Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[barbarian]

On your point of no one caring, you're completely right. I've been to two Shute Shield grand finals at North Sydney oval purely to get drunk on the hill and throw empty cans of beer at my friends. Couldn't tell you who played or won.

It's not a competition that demands interest week in, week out.

Out of interest, have you been to any NRC games?

I get your point, but at least there's a pull factor to going to a Shute Shield game, even if it's just to sink tins on the hill.

I'm no friend of the Shute Shield (as previous articles on the front page would illustrate), but I can see it's value in what RA are trying to do here.

 

[Lorenzo]

He's an idea. You don't need an NRC if there's 8 professional teams playing in a Trans-Tasman comp.

Do you mean 8 pro aussie teams?

 

[qwerty51]

Do you mean 8 pro aussie teams?

Based in Australia yes. Could be filled with Kiwi talent (or anyone else really). Just like the NRL teams.

 

[oztimmay]

If it’s a team from Melb it needs to be authentic and not some put together group, it has to mirror what the others are getting. Harlequins would have a squad solid enough to compete without been embarrassed. They made up a decent portion of the Rising NRC squad that started to perform to a reasonable level midway through the tournament.

Reckon it will be a tossup between Quins, the Unicorns, and Box Hill. Perhaps Melbourne Uni. Quins have top-notch facilities and just upgraded pitch 1. Box Hill, well they have THAT Hill! Unicorns, well Melbourne get anything they want

 

[Rebel man]

Reckon it will be a tossup between Quins, the Unicorns, and Box Hill. Perhaps Melbourne Uni. Quins have top-notch facilities and just upgraded pitch 1. Box Hill, well they have THAT Hill! Unicorns, well Melbourne get anything they want

Still a step backward you put in one club side from Melbourne and you isolate all those other people who don’t go for that club

 

[Rebels3]

I’m a Uni man after playing a few games for them when I first moved down from QLD, but would happily support any other team if they made it to the next level. Admittedly I don’t have any long term affiliation with a club as i grew up playing for the Breakers (now Bond), so happy to just support the sport in any capacity in Melb which is definitely home now after the best part of a decade here.

 

[oztimmay]

Still a step backward you put in one club side from Melbourne and you isolate all those other people who don’t go for that club

Don't disdagree with you. What I'm highlighting is my views on the powerbase clubs in Victoria that will have more influence thatn others.

 

[Dctarget]

I love Vic Rugby but would struggle to support a Harlequins or Box Hill team.

On that note - been trying to get back into playing after 5 years out of playing. Except after moving places my club is on the other side of the city now, but I can't face joining another club because I feel traitorous. Maybe I am too parochial...

 

[Rebel man]

Don't disdagree with you. What I'm highlighting is my views on the powerbase clubs in Victoria that will have more influence thatn others.

Look that’s fair enough, I think they are just better of investing in what we have. They seem to think the NRC is field of dreams build it and they will come. That’s not how it works, you have to sell the competition, I have been to a few Rising games but never been back since the 2018 season when there were none in Melbourne. When they brought in the franchise set up for the big bash it was slow to gain traction, it wasn’t until 10 got the rights and forced it down peoples throats to some degree that anybody cared

 

[Rebels3]

I love Vic Rugby but would struggle to support a Harlequins or Box Hill team.

On that note - been trying to get back into playing after 5 years out of playing. Except after moving places my club is on the other side of the city now, but I can't face joining another club because I feel traitorous. Maybe I am too parochial.

If it were an individual club to be selected they would do worse than introduce the Axemen back into a representative team on a yearly basis, but excluding players from the qualified team. Perhaps playing a fixture against the qualified team and then another against the Rebels A side to reward players from the other teams and help retention at their clubs.

 

[hoggy]

A couple of interesting articles in the SMH today & the Australian. Haven't seen this much info on rugby for years but a good quote for Roy Masters in the SMH made me laugh ironically.

"The time to put the Waratahs on FTA was back in 2014 when they won the Super rugby title but the RA had already stuffed Ruperts money down its pants like a frenzied participant in a dash for cash contest"

 

[Adam84]

So the club rugby pitch involves the competitions joining together and breaking into 2 divisions with a promotion/relegation system.

My first response is, I hope this is only for the ‘club championship’ portion rather then replacing the QPR & Shite Shield regular seasons. If it’s t he former, then I’m happy.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

So the club rugby pitch involves the competitions joining together and breaking into 2 divisions with a promotion/relegation system.

My first response is, I hope this is only for the ‘club championship’ portion rather then replacing the QPR & Shite Shield regular seasons. If it’s t he former, then I’m happy.

I'm probably in the minority here but I actually would like to see that. Two divisions of 12 teams. Would mean there would be room for teams from Canberra, Melbourne and Perth.

 

[sunnyboys]

So the club rugby pitch involves the competitions joining together and breaking into 2 divisions with a promotion/relegation system.

My first response is, I hope this is only for the ‘club championship’ portion rather then replacing the QPR & Shite Shield regular seasons. If it’s t he former, then I’m happy.

The Australian says it will replace Shute and QPR - whilst the Courier Mail says it will run after Shute and QPR - both articles attributed to the same author. Go figure!!!

 

[hoggy]

I'm probably in the minority here but I actually would like to see that. Two divisions of 12 teams. Would mean there would be room for teams from Canberra, Melbourne and Perth.

Yep two divisions with the Viking & Melbourne included, no Perth though.

 

[oztimmay]

Yep two divisions with the Viking & Melbourne included, no Perth though.

As it reads on Panda's article, Melbourne/Penrith. Can't decide whether to include Australia's second biggest TV market, or an (incorrectly) exiled team.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Yep two divisions with the Viking & Melbourne included, no Perth though.

Yeah. I'd prefer it if a Perth based club or team was included.

 

[Micheal]

Yeah. I'd prefer it if a Perth based club or team was included.

As would I -- the only problem is that flying to and from Perth is so fucking expensive for a competition like this.

Flights are -- at the very best -- $500 per person return. For a 25 person squad, plus 10 support staff, is $17,500 per game.

Not including accomodation or food.

It could be an outlay of up to $25k per team per game in Perth.

The only way I see it being viable is if Twiggy Forrest is prepared to put up the cash for teams to travel there, and if they receive support from an airline.

 

[Rebel man]

May somebody please link the article?

 

[Highlander35]

My feelings about/towards clubs are reasonably well known, and hence I won't spend much time talking about it.

But, if this is the route you are taking, you have to be ambitious, you have to be committed and you have to be ruthless. It needs to be seen as a twenty year proposition, and five to eight years down the line, any promoted club needs to be able to stand on its own two feet. It's "club" rugby, not provincial/franchise rugby, so let the potential for individual investment happen. If this is what's wanted by the powers that be, then you go whole hog, with no safety nets.