Footy Developments in NSW and Queensland

[Gigantor]

These sorts of views/feelings come about when league fans start dreaming about internationalising the sport, then they start imagining that it's the NRL''s responsibility to internationalise the sport.
But in truth, the NRL is pretty much the same as the AFL, its focus is on the professional game in this country: 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
So naturally, some get disappointed.

 

[RedV3x]

then they start imagining that it's the NRL''s responsibility to internationalise the sport.

Just whose "responsibility" is it to grow rugby league ?
Rugby League fans are always returning to the fact that rugby league has a higher international profile than AFL
but how has NRL contributed to that ?

 

[jatz14]

Just whose "responsibility" is it to grow rugby league ?
Rugby League fans are always returning to the fact that rugby league has a higher international profile than AFL
but how has NRL contributed to that ?

Domestically, it's the job of those involved in the sport in that country, to grow it.

Internationally, growth occurs as a natural consequence of collective domestic growth.

The higher international profile of league has nothing to do with the NRL.


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

 

[RedV3x]

Domestically, it's the job of those involved in the sport in that country, to grow it.
Internationally, growth occurs as a natural consequence of collective domestic growth.
The higher international profile of league has nothing to do with the NRL.

Sorry, but that wasn't a technical question.
Just whose obligation is it to grow rugby league ?

 

[TWLS]

Domestically, it's the job of those involved in the sport in that country, to grow it.

Internationally, growth occurs as a natural consequence of collective domestic growth.

The higher international profile of league has nothing to do with the NRL.


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

It is likely that the growth of Rugby League Internationally was originally based on the split with Union way back when some of the Clubs in the UK Northern Counties turned professional.
It has had a troubled history wherever it went- It from memory got banned in France at one time about WW2 time.
Its biggest success Internationally was at first in 1908 in Sydney- It attracted big crowds right from season 1. That in turn led to NZ being set up under huge pressure from Rugby who did everything they could to limit its growth. It survived however and is still in existence.
When you think about it the sport has got it made on the surface - Plenty of Soccer pitches and Rugby grounds around the world ready waiting for it.
It should be bigger than it is Internationally when you think about it, which brings up the point do they have a FIFA type set up.
They do have a World Cup I believe or perhaps they will always be in the shadow of Rugby Internationally.

 

[BringBackTorps]

1. Liam, the founder of the excellent & very analytical NRL website pythagonrl.com, has produced an excellent critique of the Gemba Report into the proposed Brisbane2 (The Gemba Report was organised by 12 NRL clubs. Gemba found that Brisbane 2 would probably cannibalise the Titans & Broncos, & might have an overall negative net effect on RL in Qld.).
Liam (from Brisbane) rejects this in his, as usual, very detailed analysis- & also calls for a reduction in Sydney NRL teams, to be replaced by expansion teams outside of NSW.

Liam,in his conclusion, wrote

"Gemba’s brief was to develop a report that highlights the heretofore unexplored impacts of the second Brisbane team, with an emphasis on commercial and quantative analysis, and they’ve hit it out of the park. It’s clear that sprint one and two is their own work. As I get older, I realise in these grey-scaled scenarios, there’s not a right or wrong, so much as a more defensible or a less defensible position and while I could quibble here or there, their arguments are sound. I disagree with their conclusions but that doesn’t make me right and if I had done a similar report, not only would it look terrible but it would have had a very different goal in mind.

Where it falls down is where Gemba have been guided by their clients, the football clubs. Sprints three is about repeating the club’s concerns, dressed up in the language of corporate risk management. The implication is that the clubs see what’s good for them as being what’s good for rugby league.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The sport would greatly benefit from not only removing these lunatics from control of the ARLC but also shedding several or more (my emphases) from the top tier of the sport and redirecting their central funding to support expansion and the women’s game and grassroots or country football. On that basis, it’s difficult to swallow the conclusions reached in this part but it’s created the most talking points in the media, so in that sense it’s mission accomplished.

Still, it’s better to have some information out there, than not all, as long as we understand the context in which it was created, which is that most of the existing clubs do not want any further competition. There are a lot of interesting bits of information that I have not covered.

The ARLC pursued something similar under the Greenberg administration and this was subsequently buried in a dark hole by V’Landys. It seems unlikely that we will ever see that report".

BNE2.2: The Gemba Report

Previously, in our series on Brisbane expansion: BNE2 or On Expansion and its relationship with BrisbaneBNE2.1: The game done changed ***** The short version is that twelve NRL clubs have chipped i…

pythagonrl.com

(WARNING: Long Read)






2.

It's all determined by the definition of a head high tackle.
As people have said, NRL and AFL use different standards so it's a rather pointless discussion.

Yes.
Since the uproar over Magic Round, the NRL appears to have greatly weakened their emphasis on discouraging & banning contact to the head (whether it be deliberate, harmful, dangerous, or not): incidental "flyswats are not punished now.

The AFL has taken, in the last c.20 years, strong measures to discourage & minimise head contact & concussion in AF.
However, with constant, massive congestion, rested players hitting harder & more often, & record tackles per game - & record tackle/bump/collision/push injuries (modern era)- IMO, not enough.

This continuing allowance of contact to the head & neck is, & will be continue to be, very damaging for the NRL, & GR contact RL because:-

. many parents will continue to disallow their kids from playing RL because of permissible head contacts.

. it exposes the NRL to future legal damages' claims from players suffering neurological conditions

. the NRL now faces an invidious dilemma. Many (perhaps most?) of NRL game attendees, & TV viewers etc., are strongly attracted to RL because of this aspect of its toughness; & are thus keen for "flyswats" to the head & neck to continue to be allowed.




3. Incidentally, many Aust. troops, whilst on leave/training in the UK (& some in Palestine) played organised, sanctioned games of AF (& some impromptu)- & fobs & trophies were sometimes made for these games.

RedV3x, would you care to share with the BF community your WW1 AF fob's background, in your photo- its history, which Battalion etc. it is for- & their service record, how did you obtain it, do you have similar AF items from WW1 (very collectable)?

 

[RedV3x]

RedV3x, would you care to share with the BF community your WW1 AF fob's background, in your photo- its history, which Battalion etc. it is for- & their service record, how did you obtain it, do you have similar AF items from WW1 (very collectable)?

The medal is my grandfather's Palestine premiership medal for the Australian Football league run by the Red Cross at the time.
He was in the 10th Light Horse and they were charged with securing watering holes (oasis) around Beersheba.
Beersheba is famous for the charge of the Light Horse but my grandfather was not involved.
Sport, at the turn of the 20th century was considered important by the military for fitness and moral.
There are photographic records of Australian Football being played close to the European front lines of WWI.

 

[Gigantor]

The similarity between league and rugby is both a benefit and a curse when it comes to the international game.
It's a benefit because there are rugby grounds and rugby players all over the world, so in theory, at a moment's notice, you could have a league game set up ready to go almost anywhere.
It's a curse because anyone finding out about its existence is going to wonder why the world needs another form of rugby. More than likely, for such people it will be viewed as the poor man's rugby (which it sort of is).

 

[RedV3x]

The similarity between league and rugby is both a benefit and a curse when it comes to the international game.

Basically it splits support.

 

[BringBackTorps]

Brisbane 2 expansion postponed indefinitely? Due to NRL & Clubs taking severe financial hits due to covid, & Sydney etc. pokie dens closed?

This website pythagonrl.com, run by Liam (an engineer) provides, IMO, the most detailed analysis of the NRL- specialises in using a very diverse range of statistical information, to draw credible conclusions.

Re the Firehawks (Brisbane 2 aspirants, funded by the wealthy pokie den owners Brisbane Tigers- a Qld. Cup club), who have yesterday announced an affiliation with the Capras (Qld. Cup team, based in Rockhampton), Liam (who supports a Brisbane 2 entry into the NRL) says

"Really easy to agree with this stuff when the chances of any [Brisbane 2] expansion happening seem quite slim...suggests the Tigers would withdraw from the Qld. Cup because it doesn't suggest that the Tigers would run side by side with the Capras as feeders, & implies the Capras as stand-alone".

https://twitter.com/pythagoNRL

(Scroll to Tweet 11.8, including the Capras' announcement).


The transfer of Clubs to Qld. in 2021 may cost the NRL c. $40m.
Staff writers for Foxsports also said, in addition to these $40m relocation losses caused, there are additional NRL Rights' losses in 2021:"...as well as lower broadcast income hit the game hard".

P. V'landys, probably without precedent in the NRL, has refused to provide any details of the revised 10.5.20 Nine & Foxtel Rights' deals (latter deal 2020-2027 inc.)- but has claimed the NRL negotiated good Rights' deals!?. Foxsports, obviously, knows the truth.

SFoxsports taff writers 18.7.21

Players won’t cop pay-cut despite NRL’s $40M relocation cost

Players won’t cop pay-cut despite NRL’s $40M relocation cost

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[RedV3x]

Staff writers for Foxsports also said, in addition to the losses caused by 2021 relocation only, there are additional NRL Rights' losses in 2021"...as well as lower broadcast income hit the game hard".

Do these new contracts have a performance-based aspect ?

 

[Gigantor]

It's the first time in the history of Australian professional sport that a sport with a new broadcast deal has not wanted to trumpet what a fantastic deal it is.
God, even the APL was happy to trumpet its mediocre soccer deal.

 

[BringBackTorps]

Courier Mail P. Bardel 12.8.21

The NRL, which c. 3 weeks ago decided to postpone for 12 months a decision as whether to admit Brisbane 2 into the NRL in 2023, has now decided to interview the 3 contenders in the next few weeks.; & may make a decision on expansion later this year.
It is again stated that a major motivation of the NRL for Brisbane 2 is to be be a bulwark against the AFL's increasing influence in SEQ.

"Peter V’landys’ NRL expansion push to combat the AFL has been re-activated with the Jets, Firehawks and Dolphins set to formally outline their bids to ARLC delegates"

Firehawks chief S. Richardson said "Its about attacking AFL in the west of Brisbane"

No Cookies | The Courier Mail

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EDIT:

Mr TV Australia
@MrTVAus
Aug 15#TVratings (week): #AFL outrated NRL in BRIS last night and won slot, as
@BrisbaneLions
thrashed Collingwood! As Seven dominate SAT and the week (won every night), it's now more than ONE MONTH since Nine won a night.

 

[Seedsfan]

Just whose "responsibility" is it to grow rugby league ?
Rugby League fans are always returning to the fact that rugby league has a higher international profile than AFL
but how has NRL contributed to that ?

Yes and no, by increasing test footy involving the Pacific Islanders they say they are growing the game internationally but then you hear that they play and watch Union back home and it’s the expat populations in Australia and NZ that love watching the test matches

 

[BringBackTorps]

Mumbrella Z. Wilson 6.8.21

Wilson said, re y/e 30.6.21 Foxtel Aust. nos.

"...a significant increase in Foxtel’s paid subscriber numbers, which increased 40% to 3.891 million, largely fuelled by growing numbers on Binge and Kayo.

1.885 million subscribers were residential or commercial broadcast Foxtel subscribers, while 2.006 million were subscribers to Kayo, Binge and Foxtel Now.

Kayo ended the financial year with 1.054 million paid subscribers, up from 419,000 paid subscribers the year prior. Binge meanwhile had 733,000 paid subscribers, compared to 56,000 at the conclusion of FY21.

Segment EBITDA for FY21 was up US$36 million, or 11%, across News Corp’s streaming products.
In Q4 specifically, streaming revenues were up 33%, an increase of $135 million year-on-year.

News Corp chief executive, Robert Thomson, said: “ We also saw record subscriber growth at Foxtel, where, at the end of June, our paid streaming subscribers reached over 2 million, an increase year-on-year of 155 percent.

“That sterling performance has clearly given us much optionality as we consider Foxtel’s future, which is certainly bright, given that revenues rose 33% in the fourth quarter. ”

The streaming update came as News Corp revealed its “most profitable” financial year in its current form, with revenues rising 4% in the full year and up 30% in the fourth quarter. Revenues were US$9.36 billion, compared to US$9.01 billion in the prior year (My emphases)".

News Corp streaming revenues up US$188m as Foxtel subscribers grow 40%

Revenue from News Corp’s streaming video on demand (SVOD) services saw growth of US$188 million, or 10% growth for the financial year ending 30 June, 2021.That was driven by a significant increase in Foxtel’s paid subscriber numbers, which increased 40% to 3.891 million, largely fuelled by...

mumbrella.com.au

The NRL, who re-negotiated a lower, covid-effected Rights' deal with Foxtel from 27.5.20, for the period 2020-2027, may be squirming at these good figures for Foxtel. The NRL claimed it got a good, 8-year deal, but refuses to provide any details, or quantum.
Goldman Sachs, R. Masters in the SMH, G. McLachlan (around 10.6.20, to a private meeting of AFL executives), & other MSM experts claimed the NRL (which was desperate- no property ownership collateral, unable to secure a low interest loan) was forced to accept a reduction of c. 25% on its previous Rights' deal. The NRL was in survival mode then.

There has been widespread MSM commentary in recent years that Foxtel was in major financial difficulties; & it had to be granted an emergency $500m loan from its parent co., NewsCorp, in 2019.
It appears, however, Foxtel's predicted demise is VERY unlikely; & it is now becoming quite profitable, & is having strong growth.

This Foxtel strong growth places the AFL in a much more promising negotiating position, as it now knows Foxtel's fortunes have considerably improved.
The NRL, however, is locked into a poor, much lower Foxtel deal until the end of 2027.

(The AFL initially renegotiated a 12-13% lower Rights' deal with Foxtel & Seven, around 9.6.20, for 2020-2022. It later renegotiated, again, 2 new Rights' deals with Foxtel & Seven to the end of 2024- a record, for any Aust. sport, of $946m for 2 years ie 2023-2024).

The AFL, therefore, will very likely be AGAIN increasing its financial strength differential, cf the NRL (& all other Aust. sports), post 2024, when it negotiates new Rights' deals.
The AFL, thus, will be in a better position for funding further expansion in NSW, ACT, & Qld.

 

[BringBackTorps]

R. Masters at it again.

Masters said 13.8.21 "AFLW looms as a monster challenge" to all other female sports, including administrators of male pro sports.

Roy Masters: Could AFLW expansion spark a decline of Australia’s Olympic success?
Australian women have been outperforming the men at the Olympics for many decades. But an 18-team AFLW competition shapes as a significant competitor for the best female athletes.

www.smh.com.au


How genuinely threatened are other female sports etc. of the undoubted strong progress of the AFLW, & GR female AF?

And will other sports, covertly &/or overtly, increasingly plan to hinder the "threatening" progress of the AFLW, & female GR AF?

 

[Gigantor]

Every couple of years some non-AFL person writes about how the existence of Australian Football diminishes our standing in the Olympics and other international sports.

 

[Kwality]

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

'The AFL’s big-money incursion into southeast Queensland will be at the forefront of the ARL Commission’s expansion committee on Monday morning as they hear final pitches from the three bid teams vying to become the NRL’s 17th side.
..... former chair Peter Beattie notably warned the code needed to expand or die, ... sitting in on meetings with the Redcliffe Dolphins, Brisbane Jets and Brisbane Firehawks .... one final and potentially decisive claim for the prospective 17th licence.'

“AFL, to their credit, did a good job last year when they were up there – they went into the Department of Education, they have done everything,” V’landys said.

“They have a great strategy. I take my hat off to them. We’re not going to sit back and let Queensland wither on the vine.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that Queensland remains one of the main heartlands of rugby league in the world.”

Another club in the South East at this time runs the risk of the economic recovery post Covid .

 

[BringBackTorps]

The Gemba independent expert Report (released 17.6.21, & paid for by 12 NRL clubs) investigated the benefits & disadvantages of adding Brisbane 2.

The Gemba Report stated

"• A consortium of NRL Clubs is seeking independent analysis on the potential impacts of expansion, and the opportunity cost of investing in NRLW or participation instead (my emphases)".

"What could be the benefits of increasing investment into the NRLW over the next five years?
What could be the benefits of increasing investment into the grassroots and participation initiatives?".


"Participants are more likely to be interested in professional sporting leagues than members of the general population.

[Pro/semi Pro] LEAGUE INTEREST AMONGST PARTICIPANTS
First No.= % Of General Population Who Have An Interest In A Pro/semi-Pro League
Second No.= % Of Aust. Participants Of Relevant Sport Who Also Have An Interest In The Sport's Pro/semi-Pro League

35% 79% AFL, 28% 74% NRL, 16% 69% Super Rugby, 28% 69% BBL, 16% 58% Super Netball, 18% 52% AFLW, 15% 49% NRLW, 17% 49% A League, 16% 48% NBL, 19% 47% WBBL, 14% 43% W League".

(The first no. % taken from Morgan Polls. I assume definition of an "interest" is very loose)
The second no. % taken from Ausplay surveys - which is a survey of 1 person in every thousand; & counts a personas a "participant" in a sport, even if they answer they played the sport only once in the last 12 months!)


"• While there are many drivers of passion, Gemba’s proprietary data supports the notion that those that participate in a particular sport are more likely to be passionate about the corresponding national leagues

• Three quarters of Rugby League Participants are passionate about the NRL and half about the NRLW

• In terms of converting participants into fans, NRLW is third amongst professional women’s leagues, behind Super Netball and AFLW and is comparable with the A-League and NBL"

The Australian 24.6.21
Gemba Report- see pgs 4, 5, & 177.

https://origin.go.theaustralian.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Gemba_NRL-Expansion-Analysis_Final-Report_170621.pdf

A major reason for adding Brisbane 2, according to 8+ comments from RL officials recently, is to strengthen the NRL & GR contact RL nos. - & concerns from them about the increasing growth of the AFL & GR AF in SEQ.

Some RL officials, however, may believe this (main?) objective of thwarting AF growth in SEQ could be best, & most efficiently, achieved by spending much more on GR contact RL in general; & perhaps the NRLW in particular ie Brisbane 2 is not the most cost-effective & efficient GR RL conduit.

There has been a collapse in male GR contact RL nos. in Sydney; & the Gold Coast-Brisbane (excluding the Ipswich District RL comp.)-Sunshine Coast corridor.
In late July 2020, the QRL announced, for all Greater Brisbane (but excluding the Ipswich JRL comp.) there were about 5000 jnrs, from U6-U12 inclusive, in the RLBJ comp. This is a shockingly low no. for a RL heartland of c. 2.2m - & c. 10%+ of this 5000 were playing only RL club non-contact Tag.

Having 8.5/9 NRL clubs in Sydney has not prevented this collapse. Can it be convincingly concluded that Brisbane 2 would greatly increase male contact RL nos. in the Gold Coast- Brisbane - Sunshine Coast corridor?

 

[jatz14]

The Gemba independent expert Report (released 17.6.21, & paid for by 12 NRL clubs) investigated the benefits & disadvantages of adding Brisbane 2.

The Gemba Report stated

"• A consortium of NRL Clubs is seeking independent analysis on the potential impacts of expansion, and the opportunity cost of investing in NRLW or participation instead (my emphasis)".

"What could be the benefits of increasing investment into the NRLW over the next five years?
What could be the benefits of increasing investment into the grassroots and participation initiatives?".


"Participants are more likely to be interested in professional sporting leagues than members of the general population.

[Pro/semi Pro] LEAGUE INTEREST AMONGST PARTICIPANTS
First No.= % Of General Population Who Have An Interest In A League
Second No.= % Of Aust. Participants Of Relevant Sport Who Also Have An Interest In The Sport's Pro/semi-Pro League

35% 79% AFL, 28% 74% NRL, 16% 69% Super Rugby, 28% 69% BBL, 16% 58% Super Netball, 18% 52% AFLW, 15% 49% NRLW, 17% 49% A League, 16% 48% NBL, 19% 47% WBBL, 14% 43% W League".

(The first no. % taken from Morgan Polls. I assume definition of an "interest" is very loose)
The second no. % taken from Ausplay surveys - which is a survey of 1 person in every thousand; & counts a personas a "participant" in a sport, even if they answer they played the sport only once in the last 12 months!)


• While there are many drivers of passion, Gemba’s proprietary data supports the notion that those that participate in a particular sport are more likely to be passionate about the corresponding national leagues

• Three quarters of Rugby League Participants are passionate about the NRL and half about the NRLW

• In terms of converting participants into fans, NRLW is third amongst professional women’s leagues, behind Super Netball and AFLW and is comparable with the A-League and NBL"

The Australian 24.6.21
Gemba Report- see pgs 4, 5, & 177.

https://origin.go.theaustralian.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Gemba_NRL-Expansion-Analysis_Final-Report_170621.pdf

A major reason for adding Brisbane 2, according to 8+ comments from RL officials recently, is to strengthen the NRL & GR contact RL nos. - & concerns from them about the increasing growth of the AFL & GR AF in SEQ.

Some RL officials, however, may believe this (main?) objective of thwarting AF growth in SEQ could be best, & most efficiently, achieved by spending much more on GR contact RL in general; & perhaps the NRLW in particular ie Brisbane 2 is not the most cost-effective & efficient GR RL conduit.

There has been a collapse in male GR contact RL nos. in Sydney; & the Gold Coast-Brisbane (excluding the Ipswich District RL comp.)-Sunshine Coast corridor.

Having 8.5/9 NRL clubs in Sydney has not prevented this collapse. Can it be convincingly concluded that Brisbane 2 would greatly increase male contact RL nos. in the Gold Coast- Brisbane - Sunshine Coast corridor?

Fighting off AFL and growing grass roots numbers seems like an excellent example of a justification for a decision, rather than a reason for the decision.

 

[BringBackTorps]

Fighting off AFL and growing grass roots numbers seems like an excellent example of a justification for a decision, rather than a reason for the decision.

1. There have been at least 8+ comments from RL officials recently that a major reason for Brisbane 2 is to strengthen (male contact) RL GR in SEQ.

The Gemba Report questions this GR strategy, due to the huge expenses involved in creating Brisbane2- & Gemba states there may be an "opportunity cost" paid by the NRL: this (male contact nos.') GR goal might be better achieved by "investing in NRLW or participation instead".

Your comments don't address this participation "opportunity cost" issue; & the NRL's, possibly flawed, strategy (ie create a very expensive Brisbane2) to greatly improve its male contact GR nos. in Greater Sydney & Greater Brisbane, which are collapsing (excluding, respectively, the Penrith District RL comp. & Ipswich District RL comp.).

Nor have you addressed the pertinent issue that male contact RL nos. have collapsed in Greater Sydney, even though it has 8.5/9 NRL clubs- so existence of further NRL clubs cannot be claimed to be the panacea.





2. Major decisions- & major worries- for the NRL about Brisbane 2 & male contact RL nos. in SEQ

Courier Mail P. Crawley & P. Bardel 23.8.21

Crawley & Bardel said

"The issue on whether now is the right time for expansion given the financial implications related to Covid as well as the constant debate about whether there is enough rugby league talent to support another team has divided the game for some time now.

[V'landys said] “The thing with this is that it has been on the agenda for many years. A decision has to be made one way or another.

“As I have said from day one the business cases have got to stack up,” he continued.

“The thing we are looking at is, one, it has to financially stack up. Two, what are they going to do with participation and pathways? That is important for us.

“AFL has certainly made a lot of inroads up there and we have to make sure we keep Queensland as a heartland.

“And the third thing is how are they going to improve the fans base? Have they got a fan, are they going to get a fan base, or are they just migrating people away from existing customers? We want new customers".



Courier Mail 23.8

"GAME ON! JETS’ $250 MILLION EXPANSION COUP

By Peter Bardel

"Redcliffe has an asset base of $100 million, while the Firehawks have $25 million in cash reserves, although there are major concerns the Jets are cash-strapped and do not have the funds to satisfy the NRL’s demands.

News Corp understands the Ipswich City Council is prepared to consider more than $10 million in funding for the Jets should they clinch a licence as the NRL’s 17th team for 2023 or 2024.

V’landys says potential playing numbers are a key factor in the expansion battle and Harding [Ipswich mayor] confirmed she had personally written to the ARLC boss to back the Jets amid fears the rival AFL code will destroy (!) the NRL in the Ipswich region.
(Very unlikely- GR AF not now strong in semi-regional, & generally working class, Ipswich district)

“If the NRL didn’t embrace this region, the AFL could certainly be a threat to the code in the western corridor,” Harding said.

“The AFL have made the decision to expand substantially here, they have set up a $70 million facility (at Springfield) and they aren’t silly, they can see the growth potential out here.

“I’ve written to Peter V’landys. The Brisbane Jets are the perfect option for the NRL. It’s the region with [RL] heart. It’s the grassroots of rugby league...
Ipswich is the fastest growing city in Queensland"

Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics victory shapes as a game changer for the Jets in terms of infrastructure.

Harding is confident of state and federal government support for the construction of a 12,000-to-20,000 multi-purpose stadium in Ipswich that would match Townsville‘s Queensland Country Bank Stadium for quality.
“When you see the new stadium in Townsville, it’s a massive economic multiplier for the North Queensland region and it would be the same for Ipswich (All emphases, & words in brackets, mine)".

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[Aussie in exile]

These sorts of views/feelings come about when league fans start dreaming about internationalising the sport, then they start imagining that it's the NRL''s responsibility to internationalise the sport.
But in truth, the NRL is pretty much the same as the AFL, its focus is on the professional game in this country: 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
So naturally, some get disappointed.

The NRL/ARL don't want to internationalize Rugby League as it will undermine SOO. Lets not forget that the Kangaroos have lost 2 of their last 4 internationals to teams who obviously don't have SOO players.

 

[NoobPie]

The NRL/ARL don't want to internationalize Rugby League as it will undermine SOO. Lets not forget that the Kangaroos have lost 2 of their last 4 internationals to teams who obviously don't have SOO players.

ARL/NRL don't want to "internationalise" Rugby league because its international game costs it a lot of money.

 

[Kwality]

ARL/NRL don't want to "internationalise" Rugby league because its international game costs it a lot of money.

With Covid international sport is rarely delivered. Do you have anything to support your assertion?

 

[NoobPie]

With Covid international sport is rarely delivered. Do you have anything to support your assertion?

You realise I responded to an assertion which you were less interested in "support" for?

Here's a start.

- Tv ratings crowds etc demonstrate that even when we were hosting a world cup, interest levels were far lower than the Nrl let a lone the state of origin. Not even a world cup final against England could sell out.

If international Rugby league was a potential winner the ARL would be all over it