Footy Developments in NSW and Queensland

[BringBackTorps]

1. The major decline in male RL GR contact nos. has an important connection to the NRL's declining skill levels- & makes expansion to 17 teams problematic.

WWOS P. Gallen 16.8.21

Gallen said

"How do the Bulldogs, who have all but won the wooden spoon with three games remaining, spend $9 million on the players in their team?

With talk back on the table about expanding the NRL, it's an important point. Where are we suddenly going to find another 30 players, another supposed $9 million worth of talent, to fill another team?
It would almost be like going back to the Super League days, where certain blokes are getting ridiculous contracts just for the sake of it.

Andrew Johns has always maintained that the NRL should reduce the number of teams, to strengthen the standard across the competition. While I've never been a fan of that, believing that all the existing clubs deserve their spot, I certainly understand the argument as opposed to further diluting the talent pool.
I think expansion, with the current playing talent that we have, would be crazy.

You have to remember that we're going through a unique time in the world. We're locked down again and there is no second-tier football being played. No junior football, either.
Where do players learn their craft, where do we find the improvement in the talent pool, when there's no football outside of the NRL? I worry about the standard of football in the existing NRL in coming seasons, let alone trying to bring another team in.

You have a proud club like the Bulldogs, with a team who bust their backsides each weekend, unable to compete purely because they don't have enough talent in their side. The enthusiasm and effort are there for all to see but they just aren't up to standard.
How, under those circumstances, can you possibly bring in a 17th team?".





2. https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/expans...d564-4a2a-9cae-01b7464ede66?ocid=Social-NRLFS

On 23.8.21, P. Stirling said virtually everyone in the NRL (but perhaps not all NRL clubs!) agrees there should be a Brisbane 2- but, because of the NRL's financial problems, there should not be an imminent introduction.

B. Fittler & B. Slater also say Brisbane 2 is essential for the growth of RL in Qld.- but Fittler would prefer one less NRL team elsewhere (probably Sydney).
Slater said skill development is a major priority for the NRL, so NRL skills do not decline further.

W. Bennet wants Brisbane 2 asap- & said, with the right coaching, enough appropriate talent for 17 teams could be created.

 

[Kwality]

WWOS P. Gallen 16.8.21

Gallen said

"How do the Bulldogs, who have all but won the wooden spoon with three games remaining, spend $9 million on the players in their team?

With talk back on the table about expanding the NRL, it's an important point. Where are we suddenly going to find another 30 players, another supposed $9 million worth of talent, to fill another team?
It would almost be like going back to the Super League days, where certain blokes are getting ridiculous contracts just for the sake of it.

Andrew Johns has always maintained that the NRL should reduce the number of teams, to strengthen the standard across the competition. While I've never been a fan of that, believing that all the existing clubs deserve their spot, I certainly understand the argument as opposed to further diluting the talent pool.
I think expansion, with the current playing talent that we have, would be crazy.

You have to remember that we're going through a unique time in the world. We're locked down again and there is no second-tier football being played. No junior football, either.
Where do players learn their craft, where do we find the improvement in the talent pool, when there's no football outside of the NRL? I worry about the standard of football in the existing NRL in coming seasons, let alone trying to bring another team in.

You have a proud club like the Bulldogs, with a team who bust their backsides each weekend, unable to compete purely because they don't have enough talent in their side. The enthusiasm and effort are there for all to see but they just aren't up to standard.
How, under those circumstances, can you possibly bring in a 17th team?".

Andrew Johns is about an elite comp. There is a problem for all sports maintaining the integrity of the sport at the highest level.
See soccer in Australia for the men, & its heading the same way for the women.

 

[BringBackTorps]

"NRL expansion: Dolphins warn game is being swamped by AFL and soccer
The Dolphins claim they have $100 million reasons why they should get an NRL licence - but there is one more that is causing huge problems, CRASH CRADDOCK writes.


Courier Mail Robert Craddock August 22, 2021 - 3:43PM News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

The Dolphins will tell rugby league powerbrokers their code is being ambushed by a $60 million “secret (?!) war’’ which can only be won if they become the 17th NRL club.

The Dolphins, based in Redcliffe but representing the northern corridor which is one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, believe they are the most “NRL ready’’ of the three franchises who will meet with the NRL on Monday to bid for the right to become the competition’s 17th team.

But it is the broader picture – the code fight against the AFL and soccer – that Dolphins officials are equally concerned about.
“There is a major threat to the code in our region from other sports that most people don’t realise,’’ said Dolphins bid chief Terry Reader.

Warriors boss Mark Robinson and Dolphins CEO Tony Murphy at the Dolphins Stadium, Redcliffe. Picture: AAP/Sarah Marshall

“Everyone talks about the AFL spending $60 million with the Brisbane Lions going to Springfield but we have already seen that much spent (?) on AFL and soccer in our region in the last five years.
“The Roar (soccer club) is playing its home games at Dolphin Oval and there is a women’s centre of excellence being built for soccer. We have to try and keep rugby league in its elite position.’’
A new $18 million women’s centre of excellence built in time for the 2023 Women’s Soccer World Cup has been committed for the South Pine region while the $19 million construction of an AFL ground in Kippa Ring (GR only- 2 well-equipped AF & cricket ovals) recently won the AFL’s project of the year award (My emphases)".

Brisbane Lions. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty









"Queensland’s Newest AFL Hub is Kicking Goals

Posted on Tuesday, 28th July, 2020 by aflq.com.au

AFL in Queensland continues to go from strength to strength, with the opening of another world-class community sports facility.
Home of the mighty Redcliffe Tigers, the $18.8 million Nathan Road Sports Ground officially opened on Saturday 25 July to a fanfare.
AFL Queensland proudly contributed $100,000 to the major development by Moreton Bay Regional Council, demonstrating its commitment to a key hub of AFL participation in the state.

The Moreton Bay region is home to a rapidly growing participation base, with over 38,000 AFL participants in 2019 with 47% of participants women and girls, higher than the state average of 42%.

AFL Queensland CEO Dean Warren, joined in the opening festivities and is delighted to see another outstanding facility in Queensland.
The Moreton Bay region is now home to three outstanding facilities. The South Pine Sports Complex at Brendale and the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex at Burpengary have already hosted AFL preseason matches and AFLW fixtures.
“AFL Queensland is very proud of the partnership we have with Moreton Bay Regional Council. They are an incredibly progressive and valued partner of AFL in Queensland and contributor to sports clubs in the region. We are delighted to see the Redcliffe Tigers reap the rewards of such an incredible facility,” said Warren.

The Redcliffe Tigers have over 500 members across junior, senior and Auskick ranks, a testament to the growing appeal of AFL across Queensland.
In Brisbane North alone, AFL’s participation has increased by 128% over the past five years. Clubs in this region have grown by 26% and the most exciting statistic is the growth of the women’s game, with an astonishing 439% increase in female participation over this same period.

Mayor Peter Flannery said at the launch on Saturday that this facility will become the home of Aussie Rules Football on the Redcliffe Peninsula for decades to come.
“It’s great to see the mighty yellow and black of the Redcliffe Tigers back in action, because it has been a long road to get here,” he said.
“Council spent five years of hard work delivering something that will truly be the envy of all other clubs in the Queensland Australian Football League.
“Thanks to Council’s forward-thinking investments not only are we are well ahead of the demand from growing participation rates of local clubs, we’re also in a box seat to help the professional leagues coming to Queensland.”

AFL in Queensland has never seen a more exciting phase. With all of the elite teams relocating to Queensland to continue the 2020 season, Queensland is the new home of AFL for the second half of this year.
Participation figures across the junior ranks in Queensland have now exceeded 2019 figures, an incredible credit to the club volunteers and officials who have worked tirelessly to get AFL back on the field in 2020 (my emphases)".

 

[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

Quite rude of you to respond with a "wow" face after I responded to your request of "support" for my "assertion"


Aussie in exile is asserting that the ARL/NRL are motivated to not get behind international rugby league because the more it is played and presumably "takes off" it would subvert the primacy of State of Origin.

The first game in the world cup between Australia and England in 2017 rated under 1 million. The first game of the NRL season usually gets over 1 million

Ratings | TV Tonight

tvtonight.com.au

...and the final between the same two teams didn't sell out and rated less!

Ratings | TV Tonight

tvtonight.com.au

It is hard to think of a more marketable international "product" than a home world cup and yet its final rated less than NRL home and away games can get.

So my "assertion" that the ARL won't heavily invest in international rugby league because its a financial loser (rather than a threat) seems pretty solidly supported by both evidence and reason.

 

[Kwality]

Quite rude of you to respond with a "wow" face after I responded to your request of "support" for my "assertion"

Sorry you took it as rude. I've reviewed your post & you are being precious.

 

[BringBackTorps]

1. The Australian B. Read 22.8.21

Headline "The incursion of the AFL is helping drive NRL expansion"

BRENT READ said

"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.

Three years after former chair Peter Beattie notably warned the code needed to expand or die, he will be among the officials from head office sitting in on meetings with the Redcliffe Dolphins, Brisbane Jets and Brisbane Firehawks as they make one final and potentially decisive claim for the prospective 17th licence.

Their [Redcliffe Dolphins] home ground is already up to NRL standard, having hosted games in recent weeks when the competition has been played in southeast Queensland. Crucially, analysis also suggested the northern corridor was just as important to the code as the west, which is at the heart of the Brisbane Jets’ plans.

Both (?) regions (not regional Ipswich & Toowoomba, AF not strong there- but AF has strong growth in nthn. Brisbane & Sunshine Coast) are under threat from the AFL and ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys made it very clear that protecting rugby league’s patch would play a key role in their thinking.

V’landys conceded it was the sort of decision that could define his legacy at the helm of the code... expansion has ramifications for rugby league’s long-term future given the AFL’s lavish spending in southeast Queensland and the need for a new team to stand on their own financial feet.

“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.”

While much has been made about the threat to rugby league in the western corridor, the north is under siege as well not only from AFL but from soccer.

According to documents seen by the NRL and The Australian, nearly $60 million has been invested on AFL and soccer facilities in the Moreton Bay region over the past five years. The Dolphins’ have a huge area to service and strength in junior numbers.

While the ARL Commission is cognisant of the threat from the AFL, they are also wary of eating into their three existing clubs in southeast Queensland as well as the Melbourne Storm, who rely on Queensland for much of their talent.

...[V'landys] “Secondly, pathways – how are they going to improve participation, and thirdly, how are they going to increase the rugby league fan base without migrating away from existing (sides).

“We want new customers, not old customers...(All my words & emphases in brackets)".

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

2. The 2021 NRL GF will be held in Brisbane.

Major coup for Sunshine State as NRL Grand Final secured

Deal 'all but done' to host league's big night

wwos.nine.com.au

This Brisbane GF will be a big boost for RL in Qld., even without a Qld. team.


I assume Qld., WA, SA, Tas., ACT, & NT will continue to restrict greatly (rightly or wrongly) entry in 2022 from NSW & Vic (NSW & Vic. have, tragically, abandoned Zero-Covid policies as being impracticable).

I assume, in 2022, some more (cf pre 2020) NRL games will again be held in Qld. as, sadly, due to covid, crowds are likely to be much more restricted in NSW (&, even if not restricted in NSW, many people in NSW may be fearful of attending very crowded events/public transport etc., so won't attend). NSW crowd revenues will be much lower.
This "quick arrival & return" transfer of games in 2022 will also help GR RL & the NRL in Qld.

The "great terror" for the NRL will be if NRL & GR RL-affiliated pokie dens continue their big drop in patrons &, more particularly, pokie revenues in 2022- if so, a major crisis for the revenues of many NRL Clubs (& many GR RL clubs). An existential threat for some Clubs? More savage funding cuts?
Most pokie users are disproportionately older, thus more fearful of crowds & covid- & crowded pokie dens.
Even amongst those who are vaccinated, who will be a big majority, they can still catch covid (but much milder effects), & pass covid to others.

AF, generally, has a much smaller reliance on the revenues from pokie clubs, & the vile poker machines that prey on the addicts.

I suspect AFL crowd nos. will also be down significantly, for similar reasons, in Melbourne in 2022; & some more games (cf pre 2020) to be transferred from Melbourne, to Qld. etc..
This will also have a significant effect on AFL revenues (proportionately greater than the NRL losses, due to the much bigger AFL crowds/ more lucrative corporate boxes etc. in Melbourne).

This will hurt the AFL finances (& possibly GR AF growth), unfortunately, in many parts of Australia.
To achieves significant savings, further major cuts are required to the nos. employed, & the remuneration, at AFL HQ, & Club's staff (but not medical, physio etc. staff).
AFL players should also have significant wage cuts, & Club Lists trimmed. I would also prefer only 2 on the bench, as was the case for c. 60 years.


These are very sad & sobering, almost unbelievable, times for all people (sporting, or not) in Australia.

 

[Kwality]

“We want new customers, not old customers...

Thats what expansion is about, new customers, AND expanding the player pool.

 

[BringBackTorps]

"Paul Kent: Expansion is NRL’s first strike back against AFL’s secret war to bring down rugby league

With hopes of expansion, the ARL Commission is taking its biggest step yet towards combating a covert war that has been waged without response for far too long, PAUL KENT writes. August 24, 2021 - 6:00AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
91 comments

From high above the damage was obvious.

Twenty years or so after AFL boss Andrew Demetriou called a meeting of the most powerful people in his game and declared they had one, secret, objective — to take over rugby league — the evidence was in.
It did not look good for rugby league.

Former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou inspired an AFL takeover of rugby league heartland.

Recently ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys was flying over Queensland soil in a helicopter and, for every rugby league field he saw, there were three [?!] more AFL grounds [This would be very rare in SEQ- &, in rest of Qld. there are far more RL & RU GR grounds]

In the state that not even a decade ago the NRL was calling rugby league’s heartland, rugby league is being dominated [?].
This is always an unpopular conversation among rugby league people but, for too long, the game has chosen to deal with it by ignoring it.
The reasons are many but, chief among them, was the game was incapable of managing its own affairs even competently enough to admit it had a way to address the AFL problem.

V’landys was made aware some years back of this subversive war the AFL launched on the NRL.
It was a war the AFL denied ever existed and one where they worked every way possible so as not to awaken the NRL hierarchy from its dopey slumber, which must be said they achieved magnificently, and while rugby league slept, the AFL launched Demetriou’s war.
They planned to steal the football grounds and the hearts and minds of the mums. Territory and emotion.
Demetriou was brilliant.

Former GWS Giants figurehead Kevin Sheedy. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

While the AFL was promising to peacefully expand into rugby league heartlands, their generals were already pouring over maps.
Kevin Sheedy was employed as the GWS Giants’ first head coach to give AFL the soft sell in Sydney. He would be the code’s greatest salesman more than providing any specific practical nous.

Current Sydney Swans chief executive Tom Harley worked for the Giants and late in the inaugural season got interviewed on local ABC radio where he continued to push the propaganda.
“In NSW (people say) there’s a code war but our philosophy is about getting young boys and girls to play sport and, if they choose to play Aussie rules, that’s great for us — I’m obviously very parochial,” Harley said.
“It’s not a ‘war’, we’re just here to provide kids with an opportunity.”
That Harley was able to say this without breaking into giggles shows what a wonderful club boss he is. Keep an eye on this guy.
In the same interview, Harley also acknowledged the strategy behind Sheedy’s appointment in clear terms.
“Kevin Sheedy said he just wants to be everyone’s second favourite team (to an NRL club) and that’s the softly, softly approach we have taken,” he said.

And the NRL did nothing.

And so, on Monday, the ARL Commission took its biggest step yet towards combating what has been more than a decade of passive aggression from the AFL.
In V’landys, the NRL has a man not afraid to call a war a war. Or to aim his weapons.
On Monday, the Commission heard the first pitches from the three expansion teams — the Redcliffe Dolphins, Brisbane Jets and Brisbane Firehawks — hoping to become the 17th franchise in the NRL.

The current clubs have acted predictably and protested that a new expansion team will take their funding in future years.
With no extra game to sell, they claim it is a drain the game cannot sustain... (My emphases, & words in brackets)".

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

No Cookies

www.dailytelegraph.com.au

(Paywall- can anyone open, & please post here).

(The Comments' Section is, in parts, revealing- & discusses issues the NRL, usually, don't discuss publicly; or down play, publicly)

 

[RedV3x]

In the state that not even a decade ago the NRL was calling rugby league’s heartland,

How quickly people forget the Lion's three-peat and the Lions out-rating the Broncos for six years.

 

[Bjo187]

"Paul Kent: Expansion is NRL’s first strike back against AFL’s secret war to bring down rugby league

With hopes of expansion, the ARL Commission is taking its biggest step yet towards combating a covert war that has been waged without response for far too long, PAUL KENT writes. August 24, 2021 - 6:00AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
91 comments

From high above the damage was obvious.

Twenty years or so after AFL boss Andrew Demetriou called a meeting of the most powerful people in his game and declared they had one, secret, objective — to take over rugby league — the evidence was in.
It did not look good for rugby league.

Former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou inspired an AFL takeover of rugby league heartland.

Recently ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys was flying over Queensland soil in a helicopter and, for every rugby league field he saw, there were three [?!] more AFL grounds [This would be very rare in SEQ- &, in rest of Qld. there are far more RL & RU GR grounds]

In the state that not even a decade ago the NRL was calling rugby league’s heartland, rugby league is being dominated [?].
This is always an unpopular conversation among rugby league people but, for too long, the game has chosen to deal with it by ignoring it.
The reasons are many but, chief among them, was the game was incapable of managing its own affairs even competently enough to admit it had a way to address the AFL problem.

V’landys was made aware some years back of this subversive war the AFL launched on the NRL.
It was a war the AFL denied ever existed and one where they worked every way possible so as not to awaken the NRL hierarchy from its dopey slumber, which must be said they achieved magnificently, and while rugby league slept, the AFL launched Demetriou’s war.
They planned to steal the football grounds and the hearts and minds of the mums. Territory and emotion.
Demetriou was brilliant.

Former GWS Giants figurehead Kevin Sheedy. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

While the AFL was promising to peacefully expand into rugby league heartlands, their generals were already pouring over maps.
Kevin Sheedy was employed as the GWS Giants’ first head coach to give AFL the soft sell in Sydney. He would be the code’s greatest salesman more than providing any specific practical nous.

Current Sydney Swans chief executive Tom Harley worked for the Giants and late in the inaugural season got interviewed on local ABC radio where he continued to push the propaganda.
“In NSW (people say) there’s a code war but our philosophy is about getting young boys and girls to play sport and, if they choose to play Aussie rules, that’s great for us — I’m obviously very parochial,” Harley said.
“It’s not a ‘war’, we’re just here to provide kids with an opportunity.”
That Harley was able to say this without breaking into giggles shows what a wonderful club boss he is. Keep an eye on this guy.
In the same interview, Harley also acknowledged the strategy behind Sheedy’s appointment in clear terms.
“Kevin Sheedy said he just wants to be everyone’s second favourite team (to an NRL club) and that’s the softly, softly approach we have taken,” he said.

And the NRL did nothing.

And so, on Monday, the ARL Commission took its biggest step yet towards combating what has been more than a decade of passive aggression from the AFL.
In V’landys, the NRL has a man not afraid to call a war a war. Or to aim his weapons.
On Monday, the Commission heard the first pitches from the three expansion teams — the Redcliffe Dolphins, Brisbane Jets and Brisbane Firehawks — hoping to become the 17th franchise in the NRL.

The current clubs have acted predictably and protested that a new expansion team will take their funding in future years.
With no extra game to sell, they claim it is a drain the game cannot sustain... (My emphases, & words in brackets)".

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

No Cookies

www.dailytelegraph.com.au

(The Comments' Section is, in parts, revealing- & discusses issues the NRL, usually, don't discuss; or down play, publicly)

Lol what an absolutely ridiculous article.

 

[BringBackTorps]

SEN Sydney Radio 18.8

The NRL only rarely admits it has a demographic problem- a disproportionately high % of its FTA & Foxtel viewers are over 50 y.o.

Here, former NRL Head Of Strategy, S. Richardson, states "The NRL has a challenge on its hands with the demographics of their memberships. ...in that 18-40 bracket".


"BRISBANE FIREHAWKS BOSS WANTS TO “TAKE THE AFL ON” IN QLD
BY LACHLAN GELEIT 21 DAYS AGO

Experienced rugby league executive Shane Richardson is confident in the Brisbane Firehawks’ bid to become the NRL’s 17th franchise.

Speaking on SEN 1170 Afternoons, Richardson explained why a 17th club is necessary for the NRL in Queensland.

“I really believe what we’ve got to do is take the AFL head on,” Richardson said.
“They (the AFL) have opened up an academy and their operations in Springfield, just west (actually east of Ipswich, west of Brisbane) of Ipswich which is the heart of rugby league.
“I think now’s the time to inject all the different feeling into the game, different things to talk about and different opportunities.

“We need to expand our pathways in Queensland and help the QRL with participation rates, and the battle against the AFL would push that.
“I think a 17th team would be nothing but a positive for the state and the game in general.”...


With Brisbane being a one-team town currently with the Broncos, Richardson believes they won’t feel threatened by the Firehawks’ bid as they don’t plan on stealing their sponsors or supporters.

“The NRL has a challenge on their hands with the demographics of their memberships.
“What we’re trying to do is create a club that gets heavily involved in that 18-40 (my emphasis) bracket".

Brisbane Firehawks boss wants to “take the AFL on” in QLD

“I think a 17th team would be nothing but a positive for the state and the game.”

www.sen.com.au

 

[BringBackTorps]

P. Kent, A. Johns, & M. Johns decry the lack of effective, elite coaches in the NRL; & lack of proper coaching & skill acquisition even at elite jnr levels, where much fewer very skilful halves & five-eights are being produced.

There has been much angst in RL MSM in 2020 & 2021 about the big blowout in scores in the NRL- with blowouts at levels not seen for many decades; & the large no. of NRL teams that are, usually, uncompetitive when playing the top 4 teams.
About 30+MSM RL experts claim there is insufficient talent to expand to 17 teams, quality of NRL games is s declining, & these problems will be exacerbated if the NRL goes to 17 teams (which appears likely).





"Paul Kent: Wayne Bennett’s position in NRL’s expansion process exposes shortfall in coaching ranks
When the NRL flagged an expansion team for 2023, the early fear was there wouldn’t be enough players to fill the roster. The bigger concern might be whether there are enough coaches, writes PAUL KENT.

Daily Telegraph August 24, 2021
19 comments

The measure of Wayne Bennett’s considerable talents as a rugby league coach is that, at 71 and just a day after all three expansion clubs made their pitch to be the NRL’s 17th team, the third and final club declared Bennett was also their man to be coach

The worry for rugby league is that, a day after three new clubs pitched to be the NRL’s 17th team, a 71-year-old man was the best option for all three.
Where coaching went, and why it is such a gamble nowadays, continues to be a growing concern for the game.
Bennett’s emergence as the man for the job shows the three expansion clubs have taken a risk-averse strategy. Bennett is their safest bet to get the bid through.
It highlights the weaknesses in clubs and the well-earned advantages Bennett has. But the safe choice is not necessarily the right choice.

At 71, departing South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett is still in demand...


...Coaches will argue it [Melbourne Storm game style & tactics] is the most effective style, given the rules and their interpretations, to win games. But the problems run deeper for the game.

Last Friday on SEN Andrew and Matthew Johns thought back to their own education and wondered where the football has gone from the modern playmaker.

“Newcastle hasn’t produced a half, five-eighth or dummy-half for 20 years,” Andrew said.
“What does that tell you? The junior systems are broken”.
Matthew agreed.
“Who’s coaching them? Are they being taught anything about the science of the game when they are younger so that when they get to first grade it just flows, and it is natural and it gets embedded into their game?” he said.

It was engaging radio, spoken from experience.
When the Johns brothers were coming through junior football David Waite and Alan Bell, realising the Knights did not have the capacity to buy star players from rival teams, began a long process of coaching young kids the simple process of playmaking.
In quick succession the likes of the Johns boys, Matthew Rodwell, Brett Kimmorley and Danny Buderus emerged.
It does not exist anymore, except in rare pockets.

Nowadays, junior coaches concentrate more on coaching Melbourne-Lite instead of schooling their young players on fundamentals needed for bigger things ahead.
They coach “shape”, with a heavy emphasis on structure. Yet the moment it breaks down the playmakers seem lost.
They have lost all their footy instinct, that flow that Matthew Johns spoke about.

Bennett discovered simple philosophies to his coaching early, which he never wavers from.
Three simple philosophies, which have a decluttering effect on his players.

Holding those philosophies close, Bennett starts every off-season with simple three-on-two drills and other catch-and-pass exercises that many players believe they have progressed far beyond by the time they reach the NRL.
Bennett understands simple principles give players something to fall back on when pressure is applied and their game begins to collapse.

The game’s greatest educator, Warren Ryan, used to finish every training session with six sets of six on the tackle bags.
Every Tuesday night he would put his team through the same defensive drill. A basic fundamental, coached into muscle memory.
Repainting the Harbour Bridge, he called it. Simple principles that showed up under pressure.

Too many players nowadays privately complain they don’t fully understand the game plan.
Coaches have turned the job into an intelligence contest, and their complex game plans confuse players and fill them with anxiety. The players don’t want to concede the game plan is beyond them, so they say nothing.
On the field it transfers into playing with caution and uncertainty which, from the grandstand, looks like lack of effort.

More Coverage
Kent: NRL finally strikes back against AFL’s secret war (My emphases, & words in brackets)".


When the NRL flagged an expansion team for 2023, the early fear was there wouldn’t be enough players to fill the roster. The bigger concern might be whether there are enough coaches

Kent: Expansion push exposes NRL’s real shortage
The measure of Wayne Bennett’s considerable talents as a rugby league coach is that, at 71 and just a day after all three expansion clubs made their pitch to be the NRL’s 17th team, the third and...
dailytelegraph.com.au

 

[BringBackTorps]

The majority of NRL clubs will vigorously oppose the NRL expanding to 17 teams (even though it would undoubtedly create a net increase in NRL crowds, ratings, Rights' $, & MSM coverage in Qld.- probably male contact nos. would increase also).

Interestingly, however, the highest factor the NRL has chosen on team selection is not how much extra $ the 17th team will deliver to the NRL- the highest factor is "...growth of the game, & evidence of new participation".




"NRL 2021: Clubs set for showdown over expansion

T. Meyn & P. Badel Courier-Mail August 27, 2021 - 12:25PM
34 comments

The NRL is set for an expansion showdown with the game’s current clubs who are ready to fight against the introduction of a new team in Brisbane.
The ARL Commission is edging towards making a decision on whether a 17th team based in Brisbane will enter the competition from 2023 or 2024 after meeting with the prospective bid teams this week.

But expansion will not be given the green light without a fight from a host of current NRL clubs that do not want to see a new team in the league.

The NRL’s Expansion Assessment Committee is also under pressure to ensure the battle for a second Brisbane team is not purely decided by money.

There is a view cash is king in the fight for a 17th NRL licence but top-secret documents, obtained by Sport Confidential, can reveal the five key pillars the NRL claim they will consider when deciding a winning expansion team.

In the Expression Of Interest documents sent to the Firehawks, Dolphins and Jets in June, the NRL outlined five crucial areas that must be addressed.

Intriguingly, according to the five categories imposed by the NRL, money is not the most important factor.

Growth of the game and evidence of new participation is given the highest weighting with 30 per cent, followed by financial viability, which is rated at 25 per cent.

The final three areas are all weighted at 15 per cent each. They are Governance and Risk, Commercial Strategy and Football Competitiveness.

ARL Commission boss Peter V‘landys has previously declared participation will be crucial to the winning expansion bid as the NRL faces a sporting turf war from rival code the AFL, which is targeting Brisbane’s western-corridor region.

 

[Kwality]

Why the Brisbane Jets' NRL expansion bid is best equipped to combat the AFL's Queensland gatecrash | Sporting News Australia

Where would rugby league be if it wasn't for Parramatta's introduction into the New South Wales competition in '47 or Penrith's in '67?

www.sportingnews.com

Brisbane's western region, a golden patch of rugby league heartland where the AFL is rapidly establishing a foothold.

 

[Bjo187]

The majority of NRL clubs will vigorously oppose the NRL expanding to 17 teams (even though it would undoubtedly create a net increase in NRL crowds, ratings, Rights' $, & MSM coverage in Qld.- probably male contact nos. would increase also).

Interestingly, however, the highest factor the NRL has chosen on team selection is not how much extra $ the 17th team will deliver to the NRL- the highest factor is "...growth of the game, & evidence of new participation".




"NRL 2021: Clubs set for showdown over expansion

T. Meyn & P. Badel Courier-Mail August 27, 2021 - 12:25PM
34 comments

The NRL is set for an expansion showdown with the game’s current clubs who are ready to fight against the introduction of a new team in Brisbane.
The ARL Commission is edging towards making a decision on whether a 17th team based in Brisbane will enter the competition from 2023 or 2024 after meeting with the prospective bid teams this week.

But expansion will not be given the green light without a fight from a host of current NRL clubs that do not want to see a new team in the league.

The NRL’s Expansion Assessment Committee is also under pressure to ensure the battle for a second Brisbane team is not purely decided by money.

There is a view cash is king in the fight for a 17th NRL licence but top-secret documents, obtained by Sport Confidential, can reveal the five key pillars the NRL claim they will consider when deciding a winning expansion team.

In the Expression Of Interest documents sent to the Firehawks, Dolphins and Jets in June, the NRL outlined five crucial areas that must be addressed.

Intriguingly, according to the five categories imposed by the NRL, money is not the most important factor.

Growth of the game and evidence of new participation is given the highest weighting with 30 per cent, followed by financial viability, which is rated at 25 per cent.

The final three areas are all weighted at 15 per cent each. They are Governance and Risk, Commercial Strategy and Football Competitiveness.

ARL Commission boss Peter V‘landys has previously declared participation will be crucial to the winning expansion bid as the NRL faces a sporting turf war from rival code the AFL, which is targeting Brisbane’s western-corridor region.

Appreciate your knowledge and things you post, but i often read them and realise they are weeks or months old and the issue has moved on since. Is there a reason for this? Not meant as a dig either but just wondering.

 

[weewilly]

"Paul Kent: Expansion is NRL’s first strike back against AFL’s secret war to bring down rugby league

With hopes of expansion, the ARL Commission is taking its biggest step yet towards combating a covert war that has been waged without response for far too long, PAUL KENT writes. August 24, 2021 - 6:00AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
91 comments

From high above the damage was obvious.

Twenty years or so after AFL boss Andrew Demetriou called a meeting of the most powerful people in his game and declared they had one, secret, objective — to take over rugby league — the evidence was in.
It did not look good for rugby league.

Former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou inspired an AFL takeover of rugby league heartland.

Recently ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys was flying over Queensland soil in a helicopter and, for every rugby league field he saw, there were three [?!] more AFL grounds [This would be very rare in SEQ- &, in rest of Qld. there are far more RL & RU GR grounds]

In the state that not even a decade ago the NRL was calling rugby league’s heartland, rugby league is being dominated [?].
This is always an unpopular conversation among rugby league people but, for too long, the game has chosen to deal with it by ignoring it.
The reasons are many but, chief among them, was the game was incapable of managing its own affairs even competently enough to admit it had a way to address the AFL problem.

V’landys was made aware some years back of this subversive war the AFL launched on the NRL.
It was a war the AFL denied ever existed and one where they worked every way possible so as not to awaken the NRL hierarchy from its dopey slumber, which must be said they achieved magnificently, and while rugby league slept, the AFL launched Demetriou’s war.
They planned to steal the football grounds and the hearts and minds of the mums. Territory and emotion.
Demetriou was brilliant.

Former GWS Giants figurehead Kevin Sheedy. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

While the AFL was promising to peacefully expand into rugby league heartlands, their generals were already pouring over maps.
Kevin Sheedy was employed as the GWS Giants’ first head coach to give AFL the soft sell in Sydney. He would be the code’s greatest salesman more than providing any specific practical nous.

Current Sydney Swans chief executive Tom Harley worked for the Giants and late in the inaugural season got interviewed on local ABC radio where he continued to push the propaganda.
“In NSW (people say) there’s a code war but our philosophy is about getting young boys and girls to play sport and, if they choose to play Aussie rules, that’s great for us — I’m obviously very parochial,” Harley said.
“It’s not a ‘war’, we’re just here to provide kids with an opportunity.”
That Harley was able to say this without breaking into giggles shows what a wonderful club boss he is. Keep an eye on this guy.
In the same interview, Harley also acknowledged the strategy behind Sheedy’s appointment in clear terms.
“Kevin Sheedy said he just wants to be everyone’s second favourite team (to an NRL club) and that’s the softly, softly approach we have taken,” he said.

And the NRL did nothing.

And so, on Monday, the ARL Commission took its biggest step yet towards combating what has been more than a decade of passive aggression from the AFL.
In V’landys, the NRL has a man not afraid to call a war a war. Or to aim his weapons.
On Monday, the Commission heard the first pitches from the three expansion teams — the Redcliffe Dolphins, Brisbane Jets and Brisbane Firehawks — hoping to become the 17th franchise in the NRL.

The current clubs have acted predictably and protested that a new expansion team will take their funding in future years.
With no extra game to sell, they claim it is a drain the game cannot sustain... (My emphases, & words in brackets)".

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

No Cookies

www.dailytelegraph.com.au

(Paywall- can anyone open, & please post here).

(The Comments' Section is, in parts, revealing- & discusses issues the NRL, usually, don't discuss publicly; or down play, publicly)

Panic stations by the NRL and their media hanger ons LOL!

 

[weewilly]

Australian Football doesn't have to"take over" NRL states NSW and esp QLD they just need to get a good % of the the market and hold on to it to be successful!

 

[RedV3x]

Australian Football doesn't have to"take over" NRL states NSW and esp QLD they just need to get a good % of the the market and hold on to it to be successful!

Forty years of code-war rhetoric has shown that it has failed to rally the NRL troops and has only strengthened AFL (any publicity is good publicity).
The best advertisement for AFL are games like the Brisbane Vs Bulldogs final - everybody would find that exciting.
The Swans have done a good job and the Giants are getting there. (Amazing to see so many Giants fans in Perth, for a new club).

Meanwhile, the NRL have ignored and lost to their biggest threat - soccer.

 

[weewilly]

Forty years of code-war rhetoric has shown that it has failed to rally the NRL troops and has only strengthened AFL (any publicity is good publicity).
The best advertisement for AFL are games like the Brisbane Vs Bulldogs final - everybody would find that exciting.
The Swans have done a good job and the Giants are getting there. (Amazing to see so many Giants fans in Perth, for a new club).

Meanwhile, the NRL have ignored and lost to their biggest threat - soccer.

RL has inherent problems due to its nature and the now domination of Pacific Islanders and players from PNG who have the right body shape and strength to play the game!

 

[BringBackTorps]

Injury rates in the NRL may be at record, or near record, highs. The average weight, & strength levels, of NRL players has increased enormously since the 1980's. Many players now are c.95kgs, or higher- & very few below 85kgs. Slight (ie below 82kgs) skilful halves etc. have virtually disappeared, but were common in previous decades.
Player collisions/impacts etc. are much greater now.

In the AFL also, according to Prof. K. Norton, bump/tackle/push/collision injuries are at record highs.


Daily Telegraph P. Rothfield 10.5.21

"Grim milestone in NRL injury crisis
Major injuries have increased by a frightening 119 per cent in the past five years and now the blame game has begun. Phil Rothfield reveals the terrifying stats".

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

No Cookies

www.dailytelegraph.com.au

(Paywall-can anyone open, & post here)




The Roar "Guru" Tony 6.8.21

"NRL's current injury toll is becoming intolerable

Tony Roar Guru 6th August, 2021
https://www.theroar.com.au/2021/08/...oll-is-becoming-intolerable/#comments-section

Is it just my imagination or is the 2021 season one of the worst on record for injuries?

I have no stats to prove it, but this season seems to have thrown up more injuries than ever before, and the rate of injuries has had, and will continue to have, an enormous affect on the fortunes of many clubs as the season draws to an end.

The increased speed of the game, the focus on the correct treatment of concussed players, and the force of the impact as bigger bodies collide are all contributors to the increase in injuries, and these factors may now be permanent.

It raises the question whether the current squad size of 30 players is sufficient to get through a season, as we’ve seen many games this year where a team’s bench has been severely depleted as a result of injury.

The injury numbers are staggering really. Going into Round 21 there were over 90 players on the injury list, and that’s the equivalent of three clubs’ full squads.
Of these, some 22 players were listed in the season-ending category, while a further 13 had indefinite return dates.
Just to illustrate the impact these injuries are having on the competition, here’s a team made up only of players who are classified as being out for the season.

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
2. Edrick Lee
3. Kotoni Staggs
4. Javid Bowen
5. Nick Cotric
6. Luke Keary
7. Shaun Johnson
8. Lindsay Collins
9. Wayde Egan
10. Ben Murdoch-Masila
11. Tohu Harris
12. Ray Faitala-Mariner
13. Patrick Carrigan
14. John Asiata
15. Morgan Boyle
16. Billy Smith
17. Daine Laurie

That’s quite a handy squad, and quite a lot of talent gone for the year.

We all love watching a faster game played by big, powerful players, and who doesn’t enjoy watching the heavy contact, but injury rates like these just might not be sustainable (emphases in text, mine)".


More NRL players have suffered serious injuries since Round 20.

The Comments' Section raises many interesting views of why there are such high injury levels in the NRL now, cf previous eras.

 

[The_Wookie]

NFL discussion has been moved.

AFL and NFL things

RL has inherent problems due to its nature and the now domination of Pacific Islanders and players from PNG who have the right body shape and strength to play the game! The NFL is dominated by African-Americans and it certainly doesn't reduce the games appeal

www.bigfooty.com

 

[RedV3x]

This is not afresh article but an extremely level-headed look at the Sydney situation.

Is Aussie rules booming at rugby’s expense?

The academies at the Swans and Giants are pumping out locally bred AFL stars. They’re also helping to foster a living, breathing footy culture in parts of Sydney that are traditionally rugby union heartlands.

www.theage.com.au

It states AFL is booming and rugby is somewhat dying but doesn't delve into the co-incidence or link.

 

[RedV3x]

Another article from an outsider on the situation in Sydney.

The NRL Isn’t Killing Super Rugby; The AFL Is

If you want to know where all the NSW Waratahs fans are, go to the Sydney Swans.

www.forbes.com

Rather superficial and it would have have been interesting it he'd done some follow ups like attend a Giant's game.
Interesting that he comments on a multitude of sports but doesn't on AFL. Maybe he should.

 

[The_Wookie]

guys try to limit your article posting to actual news, or at least something in context of discussion taking place. Some of these articles are months and years behind us.

 

[NoobPie]

guys try to limit your article posting to actual news, or at least something in context of discussion taking place. Some of these articles are months and years behind us.

What? You can't post older articles now? And those articles are relevant anyway