NRL NRL 2023 - Round 13

Thursday 25th May
Dolphins vs St.George-Illawarra (Kayo Stadium - 19:50)

Friday 26th May
Parramatta vs North Queensland (CommBank Stadium - 20:00)

Saturday 27th May
New Zealand vs Brisbane (McLean Park, Napier - 17:30)
South Sydney vs Canberra (Accor Stadium - 19:35)

Sunday 28th May
Newcastle vs Manly-Warringah (McDonald Jones Stadium - 16:05)

Bye: Canterbury-Bankstown, Cronulla-Sutherland, Gold Coast,
Melbourne, Penrith, Sydney Roosters, Wests Tigers

 
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moto748

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Can I butt in and just ask this, guys? Once the 8 is decided, and the play-offs start, do club season-ticket holders have to pay for the play-off games, or is it included? And if it isn't included, does it affect attendances much?
 

aj1992

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Can I butt in and just ask this, guys? Once the 8 is decided, and the play-offs start, do club season-ticket holders have to pay for the play-off games, or is it included? And if it isn't included, does it affect attendances much?
What the hell is a play off?
 

moto748

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By play-offs I just mean all the games played after the 8 have been decided. The games outside 'the regular season'.

Are any posters here season-ticket holders of their clubs? How many games per season does it entitle you to?
 
Can I butt in and just ask this, guys? Once the 8 is decided, and the play-offs start, do club season-ticket holders have to pay for the play-off games, or is it included? And if it isn't included, does it affect attendances much?

Doesn’t really affect the big games there’s heaps of rivalry games at the back of the season leading up to finals. For instance the Roosters could be last and Souths first and they’d still hate each other.
 
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Can I butt in and just ask this, guys? Once the 8 is decided, and the play-offs start, do club season-ticket holders have to pay for the play-off games, or is it included? And if it isn't included, does it affect attendances much?
No it's not included in your season ticket (or membership), doesnt affect attendances as people want to attend the finals games more, as they are the ones that matter. Members are given access to purchase tickets to these games earlier than the general public.

I'm a little different as I only have a 3 game membership to Souths as I live in Victoria, but the full membership is usually entry to all 11 home games
 
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moto748

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No it's not included in your season ticket (or membership), doesn't affect attendances as people want to attend the finals games more, as they are the ones that matter. Members are given access to purchase tickets to these games earlier than the general public.

I'm a little different as I only have a 3 game membership to Souths as I live in Victoria, but the full membership is usually entry to all 11 home games

Thanks. That is what I expected, it's just the same as here. The reason I asked is that in SL, attendances are often poorer for play-off games, and the reason given is that (some) ST holders resent playing 'extra' for the play-offs. Which seems illogical to me; why stop supporting your team just as you get to the business end of the season?

Meanwhile, a pretty comfortable win for the Dolphins against a Dragons side who never looked like they'd get back into it in that second half.
 
No reason that Dtaginslayers squad couldn't be in the top 8 wifh better coaching. You could see elements of renewed coaching at the end of the game when they started to have players in motion and structured attack, but for much of the game they weren't doing that.

Can’t agree it’s a shocking roster. Hunt aside who are their A grade players? You need quality to win games. The tigers have more A graders.
 
Surely Sloan is a real talent? Not sure how many more, though.

That’s generous very poor in defence. The one I may consider is Little but he’s had a LOT of injuries. It’s a spoon level team
 
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Dolphins are a good example of a roster full of mostly career backups but good coaching getting the most out of them.

StG-Ill might not have elite players but they have a lot more to work with. That huge center is a beast, beast winger, good forwards, the fullback, Lomax is still decent, like Aiken for Dolphins, the dummy half Liddle is talented, and that new junior backrower played strong last night, a find. There's a team there that could easily be a 6-8th placed team.

Tigers have more talent and now they should rise up the ladder as they're really hitting their stride now, confidence , understanding of each other and their structure, and have a good coach who will see them keep improve.
 
Dolphins are a good example of a roster full of mostly career backups but good coaching getting the most out of them.

StG-Ill might not have elite players but they have a lot more to work with. That huge center is a beast, beast winger, good forwards, the fullback, Lomax is still decent, like Aiken for Dolphins, the dummy half Liddle is talented, and that new junior backrower played strong last night, a find. There's a team there that could easily be a 6-8th placed team.

Tigers have more talent and now they should rise up the ladder as they're really hitting their stride now, confidence , understanding of each other and their structure, and have a good coach who will see them keep improve.

No chance not sure how you feel it’s a 6-8 side. It hasn’t been a 6-8 side for years, haven’t added anything. Suli (the centre) is a liability in defence a fair bit of the reason why they are losing as despite his good game let in a number of line breaks.

Liddle is talented pity the last coach played the useless Mybe over him. The biggest issue the dragons have is players on huge deals not worth it especially Bird and Mybe. They badly miss Cody Ramsey who is out with illness this year but that won’t make them a top 8 side
 

moto748

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Around the time I first started watching the NRL (the Jamie Soward era), the Dragons had a good side. Since then...

Interesting about the Tigers, cos I've just been reading a debate on a Wigan board, where someone was saying, we let Bateman go so we could keep Bevan French, and now Bateman's the reason for Wests' revival. Well I'm not sure Bateman is the reason (or at least not the sole one) for Wests' revival, but yes, I'd take French over him any day, top try-scorer in SL last season by a distance, and this season, at full-back, once again making match-winning plays as he wonderfully set up a winning try in golden point to secure a hard-fought win at Hull KR, who are far from the joke side they've been in recent years, as their league position attests. He is a much improved player compared to what he was at Parramatta, and I am delighted we've hung onto him.
 
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Around the time I first started watching the NRL (the Jamie Soward era), the Dragons had a good side. Since then...
Bennett really screwed this squad up after winning it in 2010.
Since then it’s been like any merged team, infighting and problems.
 
Bennett really screwed this squad up after winning it in 2010.
Since then it’s been like any merged team, infighting and problems.

They keep overpaying for blokes past their best. Compare their mature signings to the dolphins
 
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I've been watching a lot of rugby league highlights and full games from decades ago, like the 70's, and despite all the ugly scrums, the game was actually a lot more exciting and free-flowing than the modern game. Both teams might hit it up or go one out from dummy half maybe for one or two tackles, but the rest of the set they'd fling it around crazily like there was only a couple minutes left in a game, but they'd be doing it from start of game to end of game. Also, a million more offloads, forwards also hitting it up but stopping and turning to pass back. So many little set plays every tackle -- run arounds, decoy runners, switching the play in then out then in, as well as those cool set plays like the "wall".

Helter skelter action, regardless what end of the field they are, no fear of making mistakes, knock ons, lot of chip and chases and attacking kicks early in the tackle count. Players fielding a kick at their own goal throwing the ball around on the first, running it on the last, etc.

So vital to make a line break, to get something happening, otherwise they'd be bogged down if they played conservatively.

Not sure what ALL the rules of the game were back then, but it seems like definitely the five meter rule was the main reason for that because if you didn't throw it around to try to find a line break it was hard to get over the "advantage line" given the defense is only five meters back...whereas today's game, back 10 meters, it's easier to hit it up or go one out often to pick up easy meters over the advantage line.

It would seem then that to entice more chain passing and free flowing play, a change back to the five meter rule would do the trick....but also....getting rid of a lot of the set restarts, as that just allows teams to double down on hoarding possession, on emphasizing getting over the advantage line with cheap one out runs and hit ups.

Here, take a look at this 1978 Preliminary Final between Manly and Wests, how helter skelter it is from start to finish....

 
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