like the cornfield in Field of Dreams, with grass you could play snooker on.

Next to it was a smaller AFL ground.

“The AFL have spread their wings all through our areas,” Bellamy says. “They had two AFL grounds.”

Retired NRL great Noel Cleal has spoken about his fears for bush footy. Picture: Nathan Edwards

Two AFL grounds. He could not believe it. There wasn’t an AFL competition in the central West when Bellamy grew up and now they have these two big beautiful AFL grounds, shining like diamonds, as the AFL marches (mid to large NSW & Qld. regional towns- not small towns, nor rural areas) across rugby league heartlands.

Then, in the same week, Noel Cleal, bush football’s greatest patriot, declares he has not seen bush football in a worse state in his 50 years of involvement with the bush.

The two are most definitely related (but no reasons given for why GR RL being flicked for AF?) and the NRL need to realise this as soon as possible.

Bush clubs are dying through lack of player numbers. Competitions are folding or merging because it no longer seems fun beating up on the same two clubs in a three-team competition.

Where towns once had [adult] second and even third grades now they struggle to put out a first grade competition, [junior] age-group football is shrinking.

Over the years, the NRL and previously the ARL have offered any number of reasons why this is so, the arc bordering from arrogance to incompetence.

All the way back in 1994 I wrote a column when it had already begun. It was clear then the game was already in some decline.

The column asked why the Australian Rugby League was spending $1.5 million a year on development in country NSW and country Queensland while the AFL was already spending $6 million (Incorrect- in 1994 the AFL was spending much less than $6m pa in country NSW & Qld. areas), four times as much, in the same areas.

The ARL scoffed at the AFL’s stupidity.

Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’landys must walk a fine line between expansion of the NRL and hurting country football. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Those are rugby league heartlands, they said, and the AFL is dreaming if they ever think they will have a presence there.

And now you think of Bellamy’s AFL goalposts in Bathurst.

Whenever I got letters or emails after that from good country people worrying about the state of the bush game I would ask the NRL what they were doing and the answer was a broad brush response that did nothing.

“It’s not just bush football that’s dying,” they’d say, “the bush is dying.” [But GR AF is growing in NSW & Qld. country areas. Ditto female contact RL nos.]

In other words, nothing we can do. Even if, in some towns, they were right. Kids were fleeing to the city.

But the trick is to adapt and move forward, which they never seemed too bothered with.

Or perhaps had no answers. Or maybe it was too tough, the job too big.

Some years later, AFL boss Andrew Demetriou called in the heavy hitters in his game and, in a secret meeting, declared they were going to take on rugby league.

Demetriou explained they were going to take a subversive approach, borrowed straight from a military textbook.

We are going to go after the hearts and minds of the mothers, he said, and we are going to take their land.

So the AFL approached councils like the one in western Sydney, who oversaw a dusty, yellow-grassed eyesore some called a footy field and the AFL offered to resurface the entire oval and then pay for a greenkeeper to maintain the ground every week.

With there being no such thing as a free lunch, the council asked what they wanted in return.

“Just take down the rugby league posts and put up AFL posts,” the AFL said.

That was it. [Too simplistic- just erecting AF goal posts does not automatically cause a major boost in people wanting to play AF!]

And now you think of Bellamy’s AFL goalposts.

The AFL was launching a 20-year war, going after the next generation. [The AF GR boom started in c. 2012, but has accelerated since 2017].

And now as the game tries to expand at the top they wonder why there might not be enough talent to go around.

The two are clearly related.

The answer is not merely expensive academies for elite talent, which helps the NRL clubs mostly. The NRL already has the elite players, the quiet truth being they now come from a dwindling pool.

The answer is participation, winning back all that ground surrendered to the AFL.

Only strength through numbers will make the game thrive, and it needs a whole of game approach to achieve it".
(Kent never gives details- except FAR more GR spending, introduce jnr weight divisions, & more NRL country games. Is this enough?]
(All words in brackets, & emphases mine).

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...d/news-story/a4aed11b04f04041c6879f76d899831e

Daily Telegraph P. Kent 30.4.21

C. Belamy is joining the 30+ MSM RL experts who have publicly expressed concerns about the decline in standards in the NRL.

Kent said "Bellamy's concern is like that of almost all coaches, which is a lack of talent to spread across all 17...teams".

Kent, & others, are saying the big fall in male GR contact RL nos. has directly contributed to the decline in skill standards in the NRL, & blowouts/"the gap".



"AFL invasion of country footy means expansion goalposts have well and truly moved
Before we worry about the alleged inequities of any NRL conference system let’s ask where will the talent come from to fill two teams writes Paul Kent.

The solution to both is there in front of us.

A day after news broke about a dual-conference system in the NRL, Craig Bellamy is on the phone and we are talking about what seems to be one of the great concerns about this idea of expansion.

Bellamy's concern is like that of almost all the coaches, which is a lack of talent to spread across all 17, and perhaps eventually 18, teams.

This competition is already divided into teams that can win the premiership and those struggling to improve, and already the NRL is talking about adding one and then another team who, under the rules of simple mathematics, means they are adding the 481st- to 540th-ranked best players in the land.

Storm head coach Craig Bellamy doesn’t think there is enough talent to fill two new teams in the NRL. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

For those a little mathematically challenged, the first 480 are already contracted to the 16 NRL clubs.

How does that make the competition better?

Bellamy is worried there is not enough good players to spread across the NRL already.

“Back in the day when you and I played,” he says, generously assuming I had a day, “all you could do was play footy.


“Nowadays there’s so many other things they can do.”[Explanation is invalid- contradicted by significant growth in GR club & school AF comp. nos. in NSW, ACT, & Qld.!]

He starts talking about Melbourne’s game against Penrith in Bathurst in 2019 and of their bus trip after the game, driving through the dark streets of Bathurst when suddenly the world lit up.

Bellamy grew up not far away, at Portland just outside of Lithgow, hidden behind the Wallerawang Power Station.

And here out of the darkness rose an AFL field lit up like the cornfield in Field of Dreams, with grass you could play snooker on.

Next to it was a smaller AFL ground.

“The AFL have spread their wings all through our areas,” Bellamy says. “They had two AFL grounds.”

Retired NRL great Noel Cleal has spoken about his fears for bush footy. Picture: Nathan Edwards

Two AFL grounds. He could not believe it. There wasn’t an AFL competition in the central West when Bellamy grew up and now they have these two big beautiful AFL grounds, shining like diamonds, as the AFL marches (mid to large NSW & Qld. regional towns- not small towns, nor rural areas) across rugby league heartlands.

Then, in the same week, Noel Cleal, bush football’s greatest patriot, declares he has not seen bush football in a worse state in his 50 years of involvement with the bush.

The two are most definitely related (but no reasons given for why GR RL being flicked for AF?) and the NRL need to realise this as soon as possible.

Bush clubs are dying through lack of player numbers. Competitions are folding or merging because it no longer seems fun beating up on the same two clubs in a three-team competition.

Where towns once had [adult] second and even third grades now they struggle to put out a first grade competition, [junior] age-group football is shrinking.

Over the years, the NRL and previously the ARL have offered any number of reasons why this is so, the arc bordering from arrogance to incompetence.

All the way back in 1994 I wrote a column when it had already begun. It was clear then the game was already in some decline.

The column asked why the Australian Rugby League was spending $1.5 million a year on development in country NSW and country Queensland while the AFL was already spending $6 million (Incorrect- in 1994 the AFL was spending much less than $6m pa in country NSW & Qld. areas), four times as much, in the same areas.

The ARL scoffed at the AFL’s stupidity.

Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’landys must walk a fine line between expansion of the NRL and hurting country football. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Those are rugby league heartlands, they said, and the AFL is dreaming if they ever think they will have a presence there.

And now you think of Bellamy’s AFL goalposts in Bathurst.

Whenever I got letters or emails after that from good country people worrying about the state of the bush game I would ask the NRL what they were doing and the answer was a broad brush response that did nothing.

“It’s not just bush football that’s dying,” they’d say, “the bush is dying.” [But GR AF is growing in NSW & Qld. country areas. Ditto female contact RL nos.]

In other words, nothing we can do. Even if, in some towns, they were right. Kids were fleeing to the city.

But the trick is to adapt and move forward, which they never seemed too bothered with.

Or perhaps had no answers. Or maybe it was too tough, the job too big.

Some years later, AFL boss Andrew Demetriou called in the heavy hitters in his game and, in a secret meeting, declared they were going to take on rugby league.

Demetriou explained they were going to take a subversive approach, borrowed straight from a military textbook.

We are going to go after the hearts and minds of the mothers, he said, and we are going to take their land.

So the AFL approached councils like the one in western Sydney, who oversaw a dusty, yellow-grassed eyesore some called a footy field and the AFL offered to resurface the entire oval and then pay for a greenkeeper to maintain the ground every week.

With there being no such thing as a free lunch, the council asked what they wanted in return.

“Just take down the rugby league posts and put up AFL posts,” the AFL said.

That was it. [Too simplistic- just erecting AF goal posts does not automatically cause a major boost in people wanting to play AF!]

And now you think of Bellamy’s AFL goalposts.

The AFL was launching a 20-year war, going after the next generation. [The AF GR boom started in c. 2012, but has accelerated since 2017].

And now as the game tries to expand at the top they wonder why there might not be enough talent to go around.

The two are clearly related.

The answer is not merely expensive academies for elite talent, which helps the NRL clubs mostly. The NRL already has the elite players, the quiet truth being they now come from a dwindling pool.

The answer is participation, winning back all that ground surrendered to the AFL.

Only strength through numbers will make the game thrive, and it needs a whole of game approach to achieve it".
(Kent never gives details- except FAR more GR spending, introduce jnr weight divisions, & more NRL country games. Is this enough?]
(All words in brackets, & emphases mine).

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...d/news-story/a4aed11b04f04041c6879f76d899831e

Keep this stuff coming BBT. The big question is if young guys are not taking up Rugby League where are they going - To Soccer, Rugby Union or no sport at all and there are now a myriad number of recreational activities for young guys or are they sitting at computers competing in the online Gaming Leagues for money.
When the Kent guy says "Surrendered to the AFL" that is a extreme view aimed at NRL HQ.

Actually the year 2000 is about correct for the NSW push by AFLHQ I think - A review had been conducted and the moneys for Juniors were being invested by 2000
These first AFL NSW/ACT Auskick figures found from my archives reflect some of the position of the NSW/ACT game in past years relative to now - The AFL always shows as NSW/ACT combined, which makes for some guesswork for each State involved. Can we say the ACT would be higher number at that time of the two, which reflects on the almost invisible numbers of kids involved in NSW in 1998.
1998 -4907
1999 -6417
2000 -12072 -Some funding had arrived and the growth was underway, which continues today.
2001 -15183
2002 -20142
2004 -27318
2012 -48000 Approx
2013 -47000 Approx - The decline was noted and AFLHQ re-organised Auskick I recall.

 

[RedV3x]

And I am not the only one who has assumed that you were talking about the pro level.

Well, you should read replies a lot more carefully, like below

I SAID AFL(AUSSIE RULES) IS AN VERY ATHLETIC SPORT!!!

And i accepted that and didn't need to comment. I just commented on your trolling.

 

[RedV3x]

The difference isn't the inherent skill, it's the depth and the competition.

Yes and that stems from the general level of participation which stems from the ease or availability of participation.
Now that participation in Australian Rules Football is generally a lot easier in NSW - it is growing in NSW.
As Australian Rules Football gets more available to play in NSW then it gets even easier to find a convenient team to support.
Participation in tennis and rl has always been available in NSW and their drop-off is for them to sort out.
In the Czech Republic tennis is everywhere. It's a lot more difficult to play Australian Rules Football in the Czech Republic.

 

[BobbyMorri]

Well, you should read replies a lot more carefully, like below



And i accepted that and didn't need to comment. I just commented on your trolling.

nah, I should just ignore you.

 

[Bjo187]

Can anyone copy the vlandy's Queensland 5 teams article. Interested to read and have a laugh.

 

[Colonial]

Can anyone copy the vlandy's Queensland 5 teams article. Interested to read and have a laugh.

5 teams? Wow. Some Sydney clubs would surely need to be axed

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Can anyone copy the vlandy's Queensland 5 teams article. Interested to read and have a laugh.

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V’landys has revealed Queensland could have a fifth NRL team by 2027 and has outlined plans to clean up the sport to win the turf war against the AFL.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Courier Mail, V’landys opened up about expansion, the AFL threat, the NRL’s image and his disgust at the wild brawl that marred a Brisbane junior league game last weekend.

V’landys and NRL bosses arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday ahead of the NRL’s Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium and the ARLC chief is using the event as a vehicle to ensure rugby league dominates the AFL in Queensland.

Part of that strategy involves a proposed second Brisbane team for 2023, a possible fifth Queensland club for the next broadcast deal and a wider appeal to Australian mums and dads concerned about the brutality of the sport.

THE NRL’S IMAGE
Rugby league has copped a series of black eyes in recent days. There was not only the sickening sight of Roosters five-eighth Drew Hutchison suffering a punctured lung after being kneed in the back by Eels rival Dylan Brown last Saturday.

Just 24 hours after that incident, Queensland rugby league was rocked by a melee at an under-13s game between Wynnum Manly and Logan Brothers in which a parent required facial surgery after being kicked in the face.

Drew Hutchison suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty
V’landys said he will put rugby league under the microscope across all levels of the sport to provide a safe environment for parents, coaches and players, both grassroots and professional.

“I want to send a message to mums and dads in Queensland and across Australia - they should not be concerned about their kids playing rugby league,” he said.

“I will take every action necessary to stop foul play and we will not tolerate any hit above the shoulder even if it’s accidental.

“That’s the edict coming from me.

“A lot of junior league is non-contact as it stands. There are always ways to improve the sport and safety is uppermost in my mind.

The shocking brawl at a junior rugby league game. Picture: Supplied
“But as a Commission, we will make the game safer.”

Of the Brisbane junior brawl, V’landys said: “It’s disgusting. They are acts of cowards. If you want to be a thug, you have no place in our game.

“If you want to be an aggressive bully, get out of our game. Go somewhere else. I won’t stand for it.”

THE AFL THREAT
V’landys believes rugby league is under siege in Queensland. The Brisbane Lions are constructing a $70 million headquarters at Springfield in the western corridor on the very patch of grass that once housed rugby league goalposts and football fields.

That is the most palpable sign the AFL is making dangerous incursions into rugby league heartland - and V’landys promised the NRL empire will strike back.

“I will give due credit to the AFL,” he said.

“They have quietly kept us warm and fuzzy and held our hand while they are invading us.

“Let’s not mince words. The AFL are invading Queensland and that is brilliant management. I’m not bagging the AFL. They have excellent strategy. But I’m up for the fight. I’m not going to sit back and give them our territory.

Peter V’landys his ready to fight the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns in a turf war. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/AFL Photos/Getty
“It’s like if you are at war - you don’t give the enemy half your land.

“Queensland is our turf and I will protect it. The AFL have been very smart and strategic by moving into the western corridor (of Brisbane), but they can’t sit back and think I will accept that.

“Every corridor of rugby league’s house in Queensland is important. It’s our traditional market, but you cannot be complacent and I won’t allow us to be.

“We will come out fighting.”

EXPANSION
On Monday, the NRL formally called for expressions of interest for a second team in Brisbane to rival the Broncos. The Brisbane Jets, Firehawks and Dolphins are the three consortia bidding to join the big league as the NRL’s 17th team in 2023.

Some of the NRL’s existing clubs, led by the Gold Coast Titans, have expressed concerns about growing the code in a COVID-affected climate, but V’landys hit back at critics of his expansion push.

“We would be derelict in our duty as an ARL Commission not to look at the footprint of our game and how he can make our game more viable and appealing to people,” he said.

Brisbane Firehawks logo. Pictures: Supplied
“The competition is not just other sports - technology is the other threat in this new world.

“Video games are a problem and we need to get children off what I call home devices. I see it in my own kids. My children are 11, 10 and 8 and they love spending time on their iPads, Xboxes and Playstations and they have very little interest in playing sport.

“One, we have to attract kids to play sport and the second motive is to entice them to play rugby league.

“If you want to dominate a market you need to have a presence there all the time. We want to dominate Queensland. A second Brisbane team gives the NRL a game every weekend at Suncorp Stadium.

“We are analysing it. Expansion is not a fait accompli.

“People who are jumping up and down should understand that as directors (of the ARL Commission), we have a responsibility to the game as a whole, not to individual clubs.

“Cameron Smith, the greatest player ever, was a Logan junior. He went from Brisbane to Melbourne.

“If there was a second Brisbane team, would he have gone there?

“We should not be on the board if we are too scared to look at a second Brisbane team. We should not be frightened of opportunity. I am determined to grow the game.”

STRIVE FOR FIVE
V’landys is keen to provide more value for the code’s next broadcast deal with 18 teams having been discussed.

Pay TV operator Foxtel are locked in until 2027, while Channel 9’s contract expires at the end of next year and the free-to-air giant are sure to seek additional revenue streams from the NRL to justify fresh media investment.

The NRL are exploring the birth of a second team in New Zealand to join the Warriors, while V’landys is open to a fifth licence in Queensland.

ARLC boss Peter V'landys wants to dominate Queensland’s sporting landscape. Picture: Jonathan Ng
“A fifth team in Queensland is not out of the question at all as we continue to grow,” he said.

“If an 18th team was to come in, it might happen in the next broadcast cycle, but if it is going to happen, planning has to start now. It’s part of our long-term plan.

“It’s too early to be absolutely certain where we go. New Zealand was suggested by Andrew (Abdo, NRL CEO) and that is certainly a market that we are after, but it could be anywhere.

“I won’t rule out Perth, but there could be another team in Queensland.”

MAGIC ROUND
The Courier-Mail can reveal Tourism and Events Queensland are keen to keep Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium for the next 10 years.

The first instalment of Magic Round in 2019 attracted 134,677 fans and delivered a $20 million economic injection. The NRL’s deal with the Queensland government expires at the end of 2023 and V’landys has no plans to take Magic Round out of the Sunshine State.

“We have an excellent relationship with Tourism and Events Queensland and they have done a magnificent job backing the Magic Round,” he said.

“There may be another time where we might look at other cities for Magic Round, but at the moment I love the concept in Queensland.

“We are loyal partners and the players all enjoy playing at Suncorp which is one of the best sporting stadiums in the world.

“It’s a Queensland event.”

GRAND FINAL
There is a view Queenslanders will never see an NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium. The NSW government is committed to retaining the NRL grand final until 2042, but V’landys says there may be scope for a Suncorp decider.

“I will never say never on a grand final in Queensland,” he said.

“I understand and admire the passion of the Queensland people for rugby league and there are ways and means to do anything in life if you are a can-do person. I am a can-do person.

“Obviously there are reasons why the NRL grand final in Sydney but I would be insular to rule out having a grand final at Suncorp Stadium.”

STATE OF ORIGIN
V’landys warned the golden goose of rugby league – the $100 million showpiece that is State of Origin – could be under threat if the NRL does not expand in Queensland.

“State of Origin’s success hinges on Queensland,” he said.

State of Origin hinges on Queensland’s success. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty
“I can tell you this, if we don’t look to grow the game in Queensland, we might not have a competitive State of Origin in 10 years. It could be totally eroded.

“One of the reasons we are looking at expansion is because one of the QRL’s own directors, Ben Ikin, gave a presentation about it. He said if we don’t look after participation in Queensland, we will not have a viable State of Origin in the future. He is 100 per cent correct.

“If Queensland gets a cough, State of Origin catches a cold. We need Queensland strong for playing talent ... or State of Origin becomes sick.”

 

[Colonial]

Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V’landys has revealed Queensland could have a fifth NRL team by 2027 and has outlined plans to clean up the sport to win the turf war against the AFL.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Courier Mail, V’landys opened up about expansion, the AFL threat, the NRL’s image and his disgust at the wild brawl that marred a Brisbane junior league game last weekend.

V’landys and NRL bosses arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday ahead of the NRL’s Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium and the ARLC chief is using the event as a vehicle to ensure rugby league dominates the AFL in Queensland.

Part of that strategy involves a proposed second Brisbane team for 2023, a possible fifth Queensland club for the next broadcast deal and a wider appeal to Australian mums and dads concerned about the brutality of the sport.

THE NRL’S IMAGE
Rugby league has copped a series of black eyes in recent days. There was not only the sickening sight of Roosters five-eighth Drew Hutchison suffering a punctured lung after being kneed in the back by Eels rival Dylan Brown last Saturday.

Just 24 hours after that incident, Queensland rugby league was rocked by a melee at an under-13s game between Wynnum Manly and Logan Brothers in which a parent required facial surgery after being kicked in the face.

Drew Hutchison suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty
V’landys said he will put rugby league under the microscope across all levels of the sport to provide a safe environment for parents, coaches and players, both grassroots and professional.

“I want to send a message to mums and dads in Queensland and across Australia - they should not be concerned about their kids playing rugby league,” he said.

“I will take every action necessary to stop foul play and we will not tolerate any hit above the shoulder even if it’s accidental.

“That’s the edict coming from me.

“A lot of junior league is non-contact as it stands. There are always ways to improve the sport and safety is uppermost in my mind.

The shocking brawl at a junior rugby league game. Picture: Supplied
“But as a Commission, we will make the game safer.”

Of the Brisbane junior brawl, V’landys said: “It’s disgusting. They are acts of cowards. If you want to be a thug, you have no place in our game.

“If you want to be an aggressive bully, get out of our game. Go somewhere else. I won’t stand for it.”

THE AFL THREAT
V’landys believes rugby league is under siege in Queensland. The Brisbane Lions are constructing a $70 million headquarters at Springfield in the western corridor on the very patch of grass that once housed rugby league goalposts and football fields.

That is the most palpable sign the AFL is making dangerous incursions into rugby league heartland - and V’landys promised the NRL empire will strike back.

“I will give due credit to the AFL,” he said.

“They have quietly kept us warm and fuzzy and held our hand while they are invading us.

“Let’s not mince words. The AFL are invading Queensland and that is brilliant management. I’m not bagging the AFL. They have excellent strategy. But I’m up for the fight. I’m not going to sit back and give them our territory.

Peter V’landys his ready to fight the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns in a turf war. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/AFL Photos/Getty
“It’s like if you are at war - you don’t give the enemy half your land.

“Queensland is our turf and I will protect it. The AFL have been very smart and strategic by moving into the western corridor (of Brisbane), but they can’t sit back and think I will accept that.

“Every corridor of rugby league’s house in Queensland is important. It’s our traditional market, but you cannot be complacent and I won’t allow us to be.

“We will come out fighting.”

EXPANSION
On Monday, the NRL formally called for expressions of interest for a second team in Brisbane to rival the Broncos. The Brisbane Jets, Firehawks and Dolphins are the three consortia bidding to join the big league as the NRL’s 17th team in 2023.

Some of the NRL’s existing clubs, led by the Gold Coast Titans, have expressed concerns about growing the code in a COVID-affected climate, but V’landys hit back at critics of his expansion push.

“We would be derelict in our duty as an ARL Commission not to look at the footprint of our game and how he can make our game more viable and appealing to people,” he said.

Brisbane Firehawks logo. Pictures: Supplied
“The competition is not just other sports - technology is the other threat in this new world.

“Video games are a problem and we need to get children off what I call home devices. I see it in my own kids. My children are 11, 10 and 8 and they love spending time on their iPads, Xboxes and Playstations and they have very little interest in playing sport.

“One, we have to attract kids to play sport and the second motive is to entice them to play rugby league.

“If you want to dominate a market you need to have a presence there all the time. We want to dominate Queensland. A second Brisbane team gives the NRL a game every weekend at Suncorp Stadium.

“We are analysing it. Expansion is not a fait accompli.

“People who are jumping up and down should understand that as directors (of the ARL Commission), we have a responsibility to the game as a whole, not to individual clubs.

“Cameron Smith, the greatest player ever, was a Logan junior. He went from Brisbane to Melbourne.

“If there was a second Brisbane team, would he have gone there?

“We should not be on the board if we are too scared to look at a second Brisbane team. We should not be frightened of opportunity. I am determined to grow the game.”

STRIVE FOR FIVE
V’landys is keen to provide more value for the code’s next broadcast deal with 18 teams having been discussed.

Pay TV operator Foxtel are locked in until 2027, while Channel 9’s contract expires at the end of next year and the free-to-air giant are sure to seek additional revenue streams from the NRL to justify fresh media investment.

The NRL are exploring the birth of a second team in New Zealand to join the Warriors, while V’landys is open to a fifth licence in Queensland.

ARLC boss Peter V'landys wants to dominate Queensland’s sporting landscape. Picture: Jonathan Ng
“A fifth team in Queensland is not out of the question at all as we continue to grow,” he said.

“If an 18th team was to come in, it might happen in the next broadcast cycle, but if it is going to happen, planning has to start now. It’s part of our long-term plan.

“It’s too early to be absolutely certain where we go. New Zealand was suggested by Andrew (Abdo, NRL CEO) and that is certainly a market that we are after, but it could be anywhere.

“I won’t rule out Perth, but there could be another team in Queensland.”

MAGIC ROUND
The Courier-Mail can reveal Tourism and Events Queensland are keen to keep Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium for the next 10 years.

The first instalment of Magic Round in 2019 attracted 134,677 fans and delivered a $20 million economic injection. The NRL’s deal with the Queensland government expires at the end of 2023 and V’landys has no plans to take Magic Round out of the Sunshine State.

“We have an excellent relationship with Tourism and Events Queensland and they have done a magnificent job backing the Magic Round,” he said.

“There may be another time where we might look at other cities for Magic Round, but at the moment I love the concept in Queensland.

“We are loyal partners and the players all enjoy playing at Suncorp which is one of the best sporting stadiums in the world.

“It’s a Queensland event.”

GRAND FINAL
There is a view Queenslanders will never see an NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium. The NSW government is committed to retaining the NRL grand final until 2042, but V’landys says there may be scope for a Suncorp decider.

“I will never say never on a grand final in Queensland,” he said.

“I understand and admire the passion of the Queensland people for rugby league and there are ways and means to do anything in life if you are a can-do person. I am a can-do person.

“Obviously there are reasons why the NRL grand final in Sydney but I would be insular to rule out having a grand final at Suncorp Stadium.”

STATE OF ORIGIN
V’landys warned the golden goose of rugby league – the $100 million showpiece that is State of Origin – could be under threat if the NRL does not expand in Queensland.

“State of Origin’s success hinges on Queensland,” he said.

State of Origin hinges on Queensland’s success. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty
“I can tell you this, if we don’t look to grow the game in Queensland, we might not have a competitive State of Origin in 10 years. It could be totally eroded.

“One of the reasons we are looking at expansion is because one of the QRL’s own directors, Ben Ikin, gave a presentation about it. He said if we don’t look after participation in Queensland, we will not have a viable State of Origin in the future. He is 100 per cent correct.

“If Queensland gets a cough, State of Origin catches a cold. We need Queensland strong for playing talent ... or State of Origin becomes sick.”

 

[PhatBoy]

Not getting too deep into the debate itself and I didn’t read back too far to get the full picture of this tangent but if there is an argument that the skills to play NRL are ‘easy’ to acquire, I would suggest you need to look a little deeper.

can anyone learn how to throw a pass, make a tackle, run a hit-up?

absolutely. On that score it would be easier to pick up the CORE skills of rugby league than just about any other game.

does acquiring those skills magically mean you can make a decision in defence when three players are running a line and a half or hooker is showing the ball and scheming who to give it to? No.
Does having those skills mean who can time a shot to belt a 110kg opposition back rower? No
Does having those skills mean you can throw a pass behind you to cut out three teammates and land on the chest of a winger who is starting 10 metres behind where the ball is going to land?

no.

yes, some absolutely brain dead types can play rugby league at an elite level and even make the representative scene based on little more than a huge work rate.

but it is very very short sighted to just assume that the skills necessary to be able to play at a decent level are just magically picked up

 

[Bjo187]

Thanks Cubs2 lions. I don't think i have read a more self indulgent piece from a ceo.. or whatever his role is. He doesn't say 'we' everything is 'I won't' 'i will'.
Also i like that he mentions AFL all the time, it's free promotion in the northern states.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Thanks Cubs2 lions. I don't think i have read a more self indulgent piece from a ceo.. or whatever his role is. He doesn't say 'we' everything is 'I won't' 'i will'.
Also i like that he mentions AFL all the time, it's free promotion in the northern states.

 

[jatz14]

Not getting too deep into the debate itself and I didn’t read back too far to get the full picture of this tangent but if there is an argument that the skills to play NRL are ‘easy’ to acquire, I would suggest you need to look a little deeper.

can anyone learn how to throw a pass, make a tackle, run a hit-up?

absolutely. On that score it would be easier to pick up the CORE skills of rugby league than just about any other game.

does acquiring those skills magically mean you can make a decision in defence when three players are running a line and a half or hooker is showing the ball and scheming who to give it to? No.
Does having those skills mean who can time a shot to belt a 110kg opposition back rower? No
Does having those skills mean you can throw a pass behind you to cut out three teammates and land on the chest of a winger who is starting 10 metres behind where the ball is going to land?

no.

yes, some absolutely brain dead types can play rugby league at an elite level and even make the representative scene based on little more than a huge work rate.

but it is very very short sighted to just assume that the skills necessary to be able to play at a decent level are just magically picked up

There are no inherent skill differences in sport. It's something a lot of people do not get.

Soccer is not a more skilful game than weightlifting. If soccer as a sport was played only in Scampaignerhorpe, by a couple of pub teams, it would have almost no skill at all.

Skill is determined by how much practice, and how good you need to be, to compete with the very best in the world. And that's entirely a function of how popular the sport is, and how serious people take it.

Soccer has a lot of support, and lots of people take it very serious so you need to be very very good and exhibit an awful lot of skill to make it to the top

But this would be true of any sport.

Imagine a hypothetical where every country in the world obsessed over Aussie footy, or league, or competitive knitting.

Where only the top 5 to 10 players in Australia were good enough to make it to the top level. What would that look like, it would be insane. It would be exceptionally skillful, but that would be the size of the pyramid, not the sport.

Given how big soccer is, how many play, the skill level required to succeed, I am underwhelmed by the end result.

League is not an unskilled sport. Their issue is, as the base shrinks, the pyramid gets smaller, the skill level required to make it falls. The league gets less skilled.

On moto g(6) plus using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[RedV3x]

There are no inherent skill differences in sport.

Of course there are inherent skill differences between sports - starting out and as developing.
A baby can literally soccer a ball. It takes more development to catch a ball and more development to punt a ball.
Who can go out and play ice hockey in Australia ?

that would be the size of the pyramid, not the sport.

Yes, the strength of the pyramid has a lot to do with it but far from all of it.
Australian Rules is hard to start out with punting, catching, bouncing and hand-passing.
Then proficiency will carry you a long way before the skill level ramps up again in state leagues and AFL.
Soccer and basketball start with easy concepts but the need for refinement of skills is a lot more linear.

 

[jatz14]

Of course there are inherent skill differences between sports - starting out and as developing.
A baby can literally soccer a ball. It takes more development to catch a ball and more development to punt a ball.
Who can go out and play ice hockey in Australia ?



Yes, the strength of the pyramid has a lot to do with it but far from all of it.
Australian Rules is hard to start out with punting, catching, bouncing and hand-passing.
Then proficiency will carry you a long way before the skill level ramps up again in state leagues and AFL.
Soccer and basketball start with easy concepts but the need for refinement of skills is a lot more linear.

No, people have skills, sport is just a set of rules. And the pyramid has everything to do with it. You can play ice hockey with a couple of hours practice. You play it really badly, but you can play it. Kicking a soccer ball is very easy, for everyone that does it, including the worst player on the worst team. Bouncing is harder, for everyone. Whether you whish to stand out for your ability to kick a soccer ball, or ability to run and weave while bouncing the ball one handed takes practice. Lots of it.

 

[NoobPie]

No, people have skills, sport is just a set of rules. And the pyramid has everything to do with it. You can play ice hockey with a couple of hours practice. You play it really badly, but you can play it. Kicking a soccer ball is very easy, for everyone that does it, including the worst player on the worst team. Bouncing is harder, for everyone. Whether you whish to stand out for your ability to kick a soccer ball, or ability to run and weave while bouncing the ball one handed takes practice. Lots of it.

Your broader point is right that the level of skill at the elite end of a sport is obviously a function of how many athletically talented people play it seriously.

Beyond that though RedV3x is also correct. The entry level skill competency required to participate in sports are not the same. It is why simple and safe sports like soccer can have a far broader base of the pyramid relative to the talent at the elite end.

As an example, soccer has 4 (kids) to 5 (adults) times the number of participants of rugby league in NSW. But does anybody think that the actual elite talent is not closer to the inverse of that distribution?

Australian football has a broader skill set requirement to other codes to be able to participate fully. It is why entry level (auskick) is explicitly structured around skills development rather than small sided games. I would argue that broad skill requirement at the top end lends itself to absorbing more elite talent than other sports that have a narrower skill set - particularly sports like tennis but also soccer.

 

[BringBackTorps]

Courier Mail/Daily Telegraph P. Crawley 30.4.21

"Amid growing fears country footy [RL] could be dead (Certainly not) within 10 years, V'landys...[wants], funded by League Central (but only $100k for each of the 16 clubs:total $1.5m!), each NRL Club taking on a region across the State...All 16 NRL Clubs will establish their own RL... Academies".

V'landys said "There's no point waiting 3 years, 5 years...it has to be done now".



https://www.couriermail.com.au/spor...y/news-story/c3359508e471fe4d0757506d21f63776

"NRL plan to fund club academies in regional NSW and Queensland in push to save bush footy

Peter V’landys is taking an open chequebook into his push to save bush footy, with 16 new NRL academies set to be created across regional NSW and Queensland.

Amid growing fears country footy could be dead within 10 years, V’landys is now readying to implement a bold ‘Save The Bush’ blueprint which will be unveiled to all NRL CEOs in Brisbane during Magic Round.

The ARLC chairman has also revealed the concept, which is totally funded by League Central, and involves each NRL club taking on a region across the state, is being shaped by the likes of South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett and former Penrith GM Phil Gould.

As the centrepiece of the proposal, all 16 NRL clubs will be provided funding to establish their own Rugby League Academy in a designated country town or towns.

Clubs will be encouraged to mirror the work already being done by Panthers officials, who have successfully implemented academy programs in Bathurst and Dubbo.

V’landys is also seeking a commitment from every CEO to send marquee players bush at various times throughout the year for coaching clinics, local fundraisers, even team camps.

While the NSWRL is also working on its own strategies, which V’landys supports, he stressed it was important the NRL also injected its own “stimulus”.

While an initial figure of $1.5m[Not enough $!] has been mooted, the ARL commission boss readily admits the figure could be higher.

“And if it takes more, OK, it takes more,” he told News Corp on Thursday. “We’ll fund it. Because we have to do something immediately for bush football.

“There’s no point waiting three years, five years … it has to be done now.”

This is not the first time NRL clubs have been asked, unsuccessfully, to adopt an area of regional NSW.

Previously though, the key sticking point was always the reluctance of some NRL clubs to tip money into perceived ‘weaker’ regions while some of their rivals, for the same outlay, were given noted strongholds like Group 10 or the Central Coast. [How will NRL resolve this basic conflict?]

“But we aren’t asking clubs to fund this,” V’landys stressed. “The NRL will do it.

“So there is no down side for them. They have the opportunity to create new pathways for young players, bring in new fans, all of that.

“It’s an easy sell. But importantly, it’s also about getting country kids back to footy, helping revive senior competitions, even bring some clubs back.

“Rather than the NRL having an expensive front office, we’ll be redirecting savings the game has already made (since COVID) toward attacking these problems head on.”

While clubs will also be encouraged to take an NRL game or trial to their region from 2022, V’landys stressed it wouldn’t be compulsory and said the academies and player visits were top of his list.

Already, there are eight NRL games being played in regional centres this year.

However, for these games to take place, local councils in towns like Bathurst, Tamworth and Mudgee must first pay the home side for the right to host — a figure said to be anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000.

Four years ago, one NRL club even asked for $100,000 just to host a trial match.

It’s thought that if the NRL were to take 16 games bush every year, it would cost the game up to $5 million.

Even in 2013, the game’s then CEO Dave Smith talked up a $1.2 million proposal that would see four games shifted to country NSW every year.

By his math, Smith reckoned it would cost $300,000 for every game the NRL took bush. But that idea never materialised, either.

Then in 2017, the annual City-Country game was also scrapped.

Asked about NRL games going bush, V’landys said: “That isn’t the big deal for us.

“But clubs taking their stars into the community definitely is. Same with the academies.

“Obviously it’s a big plan, a long-term plan and in some cases it will be like we are starting over. But like any challenge, you take it head on (Words in brackets, & emphases, mine)”. "
[/QUOTE]

 

[RedV3x]

people have skills, sport is just a set of rules.

Pedantic. Sport requires a skill set to be played otherwise the idea of sport is pointless.

You can play ice hockey with a couple of hours practice.

Ha ha ha ha. I'd like to see that.

 

[RedV3x]

I would argue that broad skill requirement at the top end lends itself to absorbing more elite talent than other sports that have a narrower skill set.

Or put more simply, the simpler the game the harder it is to get to the top.

 

[NoobPie]

Or put more simply, the simpler the game the harder it is to get to the top.

...for anyone not gifted with the narrow aptitude advantaged in that sport